A funder's view of Kickstarter

I found this on Reddit, and thought others might find it useful as well. Basically just some people discussing what they look for in a Kickstarter before they feel comfortable funding it. Since it's such a hot topic around here, I figure others may want to take a read. Nothing earth shaking, but much better thought out than most might suspect.

http://redd.it/1ms3dp

 

I've funded an old lady making canes...I avoid funding:

1. VCs looking to use money of the public in a populist way to avoid the using their own money and to generate pseudo advertising buzz.
2. Anyone looking to publish a book: it's practically free even if you write using a computer at the library
3. Anyone looking to publish music recordings: it's practically free if you're to the point of reading, writing, and playing music because you own your instrument
4. Anyone looking to publish a game: it's practically free it you already own a computer and use Unity

I funded the old lady making canes more in support of social behavior and her enjoyment, especially at that age, then the expectation that a 90-something year old is seeking to get rich and become the next google.

Likewise, I think Kickstarter is fine for supporting local plays and concerts in playhouses/venues but it really wasn't designed for that.

In general, I disagree with the premise of using the general public's money to fund startups is a good ideal but it's not a big deal you generally don't see interest in projects from the public outside their own except for when the general public, and that's mostly tech workers that tend to waste their good salaries anyway, are lured into funding a project that a VC is looking to advertise.

 

Most of them should just put "I'm too lazy to get a real job to help fund X so I'm asking all of you to support me while I follow my dreams. Have fun getting up at the crack of dawn and slaving away at a menial job for me. "

 

A lot of kickstarter people HAVE jobs and are looking for funding so they can focus a full-time schedule on the projects they'd be happier working on. If you're not interested in a particular kickstarter, don't fund it - the point of kickstarter is that your funding shows that you have an interest in somebody else's interest. If the project is successful, everybody involved wins. If the project fails, well, when you signed up you knew your investment ran the risk of being squandered, misused, taken to Vegas, or insufficient.

If you can't afford to lose the money if the project fails, then don't invest - you probably can't afford it if they succeed either.

 

"I'm too lazy to get a real job to help fund X so I'm asking all of you to support me while I follow my dreams. "

Might be true, I just only add money if his dream = my dream too. Well, dream is a strong word, but if I see a game that I would seriously like to play (and not much games are like that), i don't feel bad adding a few ten dollars.

 

Haha, yeah, there's just the part in the middle where you need to put a load of time into actually making a good game. But everyone who's managed to build the required skills for that is time rich, right, so that's never going to be a challenge!

Too right. As long as they're not hurting anyone who cares how they're doing something if it's what you want to see done? If they manage to profit from doing something that lots of people want them to do then good luck to 'em.

 

Kickstarter requires you to show what you look like and I don't want an anonymous crowd to know what I look like.

 

When has that been a requirement?

 

It was written down as a recommendation somewhere and it is my experience. No serious project dealing with bigger amounts of money goes without faces.

 

This post is a joke, right?

 

It has to be....

Too lazy to find a job to fund making a game??? i have a fulltime job now, and i have quit it to make games! once im off the job for good im gonna need funding to finish the game as fast as possible so the funding is well spent...thats why kickstarter is there!

FREE to make games, music and books? Sure, materialwise they dont cost but they dont bring monthly income either as a dayjob does, something u CANT have if u plan on finishing before u turn 80...

 

It's actually probably not! I saw the Kickstarter cane making old lady on TV awhile back. It's called Happy Canes:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/998024426/happy-canes-spring-13-canes-for-grandma

She basically takes canes and adds flowers and crap to bling them up.

 

I meant the rest, where he says that making music, games, and books is essentially free.

 

Ahh... yeah that only works if you're a genius. For instance, I can code and make basic 3D Models, but that's about the extent of it. However, if one of my game characters was an absolutely horrible singer who couldn't dance I could definitely setup a mic and MoCap myself.

 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1548272412/radio-the-universe-0

..and i do remember there are others.. but this one popped to my head..

 

I don't possess much in the way of funding capabilities but I try to contribute something small when ever I can if anything to bump campaigners that strike me as actually needing the money... I'm more likely to help if they're trying to create something more than the usual..

 

Interesting. Well that makes it appealing again.

 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1790899723/681612454?token=225b918b