Software Proving Spending Efficiency

[BenTucker]

Hi Dash Community!

This is Tony...you might remember me from a pretty popular project we did together, the Dash Expansion of the Lula Bowl, at Skatopia. Your (our? I've hodl'd a little since Darkcoin, so I feel like "our" might apply ) community sponsored a more than one week event with bands, bon fires, flame throwers, fireworks, food concessions, skate competitions, and most importantly, Dash tutorials and giveaways. We gave discounts for things in Dash, gave away Dash to people who needed water, etc. Although the weather made things difficult, we did finish the project, and the park enjoys the Dash Expansion to the Lula Bowl complex to this day. I go there regularly, being a good friends with some of the people who live there, and people come from all over the world. I talk to them about various things, but they call me to come over when people inquire about crypto and Dash (seeing the signs that still hang, that the community sponsored), and I usually oblige, coming over and explaining all I can. The project led to more conversations on crypto than I ever had before, by far.

However, I long wondered, "how do I know if this project created positive value for Dash?" I mean, I believe it did, absolutely, especially long term, with all the conversations the Dash stencils painted in the bowl and the various signs hanging around the park create...but how do I really know?

It so happens I might know someone who can help with just this issue, assuming you geniuses (not sarcasm) haven't figured it out already, and I'm just late and wasting time (lol).

I have a close family friend who partly raised me, as a second mother, and she happens to be the "Controller" (in charge of the money) for a software development company called Level 7. She introduced me to a developer at the company, Josh. Josh and I had an interesting meeting while I was in Cleveland for a friend's funeral.

Josh develops tools, apps, etc., to track spending by non-profits, like charities. They use several metrics, which he would be far better at explaining than I, which tell them not only which spending projects are the best relative to one another, but also track these things by location (the country it occurs in), for still more relative comparison.

I am thinking of traveling back to my hometown, Cleveland, soon, and meeting with Josh again. I was wondering, is this a project Dash might be interested in? I'd hate to waste a lot of his time, or mine. It is a lot of travel, as I live at the bottom of the State now, and of course Cleveland is at the very top. However, I am willing to do it, given I can afford to, if later something comes to fruition which might make the whole thing worth it.

At this time when a bear market has wiped out over 90% of peak valuations, I realize spending is tight, and only the best projects should be considered. But by what metric do we make such determinations? It seems entirely subjective, until some objective criteria is implemented in relative rating system of some sort. Maybe you already have, and I am not up on events...but, if not, I humbly submit to you that more information on which projects are achieving what, is a good thing.

If this is something you'd be interested in, as a community, then I will meet with Josh and Lisa (the "Controller") and start getting details on metrics, timelines, a bid price, etc. If you guys remember my last proposal, you'll know I will write an EXTREMELY detailed pre-proposal, and propsal after these meetings. I got a ton of compliments on my proposals last time out, and will seek to even beat my last effort.

Lastly, while there, I will get some video of their offices...totally cool place...quotes by philosophers on the walls every time you turn a corner, toys everywhere, very laid back workplace (one of the owners and I talked briefly about philosophy, Bakunin being particularly discussed, actually)...very talented developers, in my non-expert opinion.

So, what do you guys think?

 

[T. Heights]

Hi ben : ) 22 views and no comments, so i'll leave you 1. <Josh develops tools, apps, etc., to track spending by non-profits, like charities. They use several metrics, which he would be far better at explaining than I, which tell them not only which spending projects are the best relative to one another> Could be interesting! And perspective: If the cost is quite low--it could stand a decent shot at winning funding

And for metrics.. an idea that big metrics could be about sales of our product (ie. Dash units)! For example: 1) # of new customers purchasing Dash units for the 1st time 2) how many Dash units they purchased in aggregate 3) total customers (new and returning) amount of units purchased

 

[BenTucker]

Thanks for the reply, T. Heights. Definitely feels better to get a comment than to get none!

I hope to get some votes on this poll and a few more comments (especially from Masternode Owners or someone with Core). And that's whether they tell me this is unnecessary and already covered, or want it. I just wonder what they think, partly. But, assuming they like the idea, I'll take a trip to Cleveland and get meetings with Lisa and Josh, to get some type of rough bid price to start with, and a set of metrics, meant to provoke feedback like you just gave, so we can better tailor to Dash, vs the non-profits he already designs for. Different countries may have different metrics which better show effect, as compared to other countries. Conditions like Venezuela's can be tracked perhaps, for better targeting of markets ALONG WITH comparison of empirical results of money already allocated. It's going to be a back and forth at the pre-proposal stage, to get the proposal just right in terms of metric and cost and deadlines, and flexibility (or lack thereof) for those deadlines and costs (and in terms of cost flexibility, I just mean accounting for the fluctuating price, especially in a bear market vs a bull market).

As to whether it is cheap or not...not sure, as that is subjective. I see projects passed by the Masternodes that, to me, are huge amounts of money, but in this arena seem to be standard. It's all relative, I guess. But believe me, I'm not trying to gouge anyone. We did the Skatopia project, and I had to secure them a loan in order to fund the project on time, because my inexperience with the submission of the project to the network led to the payout dates being AFTER the event (totally my error). Dash community members offered me a loan to cover it (because they're awesome people), but I refused since I had it covered. It would have been easy to take that money if I were a scammer, and if I was a gouger, I wouldn't have bid for only $9,000 to cover 10-14 days of party/concert sponsorship with a huge gate banner, signs all over, and Dash giveaways and tutorials and discounts, AND the construction of a pretty decent sized concrete expansion of the Lula Bowl (which will always bear Dash's name as long as Dash wants it there, pretty much). Now, lol, by the time we got paid 3 months later, the price of Dash had gone way up, so we ended up with more funds than we expected...but we just did improvements that needed done, maintenance, etc. at the park, so the funds didn't just go to waste or get pocketed. And indirectly this benefits Dash, given the park is a better environment for people to see their sponsorships around the farm. It reflects well on any of our sponsors if we keep the park up, looking the part ("clean" isn't what we're going for there lol). And because of those funds, and some connections made at events, we're getting Skatopia a free bowl, to be reconstructed there from Huntington, WV...this bowl will feature stickers around the coping, including Dash stickers we still print occasionally.

So, whether the price is right or not, will be subjective, but I think i can provide a good value for the price, as I did with the Skatopia project. In fact, I think this is way better for the community, in real world effect. What we did last time was largely marketing and education. This is largely a way to increase the efficiency of spending on projects by the MNs. The impact, I would assume, would be much larger, and therefore so would the value. However the final bid price is viewed, I can guarantee I won't be dishonest or gouging.

Thanks again for your very valuable time, T. Heights.

 

[BenTucker]

I noticed, reading over other proposals, that there is a Dash Watch (or will be?), and this project would probably best fit under that framework. It's just a good tool for such a group to use to evaluate where opportunities may be internationally, and where proposals are succeeding and failing, in relative terms. I'd like to see some folks from those proposals chime in as well, given I'm not opposed to working with others, rather than competing. Whichever is best for the community and rewards me fairly is fine by me.