One potential problem with the above idea could be that there wouldn’t be enough funds from donations to fund the proposals to add new funding sources, but I’m assuming Steemit’s initial donation should easily cover any such costs.
I hope so. I don't see donations being plentiful or diverse enough in the long term to be able to cover the costs of the various development needs. I think that this is a suitable compromise however and I do think that pretty early on, the need for alternate funding will be recognised.
That's how I view it also. The main reason for the deferral is to have available a tool suitable for getting a good consensus on what those funding sources should be.
After some consideration, I reckon multiple mechanisms for providing funding would best meet our needs, as we have a diverse community, and those folks will prefer various means of kicking in.
Given that development has been undertaken by a couple different means so far, and those means remain available, funding via the DAO might preferentially provide mechanisms not presently available.
For example, extracting fund for development from existing inflation is being done right now, today, via posts that support projects being upvoted. Other mechanisms exist which also draw from existing inflation. Direct funding of development via spending individual stake is also presently being done.
You haven't discussed other mechanisms than those currently in place as mechanisms the DAO will potentiate, to my knowledge.
I reckon brainstorming some funding mechanisms would really inform the process of potentiating those mechanisms the community is willing to implement.
Maybe you could post asking for such ideas, as the party implementing the DAO.
Makes sense to me. What do you think?