WTF is Nouns DAO?

Nouns is an experimental organization that votes and funds ideas.

These ideas all have a one thing in common — They each align with a shared ethos of being “Nounish,” or more simply put, fit these key elements:

  1. Do good with no expectation of return.
  2. Teach people about web3 and spread Ethereum and crypto values.
  3. Spread the Nouns “meme” ⌐◨-◨
  4. Create and proliferate CC0 content and open source infrastructure.
  5. Create positive externalities, embrace absurdity and difference, and have fun.

One “Noun” is generated and auctioned off everyday. Those funds are sent to a treasury.

The treasury is controlled and released through proposals that are voted on by Nouns owners, aka holders (winners of the daily auction).

One Noun = One vote.

Have two Nouns? Then you have two votes… etc…

The goal? — To perpetuate the Nounish flywheel and proliferate Nouns and the shared ethos… forever! (…or as long as we can keep this experiment going!)

Still don’t get it? — Check out this incredible explainer video, created by Nounish. A Nouns funded media group…

Pretty cool, right?…

So far Nouns has funded over hundreds of projects! Literally millions of dollars in funding to proliferate Nouns and Nounish values across the world.

Proposals can be presented to the DAO at any time, and put up for a vote by the holders. Passed, failed, or canceled — All of the proposals presented to Nouns can be found here: https://nouns.wtf/vote.

Only Nouns holders can submit proposals, but Nouners (what we call a Noun holder) have come up with ways for anyone, even non-holders, to submit their ideas for consideration. Prop.house, small grant pods, candidate proposals, and through networking are all ways non-Nouns holders have been able to submit ideas. You’ll learn more about these funding routes after diving into some of the communities mentioned below.

Have a great idea? Nouns might want to fund YOU!

Wait… so WTF Is a “DAO?”

Nouns is a DAO or “Decentralized Autonomous Organization,” that lives on the Ethereum blockchain and relies on smart contracts to be fully trustless and not rely on middlemen or third parties to broker transactions.

Nouns come in the form of non-fungible tokens, sent to the winning bidder’s Ethereum wallet.

This technology truly decentralizes the decision making surrounding not only the treasury but how the treasury is governed, putting the decision making power into the hands of the Nouns token holders.

To learn more about Ethereum, smart contracts and the blockchain visit Nouns101.wtf. Nouns101 is a free four chapter course walking you through the basics on the blockchain, web3, NFTs and DAOs. If you’ve ever wanted to create your first crypto wallet, this is a great place to begin.

Check out this short animated video that helps explain this concept, also funded by Nouns:

There are a lot of other interesting mechanics built into the NounsDAO protocol and smart contracts. If you’re interested in diving deeper check out the Nouns Dev Resources.

Nouns Artwork

Each Noun token is a 32×32 piece of pixel art and the iconic Nouns glasses in different colors. They are randomly generated onchain as the current auction is completed and a new auction begins.

The art consists of a background, body, accessory, head, and glasses. The contract is upgradable, and new traits can (and have) been proposed and added to the collection (like that good looking satellite you see above, proposed and added on Nouns 2nd anniversary).

Want to check out the traits in the collection? Visit the Nouns Playground.

Nouns Is Public Domain (CC0)

Because Nouns was built under the Creative Commons 0 (CC0) license, it means there are no rights reserved, and anyone is free to use the Nouns artwork and protocol as they please.

Because Nouns is CC0 many others have built on top of the Nouns protocol, using the smart contracts, art and shared ethos. It all comes together in a collective “Nouniverse” of sub-daos and a community of people who are all building on top of, or alongside Nouns.

Some notable DAOs and communities that have taken advantage of the the Nouns CC0 license:

Finding The Right Nounish Community

Want to get involved with Nouns but just aren’t sure where to begin?

Have you thought: “I’d love to be involved but I don’t have the money to buy a token?”

Don’t worry — We’ve all been there…

The Nouns community is decentralized, but there are still places where everyone meets to review active proposals, talk about ideas, and just to have some fun.

It’s important to note that after the first year of Nouns, the Nounders (Nouns Founders) decided to shut down the official Discord channel for NounsDAO. They did this to help further decentralize the DAO, and allow for communities of like-minded builders to form together. Although NounsDAO is decentralized, there still are some central hubs to get yourself involved, and in the conversation.

https://nouns.center/groups

Here are a few suggestions on where to begin:

  • The Noun Square: A great place to begin experiencing Nouns is listening to the daily Noun Square show on Twitter. This show changes times daily, as it aligns with the NounsDAO auction closing. They play a fun game to help select the next Noun and review all things Nounish happening. They invite guests and give away small prizes of eth or NFTs to attendees. Make sure to follow them on twitter and say hello during the next show! This group has been funded by Nouns multiple times and provides an excellent source of news and entertainment for the Nouns ecosystem. They also have a Discord.
  • Lil NounsDAO: Lil Nouns DAO owns Nouns and are a more affordable entry point into the Nouns ecosystem. I think this Discord channel is the best place to get started in Nouns and meet others participating on a daily basis. Buy a Lil NounsDAO token to access the private chat, but come stop by and say hello in General chat and tell them MikeGood sent you!
  • Nouns Community Discord, aka “The Jungle”: This is the most officinal “Nouns” discord at the time of writing this. It was funded by NounsDAO through proposal 274. You can join this discord here, and they have a verified role for Nouns holders along with a private chat.
  • Nouncil: After you’ve gotten involved in the Nouns Ecosystem and have started to participate there are groups like Nouncil you can join. Nouncil is an elected body of builders in the Nouns Ecosystem who get to vote on Nouns props. Nouncil has been lucky enough to secure Nouns token delegations, which allows this group to vote on proposals. Anyone can join the Discord server and attend weekly calls to hear about upcoming proposals. Anyone can apply, and if selected, must maintain a good voter history to keep their title. Find out more here.
  • Farcaster: The Warpcast App, more commonly known as Farcaster, has a growing community of Nouns contributors and related sub-DAOs. Currently this is an invite-only platform, but rapidly expanding and giving out invites to Nouns, Lil Nouns, and other Nounish token holders. Come join in on the conversation!
  • X (Twitter): Nouns, Lil Nouns, and all of the other DAOs and communities mentioned above are also on (X) Twitter. Following each, attending TNS shows, and following other Nouner’s and Nouns builders is a great way to keep up to date.

Nouns: The Infinite Onchain Game

To many Nouns is considered an infinite onchain game.. Set up by the founders to live on forever, as long as the Ethereum blockchain exists. To me, even if the blockchain went down tomorrow, Nouns would live on through the community, iconic branding, and thought-provoking mission/ethos. Can it survive the test of time? — I’m personally hopeful.

Want to bid on a Noun? Visit the Nouns.wtf.

Long live Nouns ⌐◨-◨