AIP-360: ApeCast - An app that supercharges your listening experience for all things ApeCoin and keeps you informed

[leyota]

PROPOSAL NAME

ApeCast - An app that supercharges your listening experience for all things ApeCoin and keeps you informed.

PROPOSAL CATEGORY

Ecosystem Fund Allocation

TEAM DESCRIPTION

I am an engineer and product manager who runs a team that builds products for Web3 companies. We came together loosely with the belief that there are a ton of community-based products that need to be built given that Web3 is very much community-led. Especially in this market.

We built a discourse alternative for Web3 projects that also has an integrated wiki. I demoed the product to the admins a few months ago when I joined, but it wasn’t a good fit for our DAO. That was the initial meeting that got me into the DAO and I’ve been active ever since. I have worked in startups all my life and am familiar with delivering a lot of value with a small team.

My team for this consists of two other engineers and one designer. We have experience building iOS/Android apps and building out the necessary APIs to support them. We’ve already prepared some designs of what the app could look like because we were so excited about the potential!

ABSTRACT

ApeCast, your app with curated X Spaces and ApeCoin-related recordings! AI automatically transcribes audio, enabling you to search for keywords and listen to specific segments. Read AI-generated summaries in the language of your choice for quick overviews.

Be informed with tailored notifications; choose what matters to you, be it updates on new recordings or community proposals. ApeCast ensures you’re always in the loop. Get ready to vote by reading AIPs in full, in your preferred language, thanks to automatic translations.

ApeCast will be released for both iOS and Android.

APP FEATURES

Listening Library

This will be a part of the app that will contain spaces and recordings organized by source. This section will also contain searchable transcriptions for each episode and summaries. The summaries will be automatically translated into multiple languages as well. Other features include:

• Background listening
• Toggle marking an episode as listened
• Ability to subscribe to specific sources only

The downloaded audio will be minimally processed and uploaded. The goal here is to serve two types of users. The first archetype is the user who normally listens live but missed it this time. This would provide an organized way to listen in after the fact. The second archetype is the user who doesn’t have time to listen to a 75m+ episode but wants to listen to specific parts where “” is mentioned. So they use the search feature to scrub the transcript and listen to just that part. We believe this is a powerful use case for listeners of long spaces.

Initially, we intend to support ApeComms spaces, MOCA town halls, and Ape Assembly Meetings. If the community wants us to support more, we are happy to add up to a total of five sources.

Notifications Center

This will be an opt-in area for various types of push notifications. The following channels would be created initially with an option to add more later.

• New spaces episodes
• New proposals
• Voting Results
• GWG Announcements
• Ape Assembly Announcements

Users will be able to subscribe to the specific channels that they are interested in. The goal here is for the app to only notify the user about the things that they want to hear.

Proposals

This will be a historical archive of all proposals including live proposals. Results can be seen in the app itself. All proposal text (not just what’s on Snapshot, but the actual full proposal in the forum) can be viewed in the app. The text will automatically be translated into supported languages.

The goal here is to allow casual ApeCoin community members to check in on what the latest proposals are, and what the results are. Since AIPs are an integral process of the community translations will be provided to reach the widest audience.

Translations

All the translations will be done automatically using an AI translation tool. Since most times it’s quite accurate, this should suffice to get the meaning across. The initial set of supported languages will be French, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish. Notification text will also be automatically translated as per user settings.

BENEFIT TO APECOIN ECOSYSTEM

The ApeCoin DAO is a collection of small communities with lots of overlap. Many different spaces hold discussions on AIPs but it’s difficult to keep up. It’s also cumbersome to search for a specific space from a previous week and listen. This app will improve ease of access, and create an archive of spaces and their transcripts. Those who don’t have a lot of time to quickly skim through the transcript can read the summary. We believe this will increase the number of people who engage in the ApeCoin ecosystem more regularly.

Notifications can help ensure that people get notified about things that they want to hear about. We believe this will help retain interested users. A lot of times people just tend to forget, with life getting in the way. We also strongly believe that the only way to keep people open to receiving notifications is to allow them to customize what they want to hear about. Since the ecosystem has many different arms, this way people can stay subscribed to the things they care about.

Viewing proposals within an app is mainly meant to empower users to be able to quickly read proposals if they have free time. We believe that having an easy-access way of reading proposals will get more casual voters on board. Maybe you read the proposal in an Uber and all that’s left to do is vote when you get home.

Translations of all these components, especially the proposals and audio summaries can help expand our community. We have members from all over the world. While English may not be their first language, they spend a lot of time trying to understand what’s going on and be a part of the community. We believe in helping them along their journey. Proposals being translated will reduce the burden and if they want, they can always double-check the English version.

PLATFORMS & TECHNOLOGIES

We will be building the apps using react native. The backend will be built using Python/Flask. The front end will be built using React.

STEPS TO IMPLEMENT & TIMELINE

The project will be implemented in a milestone-based format. The grant will cover the development of the app and one year of running costs, which will include backend/frontend hosting costs and AI usage fees. Throughout the year, we will also fix bugs and make UX improvements.
The timeline will start when the first payment is released.

1. Initial Payment - 20000 APE
2. Alpha version on the app store with audio library and listening function - 10000 APE (2 months)
3. Add automated transcriptions and episode summaries - 10000 APE (1 month)
4. Add proposal information, results, and translations - 10000 APE (1 month)
5. Add notification channels and implement a mechanism to trigger notifications by stewards - 10000 APE (1 month)
6. Final polish and release on Android as well - 15000 APE (1 month)

Development Timeline: 6 months

We will also work with GWG and other relevant stewards starting with the release of the alpha version to ensure that the app meets expectations. We will also release monthly downloads and listening numbers after the release of the final version.

OVERALL COST

75000 APE
Payments will be made upon the completion of each milestone, except for the initial payment.

DISCLAIMERS

If this proposal passes, it implies that the Ape Foundation gives us a license to use the ApeCoin logo and its related assets in the app.

Downloading and processing audio to a stream-ready format will be a semi-manual process. This means that episodes won’t be up immediately after completion. We will try to process and upload it within 48 hours.

All X Spaces will be reuploaded with the permission of the hosts. If they ask us to take down episodes for any reason, we will comply in good faith since they produce the content. Spaces will be downloaded on a best-effort basis. If X changes their internals, there might be a short period where we might not be able to download the spaces and we will request the hosts to give us the file of the recorded space (currently only hosts can download the file).

AI translations will contain some errors or may sound a little awkward. We cannot be held responsible for any misunderstanding that occurs because of a bad translation. All content will be available in the original language so it’s up to the user to double-check details.

The screenshots shared are subject to change during implementation.

[bigbull]

Sounds good, only question/concern, is some spaces are originally set as not recorded. Personally I think non recorded spaces give a different energy and are complimentary to recorded spaces.

Therefore if the space if published as non recorded it should remain that way, but you can still include so people know what spaces/voice calls etc are coming up and know about them in their local timezone/calendar.

[leyota]

Sounds good, only question/concern, is some spaces are originally set as not recorded. Personally I think non recorded spaces give a different energy and are complimentary to recorded spaces.

I 100% agree with this and I think recording it borders on the invasion of privacy. We would never put non recorded spaces on the app. That’s also why I also mentioned a specific process to have even recorded spaces taken down in case the host wants them down for any reason.

[LiveFast9986]

I like the idea of a singular app that can be used to access all of the relevant information. But I also know that a lot of this information is available on mobile, so is it really worth making an dedicated app that does this, or can we improve certain aspects of how we do things (like have a thread on the forums that complies all the spaces and then links to transcripts of the spaces, and links in AIPs to translations in certain languages)?

Also, what is the upkeep going to look like for this?

[leyota]

The main component of the app is the listening library. I’m not sure you can post all the audio links to the forum and have it be a convenient way to listen to episodes. Also there’s a ton of information in the forum already that we know for a fact people on X or Discord don’t know about and re ask because the forum is a little hard to navigate. This app simplifies things so that new and old members find immediate value.

Regarding upkeep, this AIP is for one year. Honestly actual running costs are going to be hard to predict accurately because initially everything will be done manually. We’re going to attempt to get most of it automated by the end of the year, but until then it’s hard to precisely predict all the AI and server costs.

[LiveFast9986]

I can agree with you that the forums and the discord are a bit hard to navigate, but it also shows that we don’t have a single repository for these things, and yours would be the first.

A repository is only as good as its indexing. I hope yours will be excellent and easily navigatable.

[Valerio_Nes]

@leyota

Proposals

This will be a historical archive of all proposals including live proposals. Results can be seen in the app itself. All proposal text (not just what’s on Snapshot, but the actual full proposal in the forum) can be viewed in the app. The text will automatically be translated into supported languages.

The goal here is to allow casual ApeCoin community members to check in on what the latest proposals are, and what the results are. Since AIPs are an integral process of the community translations will be provided to reach the widest audience.

It sounds just great, it would be great if not only the suggestions, but the entire forum got into this application. I would also like to see the same activities in the application (the ability to respond, etc.) And, of course, the badges that we receive on the forum could also be issued for activity in the application.

@leyota

Translations

All the translations will be done automatically using an AI translation tool. Since most times it’s quite accurate, this should suffice to get the meaning across. The initial set of supported languages will be French, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish. Notification text will also be automatically translated as per user settings.

Why are there so few languages? It seems that it is possible to sync with google translator.

[felipesilva]

If it is possible to synchronize with Google Translate it would be great.

[leyota]

It sounds just great, it would be great if not only the suggestions, but the entire forum got into this application. I would also like to see the same activities in the application (the ability to respond, etc.) And, of course, the badges that we receive on the forum could also be issued for activity in the application.

Syncing and maintaining state of the forum is a huge increase in scope and will take significantly longer to develop and much more to maintain. We prefer starting small with a very concrete use case and if there’s enough interest we can consider increasing the scope in a separate AIP.

Why are there so few languages? It seems that it is possible to sync with google translator.

Because every single translation costs credits. Having every language would increase costs quite significantly because there’s so many things to translate. We decided to focus on the languages with the largest communities and are open to adding more as we have more people from other communities.

[leyota]

We haven’t decided which API we are going to use to translate. We plan on experimenting with a few and then picking the best one.

[12GAUGE.Admin]

Hi @leyota ,

Your topic would be moving to the AIP Draft phase in less than 24 hours.

Are you content with the feedback received or do you wish to extend community discussion for another 7 days?

If we do not hear from you within 48 hours after your topic closes, your topic will be moved straight to the AIP Draft process.

We look forward to hearing from you.

-@Facilitators

[12GAUGE.Admin]

Hi @leyota ,

Thank you for your ideas [and the ApeCoin DAO community for the insightful discussions].

A moderator will reach out to the author to finalize the AIP Draft using the appropriate template.

• Once the AIP Draft is confirmed by the author and meets all DAO-approved guidelines, it will move forward for Administrative Review.
• @leyota please see your messages for the next steps.

Follow this Topic as further updates will be posted here in the comments. In accordance with DAO-approved guidelines, if the author does not respond within 30 days, the proposal will be automatically transferred to the Withdrawn category, and the author can re-submit the idea

-@Facilitators

[12GAUGE.Admin]

Hi ApeCoin DAO Community,

@leyota has completed editing their AIP Idea to be their AIP Draft.

Follow this Topic as further updates will be posted here in the comments.

Kind Regards,

-@Facilitators

[12GAUGE.Admin]

Hi ApeCoin DAO Community,

Our team has reviewed and discussed @leyota 's AIP Draft and have sent a list of initial questions. We await answers.

Follow this Topic as further updates will be posted here in the comments.

Kind Regards,

-@Facilitators

[12GAUGE.Admin]

Hi ApeCoin DAO Community,

@leyota has responded to our questions and has provided consent to share them in this forum for the community.

1. Is the Ape Foundation expected to engage in any of the steps of the AIP implementation? If so, please specify the steps and elaborate on how it is expected to work.

No engagement required from the APE foundation

2. Will any special permissions be required to access and transcribe ApeComms, MOCA, and Ape Assembly Meetings or any future platforms?

No special permissions will be required. We will work with the individual content producers to get the audio files, and where possible automatically download them.

3. Do you have any estimated costs for users to use the platform’s features or any premium features?

It will be free for all users and there will be no premium features. Everything will be free.

4. Will you be collecting any user data during their interactions? If so, please elaborate.

We will collect anonymized usage data using a 3rd party analytics provider such as amplitude. This will be used to determine usage metrics.

5. a) Is there any Web3 connectivity required?
   No web3 connectivity and no signup either.
   b) Is there a security audit plan in place, and will you share the audit report with the ApeCoin DAO?
   N/A

6. Will additional funding be required to continue hosting and AI usage fees beyond the one year of operation outlined in the proposal?

Yes but this will depend on running costs that are hard to estimate accurately right now. At the end of the year, depending on how much will be automated, we can determine the exact amounts. During the year we will try our best to minimize running costs so it can be extended cheaply.

7. Would your expectation be to keep complete full ownership of content produced from this proposal?

The transcriptions and translations will be owned by the DAO. All other content belong to the producers of the content.

8. Could you please confirm whether the action of Stewards triggering notifications is a request rather than an expectation?

Yes this would be a request. During implementation we will work with the stewards to come up with the most efficient and safe system.

9. Will the milestone-based payments be disbursed when each step is complete? Please outline this in the Overall Cost section.

Yes, the payment will be at the end of the milestone except for the initial payment.

10. Do you provide consent to share these questions with the community in this forum?

Yes

A DAR package is being worked on and upon completion, this AIP will move into Administrative Review. Follow this Topic as further updates will be posted here in the comments.

Kind Regards,

-@Facilitators

[MisterHype]

Hi @leyota,

Thank you for this AIP. It’s evident that you and your team have put significant thought into creating a valuable addition to the $APE ecosystem.

The detailed breakdown of the development timeline and overall cost helps provide a clear understanding of the project’s scope. I appreciate the transparency in the disclaimers, outlining potential challenges and limitations.

I’d like to discuss a few aspects in more detail:

1. How will ApeCast integrate with existing ApeCoin platforms, and what kind of collaboration or support would be required from the community or other stewards?
2. Are there plans for monetization within the app, and if so, how will this be balanced with providing a free and accessible service to the community?
3. What strategies does your team have in place to market ApeCast effectively?
4. What are the expected user adoption rates, and how will you measure success in terms of $APE member growth?

Looking forward to your insights on these points.
Stay Hyped!

-Mr. Hype

[leyota]

1. Once the app is polished and ready, I’ll work with stewards/admins to see if it would be possible to link the app on the website and/or forum. Other than that I would primarily be working with content producers to get their audio files (in cases where I can’t automatically download them). The notifications flow will be developed with input from the stewards, but specifics are to be determined later.
2. None. Everything mentioned here will be free, and no plans to add premium features.
3. We don’t have a marketing budget so we won’t do any paid marketing campaigns. This app is primarily intended to grow the APE ecosystem participation of casual members, or members who have “churned” out. We will use the existing audience of the content producers to get the word out. It’s in everyones best interest to have the app because this can increase listener numbers, and help keep the listener count more consistent. It also makes regular participation much more easy. So if a space had 10 first time listeners, and we can convert them to regular listeners, that would be considered a win.
4. Going by how many people listen to ApeComms (~500), I would say that would be the initial goal. We obviously have a few hurdles (people need to download the app) so it might take some time to get there. But eventually we want to surpass the twitter listen numbers of each individual spaces. This would mean more people are listening to it than on twitter, so we are reaching more people.

[12GAUGE.Admin]

Hi ApeCoin DAO Community,

We have no further questions for @leyota. This AIP is now under Administrative Review.

Follow this Topic as further updates will be posted here in the comments.

Kind Regards,

-@Facilitators