Look you don't have to give me money but I just wanted, oh, nevermind... July 28, 2013 4:48 PM Subscribe
What's the deal with Projects and crowdfunding?
I have something I'd like to put on Projects. However, right around the time that I make my project available to the public, I'm going to be starting a crowdfunding campaign to raise more money for further iterations of said project. (It's a web series, if that matters.) I wouldn't be trying to use Projects as some kind of backdoor Pepsi Blue funding drive. I really just want to share my thing with the community. Should I wait until after my crowdfunding campaign is over? Or is this OK to do?
I would not be linking the kickstarter/indiegogo page directly to the Projects post. But it would be hard to check out my thing without also noticing there's a crowdfunding campaign associated with it.
What's the etiquette on this? To clarify, I am VERY aware of the "no kickstarter" rule for FPPs, just not sure how it works outside the Blue.
I have something I'd like to put on Projects. However, right around the time that I make my project available to the public, I'm going to be starting a crowdfunding campaign to raise more money for further iterations of said project. (It's a web series, if that matters.) I wouldn't be trying to use Projects as some kind of backdoor Pepsi Blue funding drive. I really just want to share my thing with the community. Should I wait until after my crowdfunding campaign is over? Or is this OK to do?
I would not be linking the kickstarter/indiegogo page directly to the Projects post. But it would be hard to check out my thing without also noticing there's a crowdfunding campaign associated with it.
What's the etiquette on this? To clarify, I am VERY aware of the "no kickstarter" rule for FPPs, just not sure how it works outside the Blue.
Having someone else post your project isn't what projects is for.
The only prohibition I am aware of is to not put the crown funding link on the main page.
I wouldn't worry about it.
posted by cjorgensen at 5:17 PM on July 28, 2013
The only prohibition I am aware of is to not put the crown funding link on the main page.
I wouldn't worry about it.
posted by cjorgensen at 5:17 PM on July 28, 2013
MetaFilter Kickstarter Page: This is a collection of projects seeking funding, all featuring someone who is also a member of the MetaFilter community. We hope to see completed projects end up on MetaFilter Projects, when they are ready to be announced.
I'm not clear how one gets posted to this page, but I'm sure a mod can explain.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:35 PM on July 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
I'm not clear how one gets posted to this page, but I'm sure a mod can explain.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:35 PM on July 28, 2013 [2 favorites]
I'll try to explain. Projects is really to help launch new completed projects ready to enjoy by members (I still kick myself to this day that I called it "Projects" because that does sound like it's for unfinished or in-progress things).
Yeah, we don't like people using it for fundraising and after Kickstarter gave me a page to curate, we decided that's a good way to deal with things (previously we turned down every project because it wasn't complete). It only works for Kickstarter projects and you just email me to ask and I'll add you to it. There's no similar functionality at Indiegogo, so we can't offer that.
Ideally, the time to post is when a project is complete and ready to be linked on the site. If you're working on a second series of new episodes and you haven't linked to your first one, you could use Projects to announce the first.
We haven't turned down Projects posts that have been both a display of a new project that might somewhere else on the site ask for funding for a new different thing, but we don't want that to become a use of Projects.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 5:42 PM on July 28, 2013 [3 favorites]
Yeah, we don't like people using it for fundraising and after Kickstarter gave me a page to curate, we decided that's a good way to deal with things (previously we turned down every project because it wasn't complete). It only works for Kickstarter projects and you just email me to ask and I'll add you to it. There's no similar functionality at Indiegogo, so we can't offer that.
Ideally, the time to post is when a project is complete and ready to be linked on the site. If you're working on a second series of new episodes and you haven't linked to your first one, you could use Projects to announce the first.
We haven't turned down Projects posts that have been both a display of a new project that might somewhere else on the site ask for funding for a new different thing, but we don't want that to become a use of Projects.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 5:42 PM on July 28, 2013 [3 favorites]
So if I'd be posting the first episode of my web series, with a promise of more in the near future (If it gets funded), that's really more of a "not completed project" and better for the Metafilter kickstarter page?
I hear that. And, in fact, that sounds awesome, if it is, as I assume, a way I can openly leverage my connection to MeFi. Which I thought would be totally forbidden and frowned upon.
posted by Sara C. at 5:48 PM on July 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
I hear that. And, in fact, that sounds awesome, if it is, as I assume, a way I can openly leverage my connection to MeFi. Which I thought would be totally forbidden and frowned upon.
posted by Sara C. at 5:48 PM on July 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
So there's a mathowie-curated page on Kickstarter that I can go to and support projects by MeFites? Can I get the link (and perhaps add it to the FAQ)?
posted by antonymous at 6:00 PM on July 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by antonymous at 6:00 PM on July 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
Ah we should totally add that to the FAQ. The link is here: http://www.kickstarter.com/pages/metafilter
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:17 PM on July 28, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:17 PM on July 28, 2013 [3 favorites]
I hear that. And, in fact, that sounds awesome, if it is, as I assume, a way I can openly leverage my connection to MeFi. Which I thought would be totally forbidden and frowned upon.
No if done through the proper channels we'll line up to give you money. Fistfuls even.
posted by sweetkid at 6:35 PM on July 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
No if done through the proper channels we'll line up to give you money. Fistfuls even.
posted by sweetkid at 6:35 PM on July 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
mat is there anything in particular stopping you from changing the name of Projects to something more accurate? (I vote for MetaFilter Creations, personally) and just redirecting old traffic there, beyond giving pb a headache for a few hours?
posted by softlord at 6:38 PM on July 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by softlord at 6:38 PM on July 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
Kickass. I love kickstarter.
I give to what seems to me like quite a lot of them. I often do it based on geography, as in if you live close to me I kick a few bucks your way. I also love the kicksaver feed, and have thrown a bit at those. I would totally go through the metafilter list.
Off to do that now!
posted by cjorgensen at 6:56 PM on July 28, 2013
I give to what seems to me like quite a lot of them. I often do it based on geography, as in if you live close to me I kick a few bucks your way. I also love the kicksaver feed, and have thrown a bit at those. I would totally go through the metafilter list.
Off to do that now!
posted by cjorgensen at 6:56 PM on July 28, 2013
I think "Projects" should be renamed as "selflinks". Truth in advertising and all that.
posted by pxe2000 at 7:29 PM on July 28, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by pxe2000 at 7:29 PM on July 28, 2013 [3 favorites]
Hey everyone, I encourage you all to go look at that MeFi Kickstarter page not just for the projects you can fund, but also for everything awesome that's been done. It's really great. I've been going through and looking at all the cool things people have done.
posted by corb at 8:04 PM on July 28, 2013 [6 favorites]
posted by corb at 8:04 PM on July 28, 2013 [6 favorites]
Yeah, I have the MeFi kickstarter page in my rss reader and there's some cool stuff there.
posted by arcticseal at 8:32 PM on July 28, 2013
posted by arcticseal at 8:32 PM on July 28, 2013
Change MePro to MeCre?!?
or just call it MeMine...
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:39 PM on July 28, 2013
or just call it MeMine...
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:39 PM on July 28, 2013
I think "Projects" should be renamed as "selflinks". Truth in advertising and all that.
If it makes you laugh, it must be true. Somebody said that. Anyway, I just laughed.
posted by philip-random at 11:22 PM on July 28, 2013
If it makes you laugh, it must be true. Somebody said that. Anyway, I just laughed.
posted by philip-random at 11:22 PM on July 28, 2013
You could call Projects MeSelf
posted by chavenet at 4:21 AM on July 29, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 4:21 AM on July 29, 2013 [4 favorites]
People, get cracking. I have money! You have ideas. Let's make this happen.
posted by cjorgensen at 5:47 AM on July 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by cjorgensen at 5:47 AM on July 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
I had this idea the other day for a Kickstarted song where all the pledge levels would let you buy control over various aspects of the song. Like, a dollar lets you buy a word that will have to appear in it; two dollars will buy you a word that can't; five dollars buys you a word that has to be rhymed with another word; twentyfive dollars let's you choose the opening word; a hundred dollars lets you choose the title. (One only for each of those last two, obv.) Etc, etc.
The result would be a crowdsourced song-by-committee almost certain to be worth both more and less than what was paid for it.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:27 AM on July 29, 2013 [11 favorites]
The result would be a crowdsourced song-by-committee almost certain to be worth both more and less than what was paid for it.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:27 AM on July 29, 2013 [11 favorites]
.....hah....man, I can't believe I forgot about the MeFi Kickstarter page....
OH WELL TOO LATE NOW.
Anyway, SaraC, I am SUPER LOOKING FORWARD to finding out more about your web series. You've been talking about it in bits and pieces for a while now and the curiosity is killing me!
posted by Narrative Priorities at 7:32 AM on July 29, 2013 [2 favorites]
OH WELL TOO LATE NOW.
Anyway, SaraC, I am SUPER LOOKING FORWARD to finding out more about your web series. You've been talking about it in bits and pieces for a while now and the curiosity is killing me!
posted by Narrative Priorities at 7:32 AM on July 29, 2013 [2 favorites]
The result would be a crowdsourced song-by-committee almost certain to be worth both more and less than what was paid for it.
But what would the money be used for? Also, what would you do with the song after?
posted by cjorgensen at 8:51 AM on July 29, 2013
But what would the money be used for? Also, what would you do with the song after?
posted by cjorgensen at 8:51 AM on July 29, 2013
a dollar lets you buy a word that will have to appear in it; two dollars will buy you a word that can't
Set it up so successive bids trump previous ones, and you have a recipe for a lucrative bidding war.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 10:31 AM on July 29, 2013
Set it up so successive bids trump previous ones, and you have a recipe for a lucrative bidding war.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 10:31 AM on July 29, 2013
Or just write a check to his favorite charity and get him to do it without the war.
posted by cjorgensen at 11:09 AM on July 29, 2013
posted by cjorgensen at 11:09 AM on July 29, 2013
OH WELL TOO LATE NOW.
Oh shit fucks I would totally like to read that in its book form too.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 11:16 AM on July 29, 2013
Oh shit fucks I would totally like to read that in its book form too.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 11:16 AM on July 29, 2013
mefi projects page is for basking in the reflected glory of the success of other mefites who can actually do something awesome while you can't but you can still go and check them out for that sense of awesomeness you get from seeing other people who are not you do great stuff but you can still feel part of it as a member of the community and savor in that sweet sweet reflected glory and enjoy suppressing that futility you feel within at your own inadequacy which is easier to do within that reflected glory shining upon you from other worthwhile mefites who are not you I think I've mentioned that already oh god what have I done with my life
posted by Pyrogenesis at 11:44 AM on July 29, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Pyrogenesis at 11:44 AM on July 29, 2013 [3 favorites]
+a million for renaming it 'selflinks' or 'selfposts'.
posted by jacalata at 6:09 PM on July 29, 2013
posted by jacalata at 6:09 PM on July 29, 2013
Am I missing something or do MeFite Kickstarters have a 100% success rate?
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:07 PM on July 29, 2013
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:07 PM on July 29, 2013
They remove the ones that don't make it, I think, which is a somewhat sketch thing to do.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:07 AM on July 30, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:07 AM on July 30, 2013 [3 favorites]
Hmmm. I had a Kickstarter that was in the MeFi gallery (thanks, mathowie!) but I haven't posted it to Projects now that it's under way because it's a thing that is for sale and not a thing that is for free. I felt putting that up would be skeevy.
...It is skeevy, right?
posted by Andrhia at 6:12 PM on July 31, 2013
...It is skeevy, right?
posted by Andrhia at 6:12 PM on July 31, 2013
I'm not sure I follow? You are now making a thing that you got funding for making but the Kickstarter is over? Or you are still raising money? If you made a thing, even a thing for sale, and you have some sort of web aspect to the thing so you can show off the thing, by all means show off the thing. This may be difficult if it's a thing like an iOS game where there isn't much you can show off, but still, may as well. Mathowie has to approve all the projects anyhow so there's no reason not to submit it.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:17 PM on July 31, 2013
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:17 PM on July 31, 2013
Oh man!
I had no idea there was a Mefi Kickstarter. If I had I would have known that the 1,000 Ice Cream Cones thing that my Denver friends were talking about (on FB) happening at my favorite ice cream shop was the result of a Mefite. Awesome.
posted by FlamingBore at 5:47 AM on August 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
I had no idea there was a Mefi Kickstarter. If I had I would have known that the 1,000 Ice Cream Cones thing that my Denver friends were talking about (on FB) happening at my favorite ice cream shop was the result of a Mefite. Awesome.
posted by FlamingBore at 5:47 AM on August 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by dfriedman at 4:58 PM on July 28, 2013