Grant Proposal: The Graph: explained (Audio Series)

[admin]

Grant ID: 8686c6vzf

Summary:

The Graph Audio Series aims to demystify and disseminate knowledge about The Graph’s complex ecosystem through engaging and accessible audio episodes, designed for both technical and non-technical audiences.

I have read and agree to the privacy policy:
true

Describe what your project does or is aiming to do in 50 characters or less:
Educational audio series on The Graph.

If available, please enter a link to your project below:
https://studios.tuturama.com/thegraph

How far along are you?:
Concept stage, with episode outlines drafted and a demo of 30 segundos audio on the website.

Why did you pick this idea to work on? Do you have domain expertise in this area? How do you know people need what you’re making?:
Chosen for its educational potential; with expertise in content creation and educational products (Pearson/Financial Times). The need is based on community feedback and a gap in accessible educational materials on The Graph.

What’s new about what you’re making? What substitutes do people resort to because it doesn’t exist yet (or they don’t know about it)?:
Unique blend of storytelling and technical explanation in audio format; currently, people rely on text-based resources which may not be as engaging or accessible.

What’s your vision for how your project will impact The Graph and/or web3?:
Envision the series increasing The Graph’s reach and comprehension, fostering a more informed and engaged community in the web3 space.

How will you measure success?:
Through listener engagement metrics, community feedback, and increased discourse around The Graph.

What milestones will you achieve in the coming weeks/months, with or without the grant?:
Drafting scripts, engaging voice-over, and producing the 10 episodes. The grant makes feasible the production and distribution.

Please select who you think will benefit from your project?:
Other, Curators, Delegators, Indexers, Subgraph Developers

How much funding are you looking for? (USD):
14500

Provide a breakdown of your requested funding:
Script Development: $4,000 (Research, writing, and editing of scripts for 10 episodes)
Production Costs: $7,500 (Recording equipment, editing software, synth voices improvement)
Sound Design: $2,000 (Background music, sound effects, mixing and mastering)
Publishing: $1,000 (Promotion of the series on social media and community channels to reach 10,000 impressions on Spotify in the first month)

Have you applied for (or already received) funding from somewhere else?:
No

Can you share any information about current/past web3 experience?:
6 years in web3. 15+ in education. Worked in centralized exchanges and protocols. Avid learner, constantly researching digital assets, ecosystems, and communities.

Why are you interested in contributing to The Graph and/or web3?:
Passionate about making web3 technology understandable and approachable for everyone.

Are you applying as a team or individual?:
Team

What type of grant are you pursuing?:
Project (one-off)

Please select the category your project best fits into:
Education

Primary Community Poll

Do you fundamentally support this grant application, knowing that the final scope and grant amount may differ from the requested proposal?

• Yes
• No

Grant Committee Vote

Do you recommend this grant to the DAO?

• Yes
• No

[doxe01.eth]

Greetings!

Thank you very much for your proposal, but I all have a few questions regarding it:

• How will you ensure the technical accuracy of the content while maintaining engagement for non-technical listeners?
• Can you detail the process of community feedback collection to gauge the educational impact of the series?
• What are the qualifications of the scriptwriters and sound designers involved in the project?
• How will you measure the 10,000 impressions on Spotify, and what strategies will you employ to achieve this target?
• Will the audio series be accessible to individuals with hearing impairments, and if so, how will you accommodate them?
• What is the expected timeline for the release of the 10 episodes, and how frequent will each episode be released?
• Are there plans for language translations or subtitles for non-English speaking audiences?
• Trivial: Will there be any special episodes or features for major updates or milestones within The Graph ecosystem post-release?

And the last thing I wanted to talk about was the team. Because from what I’ve heard, it’s alas using AI technology rather than a real voice. I look forward to your comments. Thank you!

[siddhant_k08]

Everything looks well-put, I just had some questions that I would love to express.

1. Is the Audio series limited to Spotify or are you planning on other platforms as well?

2. How do you plan to execute the process of marketing to maximize user engagement?

@admin

Production Costs: $7,500 (Recording equipment, editing software, synth voices improvement)

3. Can you provide a more detailed breakdown of the Production Costs?

@admin

Can you share any information about current/past web3 experience?:
6 years in web3. 15+ in education. Worked in centralized exchanges and protocols. Avid learner, constantly researching digital assets, ecosystems, and communities.

4. Is there any reference links that that can reflect your past work in web3?

Thank you!

[tuturama_studios]

Thank you for your insightful questions. Here are the responses:

@doxe01.eth

• How will you ensure the technical accuracy of the content while maintaining engagement for non-technical listeners?

This is the heart of our project. Our process involves several ‘gates’ to ensure quality:

1. Community Input on Episodes: We start by having the community review and approve the 10 proposed episodes, even adding content suggestions.
2. Public Loglines & Technical Content: Each episode’s logline and technical content will be made public for further community input.
3. Refinement Pre-Scriptwriting: We’ll refine this content based on community feedback before starting the scriptwriting process.
4. External Testing: Simultaneously, we test our content with individuals outside the community, a common practice in educational product development.
   This approach ensures our series is not only technically accurate but also engaging and accessible to a wide audience.

@doxe01.eth

• Can you detail the process of community feedback collection to gauge the educational impact of the series?

According to the flowchart outlined in the previous question, our community feedback collection is structured through two key validation gates:

1. Episode Definition Gate: We will first make a public suggestion of the episodes and then, based on community consultation, define the final list of episodes.
2. Script Consultation Gate: After the episodes are defined, we will publish the first draft of each episode’s script for a one-week review period. During this time, the community can suggest changes. This process can go through up to three cycles to refine the content.

@doxe01.eth

• What are the qualifications of the scriptwriters and sound designers involved in the project?

Our team, with over 10 years in educational content creation, has diverse qualifications. Notably, our projects are often under IP protection for corporations or state contracts. For example, we created scripts and videos for WiseReader (wisereader.io, 2017). Our experience spans various roles in edtech, particularly in financial literacy and curriculum development. I personally was head of efficacy at Pearson Education, focusing on digital class production, and am a founding member of FT FLIC (ftflic.com). Denise, another team member, specializes in scriptwriting for internal training and was instrumental in producing for WiseReader.

@doxe01.eth

• How will you measure the 10,000 impressions on Spotify, and what strategies will you employ to achieve this target?

To measure the 10,000 Spotify impressions, we’ll use Spotify’s in-built analytics. Our strategy focuses on engaging The Graph’s community and reaching out to wider web3 audiences. We’ll use various web3 channels, including a notable group related to websummit (startup founders) and web3. This group is especially intriguing as it consists of individuals eager to start creating/transferring to in/to web3, though they’re not fully immersed yet. Our aim with this approach is to enhance visibility and boost listener engagement.

@doxe01.eth

• Will the audio series be accessible to individuals with hearing impairments, and if so, how will you accommodate them?

In the current phase, we’re focusing only on transcriptions text file. Your observation is valuable. Additionally, right now, we’re in the process of defining the scope for phase 2, which includes extending the proposal to feature multi-language support and accessibility tools like Braille scripts. We also plan to explore other formats, such as publishing on various streaming platforms and using widgets to display synchronized, real-time transcriptions with the audio. Thank you again for your insightful feedback.

@doxe01.eth

• What is the expected timeline for the release of the 10 episodes, and how frequent will each episode be released?

As we work per series, they will be released all at the same time. 3 months after approval.

@doxe01.eth

• Are there plans for language translations or subtitles for non-English speaking audiences?

Yes, we plan to initially release the series in English and then propose an extension of the project to include additional languages. The choice of languages will be determined in consultation with the community.

@doxe01.eth

• Trivial: Will there be any special episodes or features for major updates or milestones within The Graph ecosystem post-release?

We can do that. We’re open to including special episodes for major updates in The Graph ecosystem in a future phase. For now, our application is for a one-time project, focusing on this initial series. Future plans may involve monthly releases on topics chosen by the community. (then we will apply as a long-term project).

@doxe01.eth

And the last thing I wanted to talk about was the team. Because from what I’ve heard, it’s alas using AI technology rather than a real voice. I look forward to your comments. Thank you!

It is only a demo used to demonstrate our plans, we used AI narration, recognizing its potential when well-crafted. However, for this audio series, we’re choosing human voices from our talent pool, as we believe this approach better suits the content’s nature. The episodes are designed to be around 5 minutes each, aligning with our goal to engage audiences who might not prefer longer podcast formats.

[tuturama_studios]

1. despite the fact that we are focused on Spotify, we can distribute to other channels. We are ready to publish on other platforms if needed as soon as we release this. Open to hearing any ideas (preferred platforms).

2. We’ll use various web3 channels, including a notable group related to websummit (startup founders) and web3. This group is especially intriguing as it consists of individuals eager to start creating/transferring to in/to web3, though they’re not fully immersed yet. Our aim with this approach is to enhance visibility and boost listener engagement.

3. For sure:
   

   

4. Although most of our projects are restricted to internal training, we do have a small contract to release a public podcast with ICP (to be released next month). My experience in web3 includes working for various CEXs and other initiatives, focusing on knowledge base structuring, internal training, and project management. I’m available for an AMA-style discussion if you’d like more information, I will be happy to provide it.
   for educational projects, please consult:

• wisereader.io
• Curriculum | Learning Hub FT FLIC

Thank you!

[doxe01.eth]

Greetings!

The presentation of the project will be in the public-voice-chat channel on the Graph AdvocatesDAO Discord server on November 28th at 10:00 UTC. Entrance is open and everyone is welcome to come in and ask their questions during the presentation!

Thanks everyone for your attention!

[doxe01.eth]

The majority decision of the Grant Committee concludes to not recommend this proposal for DAO funding. Please recognize that this is not a statement on the proposal itself, but rather an aggregated reflection by committee members taking into account a number of factors, such as alignment to The Graph and web3 ecosystem, budget available to support grants and prioritization relative to other proposed grants.

Below, you find brief feedback brought up within the committee to not recommend DAO funding that may help you to submit successful grant applications in the future:

At this stage, the grant committee is not considering supporting this grant proposal because it is not relevant at this stage of DAO’s development and does not follow DAO’s goals at this time. It is important to realize that the work that you are doing is exciting and unique, and we look forward to seeing you in the future.

Thank you for submitting this proposal, and you are encouraged to stay engaged in the Graph community. You are also welcome to submit new grant applications in the future with proposals that may generate stronger support from the committee.

Sincerely,
Graph AdvocatesDAO