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[ANN] The Altcoin Observer - Looking for Writers & Researchers

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adam

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Location: California, USA

I'm finally starting the Altcoin Observer with michael krieger as the managing editor.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, JOIN THE LOOMIO GROUP FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION AND DECISIONMAKING https://www.loomio.org/d/WBPLu1Cd/the-altcoin-observer-meeting-1-start-here
The format is a different coin or user created asset each issue, two issues per month.  There is a research pool which writers and researchers contribute to for each issue and then several essays or articles are written from different perspectives on the staff as is relevant for the coin under scrutiny.   Michael Krieger then goes through and essentially annotates the work, providing context and explaining things where the average reader might not understand.
The monetization is selling subscriptions in Bitcoin, LTBcoin and dollars.  Bitcoin is the standard price, Dollars are at a premium (probably 2x) and paying with LTBcoin gets you one better tier product than the price you pay.

There are multiple SKUs of the product, ranging from very expensive at first day release to freely available in the library after 45 days.  There will probably be about 5 different release windows.    I believe this properly assesses that valuable information like this is most valuable to those who see it first and can make their purchasing decisions before the market has absorbed the new information.  This model also means that the free release is subsidized most by the people who profited most from the information, which I also enjoy.
I believe with this vehicle we can create meaningful standards in the altcoin space, cause the creation of more, better concepts and fewer bad ones since interested parties will have a good and definitive source of analysis on the topic.  
I'd be looking for some of your time for research and two articles per month, what's fair as a speculative venture for a three month run?    We are only looking to fill two writing positions and three researching positions.

Posted on March 16, 2014 at 3:49 PM
Last Edited: March 20, 2014 at 9:11 PM

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• Matt

  

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  I'm interested in contributing to this effort.  
  What do research positions entail?

  Posted on March 18, 2014 at 4:24 PM
  Last Edited: March 18, 2014 at 4:24 PM
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• adam

  

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  Basically it's a scouting position.  Compile resources, summarize sources and look for opportunities.

  Posted on March 18, 2014 at 4:40 PM
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• mmanvil74

  

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  Interesting project.  Certainly there should be demand for well researched info rather than having to scour forums and follow Twitter to find out what is really going on in the alt-world.  It is hard to tell which coins have a real life and which ones don't. 
  I wonder why Altcoin Observer wouldn't be set up as its own channel within the LTB Network.  As a writer, it seems more attractive to publish articles within the LTB Network with an opportunity to earn LTBcoin, than it is to publish articles outside the network and try to sell them for LTBcoin.

  Posted on March 18, 2014 at 5:49 PM
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• TomSherlock

  

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  So in terms of research, besides the obvious browsing the Web, are you looking for researchers to be able to send e-mails, make phone call, conduct interviews in order to provide data to the writers?  And then there's the old-fashion approach of going to the library.
  
  Would you expect researchers to be able to travel?  Or perhaps have correspondents on site, e.g. in NYC?
  Is there a possibility of blurring the lines between researcher and writer, or do prefer dedicated positions?
  I imagine you are ideally looking for people who already have a track record as writers and researchers, who can provide you with some sort of portfolio, proof of work, so to speak.
  
  Is compensation in LTBCoin or BitCoin.  I get the sense that AltCoin Observer would sit in its own space, outside of the LTB sphere.

  Posted on March 18, 2014 at 6:10 PM
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• adam

  

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  The Altcoin Observer is a high value, exclusivity based spin-off mostly intended for people outside our community who don't follow this stuff.  There are going to be a bunch of altcoins shows I'm sure, was just talking with some folks over at doge reddit about starting a community show.

  Posted on March 18, 2014 at 6:11 PM
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• adam

  

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  Tom, it's more like "embed yourself in the various communities and look for new opportunities"
  Prior experience is not required, there are a couple ways the altcoin observer could go - Technically it could be part of LTB and pay profits out as dividends to LTBcoin holders.   What I don't want is for this to be content that is free on day one, because at least for the first few months the research we'll be doing is highly valuable and very monetizable.    
  Having it be an LTBcoin project would be interesting...

  Posted on March 18, 2014 at 6:16 PM
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• TomSherlock

  

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  If prior experience is not required then I might be interested.  While I do have tendency to thoroughly research anything that interests me and I also enjoy writing I have no professional experience in either.  
  However, embedding oneself in the community would ideally including physically attending meetings,gatherings, etc.  If you were to have three dedicated researchers they would probably need to travel in order to get to all the communities out there.  Otherwise the research position could be considered a commission-based temporary position that would require you to reach out to local enthusiasts who could then perform the necessary research. Or you have a combination of both.  You could have a head researcher who can travel and who is empowered to hire someone local to assist with research.  
  Either way I would not be able to travel out of the greater NYC area.

  Posted on March 18, 2014 at 6:45 PM
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• TomSherlock

  

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  Another option, I could offer my talent as a writer.  One suggestion could be to somehow blend my own project(see:  http://ltbcoin.com/discussion/95/column-in-local-paper-magazine) with the Altcoin Observer.  However, Adam, you did indicate that you would not want to offer this information out for free.  So perhaps my local project would have to be unrelated.
  
  Either way, do you see an synergies between the kind of writer you might be looking for and the kind of column I was thinking of writing.  Would your writer be taking a similar approach?
  
  If I had my druthers, I would probably prefer to fill one of your positions as a writer and perhaps assist with research.  I understand it would only be a three month speculative (ad)venture.

  Posted on March 18, 2014 at 6:55 PM
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• adam

  

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  Travel or events might become something in the future, but I've been doing all this research by myself for months and never travel to any events, or really at all unless absolutely neccessary.   New cryptocurrencies are the local currencies of global movements/tribes/predelictions/fetishes/ethos, and the whole point is those things are not geographically centralized.  
  The whole gig is internet based from the editor on down

  Posted on March 18, 2014 at 7:18 PM
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• adam

  

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  TomSherlock said: Another option, I could offer my talent as a writer.  One suggestion could be to somehow blend my own project(see:  http://ltbcoin.com/discussion/95/column-in-local-paper-magazine) with the Altcoin Observer.  However, Adam, you did indicate that you would not want to offer this information out for free.  So perhaps my local project would have to be unrelated.
  
  Either way, do you see an synergies between the kind of writer you might be looking for and the kind of column I was thinking of writing.  Would your writer be taking a similar approach?
  
  If I had my druthers, I would probably prefer to fill one of your positions as a writer and perhaps assist with research.  I understand it would only be a three month speculative (ad)venture.

  The model basically is one of timed exclusivity, the sooner to "release" you get it, the most the subscription costs. Paying in LTBcoin gets you a tier one more expensive than the price you're paying. After 45 days the content is freely available and archived for public use, so at that point you could publish the column.

  Really though the Altcoin Observer project is probably too specific for a mainstream column.

  Posted on March 18, 2014 at 7:24 PM
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