Dynamic Vouch Rebalancing for Projects in Ethos Network

Because reciprocal Vouches add score, there is a large number of users with Vouches, which is great, but this negatively affects projects.

Projects do not return Vouches for two main reasons: many of them are not yet on Ethos, and for those that are, giving a Vouch from a project could be interpreted as an endorsement or partnership, which could lead to confusion.

As a result, projects do not receive Vouches, since users know they will not be returned by the project, and therefore this does not improve their score in any way.

There should be a rebalancing mechanism, some incentive for projects to also receive Vouches, preferably genuine ones. Vouches reflect a higher degree of trust than a simple review and should be received by all ecosystem participants, both users and projects.

The rebalancing could involve making it unnecessary to receive a Vouch from a project in order to earn score. Instead, Vouches to projects would directly grant score to the user who gives them, although these points should be carefully balanced to avoid incentivizing “buying score with money,” preventing massive Vouching by those who can afford it.

Additionally, a dynamic mechanism could be implemented so that Vouches to projects that later decrease in reputation affect the score of those who gave the Vouch. Conversely, users who give a Vouch to a project that later increases in reputation would benefit in their score.

This approach balances not only the negative behavior already addressed by Slash, but also incentivizes positive behavior and early recognition of a project’s potential by the user. Again, it should be balanced both in terms of score and the time frame during which it affects the score, whether negatively or positively.