blockpublisher

[amiyatulu]

Project Abstract

Decentralized Publishing of News, Journals, and Books
The advent of blockchain technology has the potential to transform the publishing industry in several ways. By leveraging decentralized networks and cryptographic techniques, blockchain-based publishing solutions can offer a more efficient, transparent, and accessible system for authors, publishers, and readers alike.

Grant level

• Level 1: Up to $10,000, 2 approvals
• Level 2: Up to $30,000, 3 approvals
• Level 3: Unlimited, 5 approvals (for >$100k: Web3 Foundation Council approval)

Application Checklist

• The application template has been copied and aptly renamed (project_name.md).
• I have read the application guidelines.
• Payment details have been provided (Polkadot AssetHub (USDC & DOT) address in the application and bank details via email, if applicable).
• I understand that an agreed upon percentage of each milestone will be paid in vested DOT, to the Polkadot address listed in the application.
• I am aware that, in order to receive a grant, I (and the entity I represent) have to successfully complete a KYC/KYB check.
• The software delivered for this grant will be released under an open-source license specified in the application.
• The initial PR contains only one commit (squash and force-push if needed).
• The grant will only be announced once the first milestone has been accepted (see the announcement guidelines).
• I prefer the discussion of this application to take place in a private Element/Matrix channel. My username is: @netology:matrix.org (change the homeserver if you use a different one)

[github-actions]

CLA Assistant Lite bot All contributors have signed the CLA ✍️ ✅

[amiyatulu]

I have read and hereby sign the Contributor License Agreement.

[keeganquigley]

Thanks for the application @amiyatulu a couple questions:

• How would you overcome some of the downfalls of previous blockchain-based publishing platforms such as Civil? How would your project differ?
• Can you please add some deliverables to the milestones in the form of tables, similar to your previous application?

Thanks!

[amiyatulu]

Hi, @keeganquigley thanks for the reply.

The app is not specifically designed for journalism, unlike Civil but designed for any kind of publishing; it's a common platform for both academic and news publishing, as well as sharing academic content from any sources. The app is more comparable to YouTube and Bluesky, as most journalism is now done on social media, but only users sharing high-quality content that meets the guidelines are monetized, with a 51% approval rate similar to the openGov tipping system.

It's also versatile enough to be used for entertainment content. The FOSS interface can be integrated with other FOSS social media platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky for cross-posting, increasing visibility.

Civil seems to fail due to lack of sustainable business model, also the design. There are mainly two costs for maintenance, developer cost and marketing. As we are situated in India, labour costs are not very high. Average $3000 - $5000 per month can be sufficient for maintenance. OpenGov can provide that support during early stages. Once token value of app rises, it will become self sustainable.

I will update deliverables to the milestones in the form of tables, and get you back.

[amiyatulu]

Hi @keeganquigley I have updated milestone in tabular form.

[keeganquigley]

Thanks for your answers @amiyatulu I won't approve it quite yet but I will mark it as ready for review so the rest of the committee can comment.

[Noc2]

You seem to have removed the Future plans section from the application. I would be interested to learn more about it. Could you potentially add it again?

[amiyatulu]

Hi @Noc2 I have updated the future plans.