DIP-72 Meerkat - Online Q&A at scale

DIPs/DIP-72.md

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+---
+DIP: 72
+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: 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
+
+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.
+
+## Implementation
+
+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**: 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.
+
+## Links & Additional Information
+
+[GitHub Repository](https://github.com/meerkat-events/meerkat)  
+[Meerkat Landing](https://meerkat.events)