One Simple Way to Improve Validator Communication

cflows -

Most staking networks understand a strong validator set is key to the network's success. These networks invest significant time and resources into recruiting and communicating with their validators. There's one simple tool that often gets overlooked or misused along the way. It's also the most powerful tool to improve validator communications.

What I'm talking about here is a single validator update chat channel. This is a single channel established for one purpose and one purpose only. Its purpose is to communicate critical updates the validators need to know about.

Too Much Chat Noise

Everyone in crypto's overwhelmed with chat these days. We all are in too many chat channels on too many platforms. Validators are no exception.

Taking this a step further, validators run production systems. The systems need to be available 24x7. We need to be on call to update and upgrade our systems when required.

So we need to filter the signal through the noise in these chat channels. It's very difficult to do this when critical updates get mixed together with more general conversation.

It's also too easy to miss critical updates when this happens. The reality is nobody has (or at least should have) the time or attention available to monitor all the required channels on a 24x7 basis.

It's impossible. Even if you think it is possible, it's not where anyone should spend their limited attention.

The Magic of a Single Update Channel

That's why these single purpose update channels are critical.

So how do they work? Why are they so magical?

The project team -

  • Sets up a one-way communication channel in their selected chat app
  • Publicizes the channel, letting the validators and broader community know they're using it to communicate critical updates only
  • Uses this channel consistently for the intended purpose
  • Reduces their administrative overhead, resulting from posting the same information in multiple channels and having to repeat the same updates because validators miss them

Then validators -

  • Monitor this channel on a regular basis, confident we won't miss key project updates
  • Can set notification for these types of channels only, reducing the chat notification noise
  • Are much less likely to miss key updates

Once the channel is established, the most important thing the project team can do is use the channel CONSISTENTLY. This is necessary to establish validator confidence that this channel is the single source of truth for updates.

Many times a project team starts the channel with good intentions. Then, in the heat of the moment, they revert to haphazardly posting to what ever channel is most convenient at that time.

This defeats the purpose. It ends up creating more noise, rather than reducing it.

So if you're a project looking for an easy way to vastly improve validator communication, consider implementing this single validator update chat channel.

Doing so and using it consistently will reduce your team's and validators' admin burdens. This will result in a more responsive and less frustrated validator set. The end result will be a more stable and secure network.

P.S. - Would you like Chainflow to help set-up your validator program? If you would, please contact me here.