Author: Marco Gonzalez

Editor: Randall Roland

EOS Network is for and by the community. Instead of development led by a sole, private corporate entity, as it once was, EOS finds sustenance in the EOS Network Foundation. Development, leadership and funding are all provided by a foundation with the heart of the community in mind.

In the past, lead developers did in fact ask the community what it wanted. However, final solutions usually fell short of expectations. The ENF has already established a reputation of building network features ‘as envisioned’, or at least closely aligned with community opinion.

In an effort to more closely align community needs with ENF efforts, EOS Support provides technical surveys. The community can expect additional surveys centered around what the ENF and other stakeholders are doing to transform the network. Block producers are not the only ones who should be on the lookout for new surveys. Other interested parties include developers, businesses, and average users.

The EOS Network Foundation is doing a fine job. However, the community must strive to remain the focal point and voice of EOS.

A big part of empowering the community is maintaining a strong connection with block producers (BPs). This is where EOS Support surveys fit in.

The hope is that one day BPs and the needs of the community will grow into a healthy symbiotic relationship.

Surveys offer the opportunity to gauge community sentiment. The future of any blockchain is determined by its functionality and capabilities. When BPs are dissociated from the needs of its community, time and interests can dissolve relationships. Learn more about the important role that BPs play in What’s the story behind the Block Producers?

Developers, existing projects, and users, not just block producers, all benefit from a better aligned community. EOS Support surveys connect those who secure the blockchain with users and creative minds. It's important to identify both alignments and disconnects between users and BPs because their relationships can be a detriment or asset.

BPs who respond to EOS Support surveys aid community collaboration toward building a better network. Survey results expect to reverberate throughout the ecosystem. In addition to aligning development, they help foster trust and loyalty toward a common mission. EOS Support surveys help put the future back in the hands of the community.

EOS Support provides support where it's needed most. The organization's services entail coordinating and evaluating information to provide intelligent feedback and development support. The quality of the results are limited by the community's feedback. Everyone with a strong opinion is encouraged to respond. Entities that are most closely associated with a given topic should view responding to EOS Support surveys as helping build the future.

The objective of EOS Support's most recent survey was to obtain feedback about blocks.log files for the EOS Network Foundation. With this information, the ENF can make determinations about future software development. For information about blocks.log files and why they are important, visit the survey explainer article.

The survey asked block producers about:

To aid in the discussion, the explainer article looked back at different versions of EOSIO and compared the usage of blocks.log files to that of Antelope Leap 3.1. In the future, the ENF hopes to have block producers and developers participate in the Leap weekly calls and discuss which features they want to see developed.

Clearly it's important to gauge the opinion of those who actually use blocks.log files. A reason why blocks.log files might headline investigative efforts is because of how frequently its usage changes from one platform version to the next. One might think such change is due to uncertainty rather than the natural progress of innovation. In any event, surveys are a way of getting to the heart of the matter.

Surveys are a long-standing part of innovation for good reason. They connect communities, align interests, identify issues and offer so much more. Carefully constructed surveys can provide value that few entities within a community ever envisioned. EOS Support’s effort begins with inquiry into the interests of stakeholders (e.g. ENF) and then determine a target audience. Since the whole community is interested in developments on EOS, all are invited to provide feedback. However, gauging the sentiment of a specific segment of the community is often intended.

Development and innovation on EOS is rampant. Moving at speeds that dwarf the innovative efforts of other blockchains requires unconventional monitoring methods. Technical surveys from EOS Support go beyond what’s traditionally provided within the space. As more of the community recognizes that their input matters, EOS can further its lead of innovating Web3.