User group:How it works
💡 In simple words: A User Group is a local team on WikiDeal. It makes money from trades, can start fundraising, and gets help from the foundation. Special groups get their own page and voting power.
🎯 In 20 seconds (scientific summary): We are heading towards a federated governance model where User Groups function as semi-autonomous economic units, generating revenue through commission sharing and bonding curves while receiving incubation support. The emerging trend suggests formalized recognition via Board audit creates accountability and legitimacy, drawing parallels to open-source affiliate structures, though tensions between autonomy and platform oversight remain underexplored.
The Role of User Groups
User Groups are WikiDeal's primary organisational units below the platform level. A User Group operates with significant autonomy, setting its own Commission rates within WikiDeal's boundaries, managing arbitration, and organising community events. See the User Groups concept page for the full model.
Revenue & Funding
User Groups generate income through:
- Commission Share: A portion of the commission on every transaction within their portal goes to the User Group's operational fund.
- Bonding Curve Funding: Groups can launch their own bonding curve rounds to raise funds (e.g., for localising contracts or training arbitrators).
- Open Call Grants: Groups can apply for project grants from the Open Call fund of the Ynternet.org Foundation.
The Concept of "Recognized" Groups
Inspired by the Wikimedia Foundation's affiliate model, a WikiDeal User Group is intended to be formally Recognized through a review by the Board of Audit. While any community can gather informally, only Recognized User Groups would receive a dedicated portal, autonomous treasury tracking, voting rights in WikiDeal governance, and official foundation support.
Incubation
New User Groups will be able to apply for incubation support from the Ynternet.org Foundation: legal template adaptation, technical setup assistance, access to the foundation's network, and a seed grant from the Open Calls fund. Incubation is time-limited (typically 12 months). Co-incubation of complementary groups (e.g. babysitting and tutoring in the same city) is also envisioned.
Note: The first User Groups will be launched and incubated as part of the deliverables of Prototype 1 Phase 2. During Phase 1, no new User Groups will be deployed.