From 8e0d0f87c2b2d6098265829b789d71d5fdf91ac8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Florian Dreschner Date: Sun, 17 Aug 2025 21:56:51 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 1/4] DIP-67: Meerkat - Online Q&A at scale and Session Feedback --- DIPs/DIP-67.md | 88 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 88 insertions(+) create mode 100644 DIPs/DIP-67.md diff --git a/DIPs/DIP-67.md b/DIPs/DIP-67.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..634d5b3 --- /dev/null +++ b/DIPs/DIP-67.md @@ -0,0 +1,88 @@ +--- +DIP: 67 +Title: Meerkat - Online Q&A at scale and Session Feedback +Status: Draft +Themes: Audience Engagement, Content Quality +Tags: Production, Q&A, Software, Moderation, Reputation, Feedback, Open-Source +Instances: Devconnect2025 +Authors: Florian Dreschner (florian@voya.games) +Resources Required: Travel Reimbursement, Tech support, Communication support, On-site desk +Discussion: https://forum.devcon.org/t/dip-meerkat-online-q-a-at-scale-and-session-feedback/7780 +--- + +## Abstract + +Deploy Meerkat to power live, privacy-preserving Q&A and post-session feedback across Devconnect ARG. Core upgrades: (1) reputation-assisted curation to raise question quality at scale; (2) lightweight post-session surveys to close the loop for speakers and organizers. Meerkat is open source and already field-tested at major Ethereum events. + +## Rationale + +In-person, offline Q&A for large audiences has well-known issues: content is unpredictable (often mediocre, sometimes malicious); microphone passing wastes precious time; and the format isn’t inclusive: many shy attendees won’t stand up to ask. + +In contrast, Meerkat at Devcon 7 SEA showed that a fully integrated online Q&A yields more relevant questions and a better attendee experience, backed by audience/organizer quotes and high activation rates. + +One highlight is captured in this [video](https://x.com/meerkatzk/status/1897594746379399617), when Hart Lambur started Q&A with Vitalik Buterin, Jesse Pollak, Steven Goldfeder, Ben Jones on main stage at Devcon 7 SEA and he realizes how Meerkat curated the questions for him. + +> “Wow, this is cool!” +> +> +> — Hart Lambur +> + +Meerkat was developed in cooperation with 0xPARC. It was fully integrated, including the Devcon app and Fileverse. + +Based on learnings from November 2024 and follow-up events at Zuitzerland, ProtocolBerg, SDD Berlin, ETHDenver, Building Blocks, and others, we iterated on both product and operations, adding features such as “select a question,” theming, and alternative authentication modes. + +For Devconnect, we will evolve Meerkat to deliver more value to speakers, attendees, and organizers. After informal interviews with organizers at the above events and audience feedback, we will apply these learnings: + +- Improve content quality via crowd-assisted, privacy-preserving moderation. +- Capture actionable per-session feedback with near-zero friction. +- Maintain attendee privacy and a decentralization ethos (ZK-friendly auth; no PII). The reference implementation supports Zupass-style credentials. + +## Implementation + +Many improvements from Devcon 7 SEA are already available in Meerkat, including event theming, “select a question,” and new layouts. We propose two major changes. + +### Reputation-based content curation + +Moderators play a key role: reading incoming questions, selecting them, and moderating. This is challenging while also managing an in-person crowd. It requires attention to Meerkat while tracking talk content. + +For Devconnect, audience members can earn reputation as good question askers or voters. Reputation will allow them to highlight strong questions and hide low-quality ones for manual review. This crowdsources content curation, while moderators, organizers, and the Meerkat team can always override. + +### Post-event feedback + +Organizers and speakers benefit from structured session feedback. While Meerkat already supports feedback, it does not currently remind the audience. + +For Devconnect, we will include a short post-session survey that allows attendees to provide feedback to speakers and organizers in a convenient format. + +#### Timeline + +- **2025-09-15**: v0 of reputation + feedback + theming ready for review. +- **2025-11-03**: feature-complete; moderator training content. +- **2025-11-17-22**: on-site support at La Rural. + +## Operational Requirements & Ownership + +### Deliverables (Meerkat) + +- Hosted Meerkat instance for all approved Devconnect sessions. +- Moderator & organizer briefing (1h on-site). +- Theming to Devconnect ARG. +- On-call during event hours; daily summary to organizers. + +### Dependencies (Organizers) + +- Listing in official comms + room QR signage. +- On-site desk near organizer hub. +- Review meetings during implementation +- Optional: link in the Devconnect app/website. + +### Cost + +Free for Devconnect and partners. + +We request support to cover conference tickets, flights, and accommodation for a team of two to participate. + +## Links & Additional Information + +[GitHub Repository](https://github.com/meerkat-events/meerkat) +[Meerkat Landing](https://meerkat.events) \ No newline at end of file From 85dd09ee5269fb48b0fa6e7c4cc4b8b10d8a66e4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Florian Dreschner Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2025 13:16:20 -0300 Subject: [PATCH 2/4] update with latest implementation --- DIPs/DIP-67.md | 28 +++++----------------------- 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 23 deletions(-) diff --git a/DIPs/DIP-67.md b/DIPs/DIP-67.md index 634d5b3..e1423d3 100644 --- a/DIPs/DIP-67.md +++ b/DIPs/DIP-67.md @@ -1,12 +1,12 @@ --- DIP: 67 -Title: Meerkat - Online Q&A at scale and Session Feedback +Title: Meerkat - Online Q&A at scale Status: Draft Themes: Audience Engagement, Content Quality Tags: Production, Q&A, Software, Moderation, Reputation, Feedback, Open-Source Instances: Devconnect2025 Authors: Florian Dreschner (florian@voya.games) -Resources Required: Travel Reimbursement, Tech support, Communication support, On-site desk +Resources Required: Tech support, Communication support, On-site desk Discussion: https://forum.devcon.org/t/dip-meerkat-online-q-a-at-scale-and-session-feedback/7780 --- @@ -32,31 +32,15 @@ Meerkat was developed in cooperation with 0xPARC. It was fully integrated, inclu Based on learnings from November 2024 and follow-up events at Zuitzerland, ProtocolBerg, SDD Berlin, ETHDenver, Building Blocks, and others, we iterated on both product and operations, adding features such as “select a question,” theming, and alternative authentication modes. -For Devconnect, we will evolve Meerkat to deliver more value to speakers, attendees, and organizers. After informal interviews with organizers at the above events and audience feedback, we will apply these learnings: - -- Improve content quality via crowd-assisted, privacy-preserving moderation. -- Capture actionable per-session feedback with near-zero friction. -- Maintain attendee privacy and a decentralization ethos (ZK-friendly auth; no PII). The reference implementation supports Zupass-style credentials. +For Devconnect, we will evolve Meerkat to deliver more value to speakers, attendees, and organizers. After informal interviews with organizers at the above events and audience feedback, we will apply these learnings. ## Implementation -Many improvements from Devcon 7 SEA are already available in Meerkat, including event theming, “select a question,” and new layouts. We propose two major changes. - -### Reputation-based content curation - -Moderators play a key role: reading incoming questions, selecting them, and moderating. This is challenging while also managing an in-person crowd. It requires attention to Meerkat while tracking talk content. - -For Devconnect, audience members can earn reputation as good question askers or voters. Reputation will allow them to highlight strong questions and hide low-quality ones for manual review. This crowdsources content curation, while moderators, organizers, and the Meerkat team can always override. - -### Post-event feedback - -Organizers and speakers benefit from structured session feedback. While Meerkat already supports feedback, it does not currently remind the audience. - -For Devconnect, we will include a short post-session survey that allows attendees to provide feedback to speakers and organizers in a convenient format. +Many improvements from Devcon 7 SEA are already available in Meerkat, including event theming, “select a question,” and new layouts. We introduce two changes to reduce the operational cost for moderators and AV crews. Moderators are able to mark a session as live. It will automatically populate a stage-based link with the current live session. #### Timeline -- **2025-09-15**: v0 of reputation + feedback + theming ready for review. +- **2025-09-15**: theming ready for review. - **2025-11-03**: feature-complete; moderator training content. - **2025-11-17-22**: on-site support at La Rural. @@ -80,8 +64,6 @@ For Devconnect, we will include a short post-session survey that allows attendee Free for Devconnect and partners. -We request support to cover conference tickets, flights, and accommodation for a team of two to participate. - ## Links & Additional Information [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/meerkat-events/meerkat) From 0a750c8a3b7feaadf4ef64e1eb252c9519e1f809 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Florian Dreschner Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2025 18:58:37 -0300 Subject: [PATCH 3/4] fix: rename dip files --- DIPs/{DIP-67.md => DIP-72.md} | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) rename DIPs/{DIP-67.md => DIP-72.md} (99%) diff --git a/DIPs/DIP-67.md b/DIPs/DIP-72.md similarity index 99% rename from DIPs/DIP-67.md rename to DIPs/DIP-72.md index e1423d3..a75fc33 100644 --- a/DIPs/DIP-67.md +++ b/DIPs/DIP-72.md @@ -1,5 +1,5 @@ --- -DIP: 67 +DIP: 72 Title: Meerkat - Online Q&A at scale Status: Draft Themes: Audience Engagement, Content Quality From 6fda746b42d615c8a3e8287d4024eb4cb9fda14c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: ligi Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2025 21:27:15 -0300 Subject: [PATCH 4/4] Update DIPs/DIP-72.md --- DIPs/DIP-72.md | 1 + 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+) diff --git a/DIPs/DIP-72.md b/DIPs/DIP-72.md index a75fc33..e968d91 100644 --- a/DIPs/DIP-72.md +++ b/DIPs/DIP-72.md @@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ Instances: Devconnect2025 Authors: Florian Dreschner (florian@voya.games) Resources Required: Tech support, Communication support, On-site desk Discussion: https://forum.devcon.org/t/dip-meerkat-online-q-a-at-scale-and-session-feedback/7780 +Created: 2025-08-17 --- ## Abstract