The Launch of the Sndbox 2018 Program
Starting January 1, 2018, Sndbox will be implementing a rotating 5-month incubator program on Steemit. This program will focus on establishing creative and impact-driven professionals onto Steemit who are committed to long-term engagement and integration with the Steem blockchain. Sndbox will host 2 rounds each year - January to May and July to November - with a month buffer to produce a bi-yearly magazine and specialized content regarding Steem-based projects. There will be a core program for members within the incubator and an optional program afterwards for “alumni” of Sndbox who wish to remain a part of the community after completion.
We’re excited to announce this major change to our incubator. Since our launch in July we’ve been exploring new methods to promote long-term Steemit / Steem growth and believe that this rotating strategy will aid healthy growth and sustained engagement. This comes after a few months of trial and error, striving to find the right balance of time and opportunity in order to best “establish” users onto the platform. Up until now, Sndbox has had an indefinite program with 10-25 new members added each month. This proved to be challenging as we would have to onboard and re-orient brand new members every 30 days, slowing momentum and preventing the group to fully engage one another through a longer period of time. We believe that this new system of switching the group every 5 months will provide a more intense accelerator environment for Steemians to establish their ambitions and pursue them within the community.
With this change in program, we’ve refined our short and long-term goals in the Sndbox incubator to give members a baseline goal post of what to strive for.
Short-term goals
- Develop an empowering community of Sndbox fellows alongside a larger alumni network of creatives and community organizers.
- Develop content into impactful and small-scale projects.
- Provide group and 1-on-1 coaching to help members set goals and achieve them.
- Power-Up Plan: Provide competitions and incentives for each fellow to power up. We’ll set benchmarks and goals for fellows to strive for with an eye on the long-term.
We believe that two core tenets are the key to developing a dedicated Steemian base - professional commitment and stake. Commitment entails converging one’s personal ambitions onto the blogging platform and using the blockchain as a tool to forward those endeavors. Stake is essentially Steem Power, a metric of having been rewarded and also pursuing the capacity to reward others. As such, we’ve set guidelines and provide resources so that all members can pursue a certain amount of stake and execute at least one small project while in the incubator.
Long-term goals
- Grow the network into thousands of Steemians who are dedicated to high professional impact through Steemit.
- Mobilize communities on Steemit to support real-world projects.
Our long-term vision is to mobilize a dedicated and highly engaged community of makers and doers. As the community scales, we’ll be able to pursue larger communal projects if the right structures are put in place. Sndbox will strive to be right platform to support this trajectory in the years to come.
Technical Logistics
Current existing members and members joining in January will be the first round of fellows (est. about 100) and will cycle out at the end of May 2018. The 2nd cohort will join in July until December. Participants who have successfully gone through the program will have the opportunity to become engaged alumni with a unique set of stipulations and benefits.
An alumni program, the details of which will be explained in a future post, will provide an alternative form of support and opportunities of mentorship to new users. They will be able to take on different roles in Sndbox to cultivate creative and community endeavors.
The Sndbox team has spent the last few months trying out the best way to run the incubator and most effectively broaden the impact and sustainability of Steemit as a foundation for practice. We believe implementing this bi-yearly cycle will acclimate serious users at a faster rate and establish an impactful broader community that cast best support its members and their endeavors.
Be sure to submit your details here and we’ll be reviewing for the new group by the end of the week! Entrance into the 2nd cohort this year will take place in June.
