AdaPulse: Independent Media Outlet

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Dickson Mwendia

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

12

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

Expanding our independent media outlet, Adapulse. Adapulse is a coalition of tech writers/engaged community members creating content around innovations, projects, & news within the Cardano ecosystem.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

No dependencies, we function independently.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

We deliver content (articles, videos, and news pieces) to the community, and these are all publicly distributed. Any code examples that are provided in our content can also be used for learning by members of the community.

[METADATA] SDG rating

4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution.

The Concept

Objective independent media coverage of updates, projects, and news within the Cardano ecosystem is paramount. As we continue to grow, we'll continue building pillars to discuss all topics outside of the current institutions e.g. Cardano Foundation and Input Output Global. 

Adapulse is a grassroots independent outlet built by community members. Our ideology is that an informed and engaged community leads to sound decision-making while navigating down the path of decentralized governance.  Since the launch of Adapulse in 2021, we’ve always aimed to empower a community of learners, builders, and users in the Cardano community and stay connected with them throughout their journeys. We’ve reached out to learn what different folks in the community are building and sharing this knowledge with the community. Adapulse looks to serve anyone seeking resources to understand these concepts and participate in the ecosystem at their own pace.

The funding of this proposal will continue elevating the business model of Adapulse. It will provide funding for operations for the next 12 months.

Our Approach

We chose the route of Project Catalyst funding after being self-funded over the first year after launching to ensure the values of what we built remain the same. Seeking funding outside of Catalyst would potentially leave our outlet exposed to influence from external factors.

The environment we’ve cultivated at Adapulse affords creators to generate content in a manner that doesn’t limit or restrict their messaging and focuses on presenting objective analysis. This has been a winning recipe to this point, as we’ve published over 500 articles and 130+ videos while organically expanding our viewership along the way.

Since inception, Adapulse averages ~30,000 unique visitors monthly with very little to no advertising outside of a Twitter profile and posting on Facebook and Reddit.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community.

The success of our project will continue to bring value to the Cardano Community by providing reliable, high-quality information about the ecosystem. This can help community members make informed decisions and contribute more effectively to the ecosystem.

By filling the information gap within the Cardano ecosystem, Adapulse.io facilitates well-informed decision-making, supports rigorous research, and ultimately contributes to the growth and sustainability of the Cardano ecosystem. We believe that an informed community is essential for fostering innovation, collaboration, and positive developments within the blockchain space.

Supporting Adapulse.io is an investment in the transparency, education, and progress of the Cardano community. With your support, we can continue providing invaluable insights, empowering a more knowledgeable and empowered community, and contributing to the success of Cardano and its stakeholders.

We will measure this impact through the quantitative and qualitative measures mentioned below:

Qualitative Measures:

1. Community Feedback: Feedback from the Cardano community can provide valuable insights into how our content is being received and what impact it is having.
2. Influence on Projects: The success of projects that we cover can also be an indicator of our impact. If these projects gain more visibility and support after being featured on AdaPulse.io, it suggests that our platform is having a positive impact.

Quantitative measure:

1. Amount of high-quality content produced - The number of articles and videos we produce covering different topics across the ecosystem will serve as a baseline for meeting our goal of fostering a more informed and educated community.
2. Website Traffic: The number of unique visitors and page views can provide insight into the reach of our content.
3. Social Media Engagement: The number of followers, likes, shares, and comments on our social media posts can indicate the level of engagement and interest in our content.
4. Subscriber Growth: The growth rate of our newsletter or other subscription services can show the increasing interest in our platform.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

As a technical author for AdaPulse since our launching (over two years ago), I've developed a deep understanding of the Cardano ecosystem and the various projects within it. My technical background allows me to understand and explain complex blockchain concepts in a way that is accessible to readers across the community. Together with the rest of the team, we will continue to contribute high-quality content that educates our audience and promotes the growth of the Cardano ecosystem.

In terms of managing funds, I've always been transparent and accountable in my work. Here are the steps I would take to ensure proper fund management:

1. Budget planning: I will adhere to our detailed budget plan that outlines how the funds will be used. This would include costs for website maintenance, content creation, graphics design, and other operational expenses.
2. Regular updates: I'll provide regular updates to the funders about how the funds are being used. This could be in the form of monthly or quarterly reports.
3. Transparency: To ensure transparency and trust, I would be open to having the financials audited by an external party.
4. Feedback loop: I'll establish and maintain a feedback loop with all parties involved. This would allow them to voice any concerns or suggestions they might have, ensuring their involvement in the project.

I believe that my technical expertise, combined with my commitment to transparency and accountability, make me well-suited to deliver this project and manage the funds effectively. I am passionate about the Cardano ecosystem and committed to contributing to its growth through AdaPulse.io. The AdaPulse team and I hope to continue doing so with your support.

[Project Milestones] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Daily content (4 articles per week)

We set the standard of publishing over 300 articles in the last 12 months, which we successfully did. This included all-round content covering projects building on Cardano, news, opinion pieces on governance within the ecosystem, project catalyst proposals, and more. Moving forward, if funded, our team will be able to generate and publish over 200 high-quality articles over the course of 12 months, which breaks down to approximately 4 articles a week. At the end of the week, this content will be consolidated into our weekly newsletter. 

Project deep dives

We will provide in-depth coverage of projects building within the Cardano ecosystem, including those submitted on Project Catalyst. Publishing quality content is the standard and we will focus our attention on 40 projects or proposals that we identify that will bring value to the community.

As part of this effort, we also hope to create some comprehensive cross-product or cross-service guidance for folks looking to build on Cardano. Our ecosystem is rich in terms of innovation, and we'll produce more content on how the community can leverage the different innovations to achieve a more decentralized world.

At the end of the 12 months, we'll have covered projects and published content as outlined in our proposal. At a minimum, this will be:

• 40 deep dives on projects building on Cardano
• 208 articles consisting of news, projects, interviews with folks across the community, and more.
• Improved reader experience across the website.

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Dickson Mwendia - Tech writer and team lead - https://twitter.com/Dickson_Mwendia || https://www.linkedin.com/in/dickson-mwendia/

Martin (LatinStakePools) - Tech writer - https://twitter.com/LatinStakePools || https://linktr.ee/latinstakepools

Josh - ATM Stakepool - Writer and video producer https://twitter.com/AtmPools / https://atmstakepool.com/

Liberlion - Tech writer - https://twitter.com/liberlion17 / https://liberlion3.wordpress.com/

Laura - Tech writer - https://twitter.com/DiMoneymindset

TheStophe - Tech writer - https://twitter.com/TheStophe

Amanda - Graphic Artist

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

Daily News & Ecosystem Content: (4 pieces/week)

4hrs Conduct research 

2-3 hrs Drafting & editing content 

1-2 hrs Coordinating/publishing content

$25hr * 8hrs = $200 USD per piece of content

208 pieces of content/12months * $200 = $41,600 USD

Graphic Design for All Content (Articles, Proposal deep dives, Social media) 4-8hrs

$30hr * 6hrs = $180 USD per graphic

Rolling Deck of 50 Graphics * $180 = $9,000 USD

Project Catalyst in-depth Proposal deep dives: 12.5hrs

9 hrs Conduct research (Interviewing teams/CEOs/Developers)

2-3 hrs Drafting & editing content

1-2 hrs Coordinating/publishing content

$40hr * 12.5 hrs = $500 USD per proposal deep dive

40 Catalyst deep dives * $500 = $20,000 USD

Website improvements:

Costs for SEO optimization and UI improvements on our website (https://adapulse.io/) - $5000

Total Fund Request: $75,600

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

Rates are based on average market pay,i.e:

Content writers average between $15 and $40 per hour; we settled on $25

Tech Writers average between $15 and $60 USD per hour; we settled on $40, as backed by ZipRecruiter and Indeed - Technical writers average $ 39 per hour

Graphic Design Artists average between $15 - $35 USD per hour

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agrees to Fund Rules and also that data in the submission form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.

I Accept