Grants Application
Project: The Weekly Orbit
What is the work being proposed?
The proposed work is to continue producing the video and audio podcast, The Weekly Orbit.
The show, which is about 30 minutes long, is published on a weekly basis and provides viewers and listeners with a summary of Rocket Pool news. It’s tailored to those with a basic to moderate understanding of Rocket Pool (although those with advanced knowledge may also find it interesting).
Is there any related work this builds off of?
Yes, the show builds off the success of Waq’s Rocket Fuel. However, many people do not have the time to watch a daily show. The Weekly Orbit solves this problem by providing the top stories for the week. It uses a co-host format that differentiates itself from Rocket Fuel, allowing for back-and-forth conversation that sets it apart.
Will the results of this project be entirely open source license or similar? If not, which parts will not be, why, and under what license will they be published?
Yes. All shows are uploaded to YouTube and an RSS feed which streams the audio podcast to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.
Benefits - enter N/A where appropriate
How does this help people looking to stake ETH for rETH?
The Weekly Orbit is a show that provides viewers and listeners with news about Rocket Pool staking and new DeFi integrations for rETH (and soon RPL).
One of the regular segments covered in the show is “Stats,” which breaks down the analytics of the protocol. Pat and Waq report and discuss the Deposit Pool, RPL/ETH ratio, number of node operators and minipools, RPL distribution, the Smoothing Pool, and other statistics using great community-developed sites like rocketscan and Dr Worm’s Dune analytics page.
We also regularly talk about new DeFi protocols integrating rETH. For example, we covered the launch of Gravita, Eigenlayer, and Aave emode. We’ve also reported on the rETH HOP bridge and rETH on zksync.
How does this help rETH holders?
The Weekly Orbit keeps rETH holders updated with the latest rETH integrations. In addition, Valdorff’s Rocket Pool DeFi Opportunities document has been featured.
How does this help people looking to run a Rocket Pool node for the first time?
The show updates viewers and listeners on the latest Rocket Pool staking news. It extensively covers Atlas and the new LEB8’s. A future episode will feature an “unboxing” of the Proteus machine, while other episodes will cover the latest information on Rocket Pool node operation.
Special filler episodes will be produced for a vacation week using Token Motion’s (Sleety) animated tweet thread to explain becoming a node operator. Another episode will be done on the Token Motion rETH explainer, featuring a recent newcomer to Rocket Pool and their live reaction.
How does this help people already running a Rocket Pool node?
The Weekly Orbit aims to showcase some of the great work contributed by community members to the protocol.
The show has provided node operators with news about client diversity. We have covered the Rocket Pool client diversity challenge, which was initiated by ShfRyn, several times. The show has also reported on Hodja’s excellent heat map for the best times to convert LEB16’s to LEB8’s.
The show will continue highlighting news and research that will benefit node operators.
How does this help the Rocket Pool community?
Effective communication and marketing is crucial, especially in a fast-moving market like the crypto industry. To fill this space with new and fresh content, Twitter Spaces, Rocket Fuel, and The Weekly Orbit regularly post and retweet updates, raising awareness about Rocket Pool and providing its community with the latest news and updates.
How does this help RPL holders?
The show has regularly covered the RPL/ETH ratio and will soon cover RPL integrations now that RPL has a Chainlink oracle.
What other non-RPL protocols, DAOs, projects, or individuals, would stand to benefit from this grant?
Rocket Pool community members and their projects are regularly featured on the show, and will continue to be an important component for future episodes. We highlight them because their work is central to Rocket Pool, and we want to showcase the incredible work and brainpower that the community consistently demonstrates.
Will the resulting project be open source?
N/A
Team
Who is doing the work?
Pat and Waq.
What is the background of the person(s) doing the work? What experience do they have with such projects in the past?
Pat has been producing The Weekly Orbit since April 2023.
Waq has been producing Rocket Fuel since August 2022.
What is the breakdown of the proposed work, in terms of milestones and/or deadlines?
The show is produced on a weekly cadence and published to YouTube and the RSS feed is sent to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.
How is the work being tested? Is testing included in the schedule?
Over the first 11 episodes, The Weekly Orbit has nearly 1,000 views on YouTube and at least 221 podcast listens. The show was built from scratch and continues to grow. The show will be well positioned when the bull market eventually returns.
How will the work be maintained after delivery?
The work is maintained on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.
Payment and Verification
What is the acceptance criteria?
A well prepared and produced 30 minute weekly show on Rocket Pool news.
What is the proposed payment schedule for the grant? How much USD $ and over what period of time is the applicant requesting?
The compensation for Jasper and Ken for the Rocket Pool Twitter Spaces and Community Calls provides some comparables. Jasper calculated that on average, they each received $270 per episode (9 RPL at an average of $30) (refer to Jasper’s grant application above).
It takes an average of four hours per episode, which includes preparation, production, editing, uploading, and posting to social media. This amounts to $67.5 per hour, split 80/20 between Pat and Waq (excluding costs).
We are requesting 9 RPL per episode (26 total episodes) for six months.
How will the GMC verify that the work delivered matches the proposed cadence?
The Weekly Orbit is published weekly on YouTube and on an RSS feed.
What alternatives or options have been considered in order to save costs for the proposed project?
The show is currently produced using Riverside.fm which costs $20/mth. The plan is to transition to using OBS which is free, however, it’s more complex and is taking time to master.
Conflict of Interest
Does the person or persons proposing the grant have any conflicts of interest to disclose? (Please disclose here if you are a member of the GMC or if any member of the GMC would benefit directly financially from the grant).
Pat: No.
Waq: Member of GMC.
Will the recipient of the grant, or any protocol or project in which the recipient has a vested interest (other than Rocket Pool), benefit financially if the grant is successful?```
No.