Project Update
From June to September 2021, we offered our users premium exclusive content sourced from local content creators that was monetized through our existing Moja premium content model. In the interim report we highlighted challenges in finding a wallet that served the unbanked, who form a significant portion of our user base. This prohibited the use of Coil for this pilot and led to changing our approach from driving uptake of Web-Monetization subscriptions to testing POC for Web monetization to creatives in emerging markets who are largely unfamiliar with the idea, but want to find new ways to earn through their content. Once the pilot was underway, we encountered another challenge in transferring earned Ripple from Moja’s wallet to the creatives’ individual wallets at the end of each month.
It is evident that some friction exists in onboarding unbanked creatives in emerging markets to web monetization platforms like Coil due to unavailability of payment pointers like Gatehub and Uphold. Furthermore, transferring Ripple from Xrptipbot to an alternative pointer has also proved challenging, preventing us from crediting payments to participating creatives’ wallets.
Progress on objectives
Build towards a sustainable monetization platform for local content creators to build locally relevant content for the Moja community.
We did this through:
Engagements with creatives and users to understand available content monetization options in the Kenyan space and how best to adopt Web Monetization in underserved markets.
Providing content creators' access to an active pool of Moja users ready to consume their Premium content.
Rewarding them (creatives) with XRP over a period of three months based on user interaction with the content (partially complete).
Training the participating content creators on how Web Monetization works and setting them up with wallets that supports mobile money (MPESA) transactions. For Web Monetization to work in this market, creatives must be able to convert earned Ripple into cash, specifically mobile money.
Explore a premium content model for Moja where users are able to gain access to web-monetized content on the platform.
Our model made it easy for users to reward content creators in a way that does not require cash but rewards creatives in a manner that the creative can convert to cash.
Drive local content creation and discoverability on the Moja platform by purchasing exclusive rights to the content shared by content creators on Moja and prominently displaying the content to users on the Moja captive portal.
We seeded five local content creators to produce exclusive content for Moja and received three music videos, one short sketch and one dance routine video. These were prominently displayed on the platform as premium content only accessible through unlocking the premium content subscription using Moja points.
Key activities
Understanding the current content creation space from users’ and creatives’ perspectives to form a case for the adoption of Web Monetization. This was done via a Baseline survey for content creators and an Endline survey for users. Overall we found that users were happy to support creatives and in the absence of cash, do so by engaging with (sharing/liking/subscribing) their content.
On-ramping content creators to Web Monetization by providing training and helping them open crypto wallets that support Web Monetization.
Finding a solution to transfer Ripple to creatives’ wallets. This is still ongoing.
Communications and marketing
Posted an article on our company blog highlighting this initiative with local creatives in Mathare, Kenya.
Ran promotional campaigns and notifications on the Moja platform directing users to available premium content.
Sent monthly SMS blasts to encourage users to check out Premium Content on Moja.
What’s next?
We intend to credit content creators with the Ripple earned from this Web monetization project. We also look forward to developments on Rafiki as a way to easily incorporate interledger payments to platforms like Moja WiFi.
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