[PLEASE REJECT] Bridging Minds with TEACHMEDEFI: Growing Polkadot‘s Mindshare in the Crypto Space

Bridging Minds with TEACHMEDEFI: Growing Polkadot‘s Mindshare in the Crypto Space

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Note:

Hi all,

We ask you to please reject this proposal.

Upon discussions with the community and reflecting on it, we have decided to revise this proposal, then start a public discussion around it and resubmit it in its new form. This is why we ask you to please reject this proposal. Thank you!

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Hi everyone,

We are TEACHMEDEFI, a project active in web3 education since our inception in 2022. Our primary mission is to create and distribute high-quality, entertaining, educational resources. We curate our content and services thoughtfully, with the aim to position ourselves as a useful resource in the journey of learning and discovery in the Web3 space.

We have already made significant strides in this mission and have created a variety of educational resources including in-depth podcasts, e-books, insightful newsletters and expert interviews which have collectively garnered over 3.8 million impressions in five months across various platforms. These resources have been instrumental in raising awareness and educating users, particularly focusing on the Polkadot ecosystem.

You can view our "2023 Wrapped" clip here, showcasing our key milestones and memorable moments from this journey.

Thank you for all the support! It has been a pleasure meeting and chatting to so many of you, either in person in Copenhagen at Polkadot Decoded 2023 or on our podcast or online.

With our groundwork now established, we stand on a solid foundation for growth.

We aim to build on this momentum, and seek support to expand our educational content and further elevate Polkadot's presence in the global crypto conversation. This proposal seeks funding to continue this effort for the next 6 months and continue creating and promoting high quality educational content and outreach for Polkadot and its ecosystem.

Polkadot & TEACHMEDEFI

If it wasn’t for Polkadot, our team would have never met. Our mission is to provide high-quality, accessible content that not only educates but also corrects misperceptions about Polkadot, especially those from outside the DOT ecosystem. Our motto is: “Educating, not influencing”, drawing a clear line between us and the crowd of low-quality influencers in the crypto space. We focus on creating intuitive, factual, and entertaining content for non-technical individuals, guiding them smoothly into the Polkadot and broader Web3 space. Our content is designed to make the journey into Polkadot and Web3 simple, engaging, and trustworthy for anyone keen to explore this space.

As the Polkadot ecosystem continues to expand, the demand for reliable and trustworthy information sources becomes increasingly vital. This space is often clouded by misinformation and hype. That’s why dependable educational resources are so important, not just for new entrants into the ecosystem but also for experienced users looking for accurate updates and insights. As Polkadot evolves, we need more platforms dedicated to providing quality content rooted in education and trust, so that users are aware of risks, trade-offs, opportunities and stories surrounding Polkadot, and ultimately can make more informed decisions benefiting themselves and the whole ecosystem by extension.

Major aspects of Polkadot, such as voting and utilizing parachains, remain challenging for many users. Anecdotal evidence from our community suggests that individuals who participated in crowdloans often haven't engaged with parachains or even claimed their rewards, citing complexity or technical issues. Furthermore, voter turnout in OpenGov has been relatively low, although there are signs of it increasing lately. Recognizing this, we created content such as our Opengov reel series (see here and here) featuring Polkassembly, offering quick and practical explainers in under a minute to show viewers how it’s done and that it’s simple.

Furthermore, in our view, the voices of teams building in the Polkadot space have not been amplified enough. We are dedicated to showcasing the efforts of hard-working teams and innovative tools within the Polkadot ecosystem. We achieve this by featuring these teams on our podcast, providing them a platform to share their stories and products. Additionally, we create and disseminate engaging, short clips that highlight key features and applications of these products, making them more accessible and enticing for the wider community. A prime example is our coverage of Talisman's new wallet feature reveal, where we created content aimed at driving user engagement and adoption.

Moreover, Polkadot frequently remains outside mainstream crypto discussions, with external perceptions often characterized by misconceptions about its activity level, adoption or how difficult to use it is. Our content actively counters these misconceptions, pushing true stories of Polkadot into larger crypto circles. One example for this is our reel on Astar's alleged departure from Polkadot.

Our content strategy also includes covering other blockchains, casting a wider net to attract those entering crypto through Bitcoin, Ethereum or those active elsewhere. We provide a first point of access to Polkadot, reducing entry barriers and preventing potential frustration.

Our commitment to this approach is evident in our existing initial version of a German e-learning platform, which serves as a proof of concept with courses on Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Polkadot. While we aim to expand this into a comprehensive English-language e-learning platform, this is a separate endeavor and not included in this proposal's scope.

All in all, our focus remains steadfast on advancing Polkadot's presence and understanding within the crypto community.

A Track Record Of Delivering

We have our roots within the Polkadot community and a history of delivering on promises. Our prior treasury funding led to significant achievements, surpassing the goals of our first proposal from February 2022.

For a detailed overview of our accomplishments, including figures and highlights, check out our full wrap-up summary report.

TLDR:

We doubled our commitment, surpassed targets, and innovated on education in the Polkadot Ecosystem.

Extended Commitment: Double the effort, for the same costs: Originally a 5-month project, we delivered 10 months of dedicated effort, doubling our initial committed timeline.
Exceeding Targets: Exceeded our content delivery goals, including 17 high-quality video podcasts, 70 educational videos and 19 newsletters highlighting the Polkadot ecosystem.
Growing Reach: Reached over 3.8 million impressions on social media, with posts on X regularly achieving engagements rates above 10%.
E-Learning Breakthrough: Launched a streamlined e-learning platform for onboarding web3 users, a significant addition beyond our initial proposal.

Our dedication can be seen in this previous proposal, where we not only met but surpassed our targets, while doubling our commitment duration and delivering over a period of 10 months instead of the proposed 5 months without additional costs. This not only shows our commitment but also our ability to deliver impactful educational content. We aim to continue this momentum, seeking support to expand our educational initiatives and further elevate Polkadot's presence in the global crypto conversation.

Our Proposal & Deliverables

This proposal aims to secure funding for the next six months to sustain and enhance our mission of creating and promoting high-quality, educational content and outreach specifically tailored for the Polkadot ecosystem. Our focus is to continue elevating awareness of Polkadot, simplify it for broader audiences, and to provide clear, accessible resources. We intend to highlight Polkadot's role and tell its story in the broader crypto space, making it easier for people to engage with the network and its ecosystem.

We plan to deliver the following 143 pieces of content (not factoring in multilingual variations) - a blend of education, insights, news, and practical guides - over a period of 6 months for 168,205 USD (25,555 DOT):

18 High-Quality Interviews: Engaging interviews on the TEACHMEDEFI Podcast with key figures and projects within the Polkadot ecosystem (40-60 min, English).
54 Interview Reels: Short, viral clips based on interview highlights and showcases of guests’ products (max 1 min, English).
48 Short-form Videos (24 in English, 24 in German): Brief, informative videos, combining a talking head format with screen sharing and imagery to showcase Polkadot’s parachains, dApps, and tools. Focused on quick, effective storytelling and onboarding (1-3 min, English & German).
20 Weekly News Update Videos: Weekly dynamic news montage videos including the latest news on Polkadot, presented in a visually engaging montage format, featuring news headlines, relevant imagery, and background visualizations, complemented with captions for easy understanding (1-3 min, German).
Dedicated Section in Newsletter: 26 English editions and 26 German editions. A dedicated segment in the weekly newsletter focusing on Polkadot News, including a short-form video, showcasing Polkadot, parachains, dApps or tools.
Introduction to Polkadot: A step-by-step English and German guide (4-5 pages) designed to guide users through the essentials of getting started with Polkadot. This guide will cover the basics of using Polkadot, from setting up a wallet to participating in its unique ecosystem features, in an easy-to-understand format.

With our groundwork now established, we stand on a solid foundation for growth. This proposal outlines a plan to deliver 3x more content items than our previous proposal, yet at 28% lower costs (calculated by extrapolating the cost from our first 3-month proposal linearly to a 6-month period, providing a direct comparison to this 6-month proposal).

This efficiency gain is a result of the foundational work we've already accomplished.

Put simply: We are delivering more, but charging less.

As with our initial proposal, these targets represent the baseline (minimum) of our commitment. History shows that we're likely to surpass these goals, as we are driven by our personal long-term commitment to the DOT ecosystem and are grateful for the overall support by the community.

You can find the full proposal document here (including a deliverables table, a cost breakdown and a description of our team).

Community Feedback

Below you will find a sample of the public feedback we have received:

By far one of the best content creators in the ecosystem. - Seun Lanlege, Co-Founder of Polytope Labs

We’ve had the pleasure of working with TEACHMEDEFI this year - they’re amongst the most professional and thoughtful teams in the ecosystem, and output a really high quality product.

We’re looking forward to working with TEACHMEDEFI more in the future, and happy to support them in 2024. - Jonathan Dunne, Co-Founder of Talisman

Asides @TheKusamarian I believe @TEACHMEDEFI deserves respect and recognition in the #polkadot community. He consistently delivers excellent work and meets his milestones.

No drama, no pointing fingers, no agenda. Just delivers… - Nephilim, Founder of 1Tribe

I can only give a big thank you to the team of teachmedefi. They have taught me the principles of crypto and are the reason why I am in web3. Their educational content is great and their support is even greater. No question is left unanswered. - Key (community member)

Examples Of Our Work

Below you will find a sample of our published podcast episodes:

Polkadot's Next Chapter: Diving into 2.0, Ecosystem Trends & Governance Drama

Guest: Bill Laboon (Web3 Foundation)

Subquery: Mastering Data in the Blockchain (with James Bayly)

Guest: James Bayly (COO, Subquery)

Solving The Fundraising Dilemma in Crypto with Polimec

Guest: Kasper Mai Jørgensen (Polimec, Co-Founder)

Solving crypto's multi-billion $ hack problem with Hyperbridge & Polkadot

Guest: Seun Lanlege (Polytope Labs, Co-Founder)

Below you will find a sample of our social media short clips:

Is Astar leaving Polkadot? - with Maarten Henskens, Head of Astar Foundation

How do you vote with your $DOT? - with Parambir Singh, Polkassembly

How to delegate your voting power? - with Parambir Singh, Polkassembly

Crypto's multi-billion dollar vulnerability - with Seun Lanlege, Polytope Labs

Your Vote for Us Means:

If you vote for this proposal, your vote for us means:

Endorsement of a Proven Track Record: Supporting us means backing a project with a solid history of achievements. Our wrap-up summary highlights include over 3.8 million impressions, the production of 17 high-quality video podcasts, and the delivery of 70 educational videos, all within our extended 10-month commitment period.
Amplifying Voices in the Polkadot Ecosystem: Your vote means giving visibility and voice to the dedicated teams within the Polkadot community. Through our platform, we amplify their work, spread their messages on social media, and simplify complex information for easy digestion. This fosters curiosity and involvement, encouraging viewers to actively engage and explore the projects and innovations within Polkadot.
Supporting a Long-Term, Community-Driven Project: Your vote goes towards a project deeply rooted in the Polkadot community, distinguishing us from external teams with superficial commitment. We're committed to long-term growth and education. You help us to continue providing content that not only educates but also encourages long-term, sustainable engagement in the Polkadot ecosystem.
High-Quality, Current Content: A vote for us is a vote for consistent, top-notch content that is open-minded, informative, educational, and aligned with the latest developments in the Polkadot space.
Commitment to Transparency: Our monthly reporting via presentation slides offers a clear, transparent, and easily understandable overview of our progress, including timelines, highlights, and a comparison of proposed versus delivered content.
Pushing the Polkadot Movement: Your vote facilitates our mission to tell Polkadot’s story, broaden its appeal, and to make it accessible and intriguing to use for a diverse audience.

Thank you! We look forward to receiving feedback and discussing this with the community!

The TEACHMEDEFI Team

Contact Details:

X / Twitter:

https://twitter.com/TEACHMEDEFI

Website:

https://www.teachmedefi.de/

Email:

info@teachmedefi.de

Beneficiary (⅔ Multi-Sig Address):

15wMKpVX7fuzFwAeNktK4U9skVQ1kCSH3gcniEQ1cwmukaao

Requested allocation:

25,555 DOT ($168,205 based on the EMA7 DOT price of 6.582 USD on 25.01.2024, Source: Subscan)

Duration:

Minimum of 6 months

Additional Resources:

This Proposal as a google document (incl. a deliverables table, a cost breakdown and a description of our team)

Full wrap-up summary report of our previous proposal

"Promised vs. Delivered" table (of our previous proposal) (detailed list of all content delivered under our previous proposal)