"Show of Hands" By Jesse Kuhn from rawtoastdesign.com
When helping out with an unfunded community project — which we do simply because we love it and we want it to exist in the world — everything we do is subject to the
Laws of Volunteerism.
These laws, as far as I can tell, are as follows:
Law #1: Our predicted involvement will be bigger than our actual involvement. The energy and excitement that we have at the beginning of a project is rarely sustainable at its peak levels, and the actual time we can invest in a project over the long-term needs to have a realistic bare minimum.
Law #2: We will mostly do things that are either urgent or methodical. Give us a fire to put out, and we’ll jump on it. Give us task to repeat every week, and we’ll turn it into a habit. But ask us to think about something new every day without attaching a major deadline to it? Yeah, sorry, we’d love to, but maybe you can find someone else to jump in…
Law #3: We need to see that our work is helping others in order to keep doing it. As volunteers, we are fueled by the positive impact we have on others, and we lose momentum when that’s harder to see. If we don’t release early and often, if no one else on the team is helped by what we do, or if we simply just feel like we’re working in a vacuum, we’ll run out of steam.
Law #4: Real life will get in the way. Job stress, moving, breakups, illness, overwhelm, family issues, school, travel, projects, personal transitions, and other forms of Real Life don’t stop knocking. Ever. Volunteering is a commitment, but it’s a rather secondary commitment to, say, staying alive and healthy, and we have to remain flexible as our own availabilities change.
These laws aren’t so bad. As long as we remember them and respect them, we can find our way.
(based on The Process, the Laws, and Dreaming vs. Doing from my personal blog.)
"Show of Hands" By Jesse Kuhn from rawtoastdesign.com
When helping out with an unfunded community project — which we do simply because we love it and we want it to exist in the world — everything we do is subject to the
Laws of Volunteerism.
These laws, as far as I can tell, are as follows:
Law #1: Our predicted involvement will be bigger than our actual involvement. The energy and excitement that we have at the beginning of a project is rarely sustainable at its peak levels, and the actual time we can invest in a project over the long-term needs to have a realistic bare minimum.
Law #2: We will mostly do things that are either urgent or methodical. Give us a fire to put out, and we’ll jump on it. Give us task to repeat every week, and we’ll turn it into a habit. But ask us to think about something new every day without attaching a major deadline to it? Yeah, sorry, we’d love to, but maybe you can find someone else to jump in…
Law #3: We need to see that our work is helping others in order to keep doing it. As volunteers, we are fueled by the positive impact we have on others, and we lose momentum when that’s harder to see. If we don’t release early and often, if no one else on the team is helped by what we do, or if we simply just feel like we’re working in a vacuum, we’ll run out of steam.
Law #4: Real life will get in the way. Job stress, moving, breakups, illness, overwhelm, family issues, school, travel, projects, personal transitions, and other forms of Real Life don’t stop knocking. Ever. Volunteering is a commitment, but it’s a rather secondary commitment to, say, staying alive and healthy, and we have to remain flexible as our own availabilities change.
These laws aren’t so bad. As long as we remember them and respect them, we can find our way.
(based on The Process, the Laws, and Dreaming vs. Doing from my personal blog.)
"Show of Hands" By Jesse Kuhn from rawtoastdesign.com
When helping out with an unfunded community project — which we do simply because we love it and we want it to exist in the world — everything we do is subject to the
Laws of Volunteerism.
These laws, as far as I can tell, are as follows:
Law #1:
Law #1: Our predicted involvement will be bigger than our actual involvement. The energy and excitement that we have at the beginning of a project is rarely sustainable at its peak levels, and the actual time we can invest in a project over the long-term needs to have a realistic bare minimum.
Law #2: We will mostly do things that are either urgent or methodical. Give us a fire to put out, and we’ll jump on it. Give us task to repeat every week, and we’ll turn it into a habit. But ask us to think about something new every day without attaching a major deadline to it? Yeah, sorry, we’d love to, but maybe you can find someone else to jump in…
Law #3: We need to see that our work is helping others in order to keep doing it. As volunteers, we are fueled by the positive impact we have on others, and we lose momentum when that’s harder to see. If we don’t release early and often, if no one else on the team is helped by what we do, or if we simply just feel like we’re working in a vacuum, we’ll run out of steam.
Law #4: Real life will get in the way. Job stress, moving, breakups, illness, overwhelm, family issues, school, travel, projects, personal transitions, and other forms of Real Life don’t stop knocking. Ever. Volunteering is a commitment, but it’s a rather secondary commitment to, say, staying alive and healthy, and we have to remain flexible as our own availabilities change.
These laws aren’t so bad. As long as we remember them and respect them, we can find our way.
(based on The Process, the Laws, and Dreaming vs. Doing from my personal blog.)
"Show of Hands" By Jesse Kuhn from rawtoastdesign.com
When helping out with an unfunded community project — which we do simply because we love it and we want it to exist in the world — everything we do is subject to the
Laws of Volunteerism.
These laws, as far as I can tell, are as follows:
Law #1:
Law #1: Our predicted involvement will be bigger than our actual involvement. The energy and excitement that we have at the beginning of a project is rarely sustainable at its peak levels, and the actual time we can invest in a project over the long-term needs to have a realistic bare minimum.
Law #2: We will mostly do things that are either urgent or methodical. Give us a fire to put out, and we’ll jump on it. Give us task to repeat every week, and we’ll turn it into a habit. But ask us to think about something new every day without attaching a major deadline to it? Yeah, sorry, we’d love to, but maybe you can find someone else to jump in…
Law #3: We need to see that our work is helping others in order to keep doing it. As volunteers, we are fueled by the positive impact we have on others, and we lose momentum when that’s harder to see. If we don’t release early and often, if no one else on the team is helped by what we do, or if we simply just feel like we’re working in a vacuum, we’ll run out of steam.
Law #4: Real life will get in the way. Job stress, moving, breakups, illness, overwhelm, family issues, school, travel, projects, personal transitions, and other forms of Real Life don’t stop knocking. Ever. Volunteering is a commitment, but it’s a rather secondary commitment to, say, staying alive and healthy, and we have to remain flexible as our own availabilities change.
These laws aren’t so bad. As long as we remember them and respect them, we can find our way.
(based on The Process, the Laws, and Dreaming vs. Doing from my personal blog.)
"Show of Hands" By Jesse Kuhn from rawtoastdesign.com
When helping out with an unfunded community project — which we do simply because we love it and we want it to exist in the world — everything we do is subject to the
Laws of Volunteerism.
These laws, as far as I can tell, are as follows:
Law #1: Our predicted involvement will be bigger than our actual involvement. The energy and excitement that we have at the beginning of a project is rarely sustainable at its peak levels, and the actual time we can invest in a project over the long-term needs to have a realistic bare minimum.
Law #2: We will mostly do things that are either urgent or methodical. Give us a fire to put out, and we’ll jump on it. Give us task to repeat every week, and we’ll turn it into a habit. But ask us to think about something new every day without attaching a major deadline to it? Yeah, sorry, we’d love to, but maybe you can find someone else to jump in…
Law #3: We need to see that our work is helping others in order to keep doing it. As volunteers, we are fueled by the positive impact we have on others, and we lose momentum when that’s harder to see. If we don’t release early and often, if no one else on the team is helped by what we do, or if we simply just feel like we’re working in a vacuum, we’ll run out of steam.
Law #4: Real life will get in the way. Job stress, moving, breakups, illness, overwhelm, family issues, school, travel, projects, personal transitions, and other forms of Real Life don’t stop knocking. Ever. Volunteering is a commitment, but it’s a rather secondary commitment to, say, staying alive and healthy, and we have to remain flexible as our own availabilities change.
These laws aren’t so bad. As long as we remember them and respect them, we can find our way.
(based on The Process, the Laws, and Dreaming vs. Doing from my personal blog.)
"Show of Hands" By Jesse Kuhn from rawtoastdesign.com
When helping out with an unfunded community project — which we do simply because we love it and we want it to exist in the world — everything we do is subject to the
Laws of Volunteerism.
These laws, as far as I can tell, are as follows:
Law #1: Our predicted involvement will be bigger than our actual involvement. The energy and excitement that we have at the beginning of a project is rarely sustainable at its peak levels, and the actual time we can invest in a project over the long-term needs to have a realistic bare minimum.
Law #2: We will mostly do things that are either urgent or methodical. Give us a fire to put out, and we’ll jump on it. Give us task to repeat every week, and we’ll turn it into a habit. But ask us to think about something new every day without attaching a major deadline to it? Yeah, sorry, we’d love to, but maybe you can find someone else to jump in…
Law #3: We need to see that our work is helping others in order to keep doing it. As volunteers, we are fueled by the positive impact we have on others, and we lose momentum when that’s harder to see. I think the single biggest mistake we made in the first year of one of my current projects was not creating a smaller version of the marketplace that we could release much sooner.
Law #4: Real life will get in the way. Job stress, moving, breakups, illness, overwhelm, family issues, school, travel, projects, personal transitions, and other forms of Real Life don’t stop knocking. Ever. Volunteering is a commitment, but it’s a rather secondary commitment to, say, staying alive and healthy, and we have to remain flexible as our own availabilities change.
These laws aren’t so bad. As long as we remember them and respect them, we can find our way.
(based on The Process, the Laws, and Dreaming vs. Doing from my personal blog.)
"Show of Hands" By Jesse Kuhn from rawtoastdesign.com
When helping out with an unfunded community project — which we do simply because we love it and we want it to exist in the world — everything we do is subject to the
Laws of Volunteerism.
These laws, as far as I can tell, are as follows:
Law #1: Our predicted involvement will be bigger than our actual involvement. The energy and excitement that we have at the beginning of a project is rarely sustainable at its peak levels, and the actual time we can invest in a project over the long-term needs to have a realistic bare minimum.
Law #2: We will mostly do things that are either urgent or methodical. Give us a fire to put out, and we’ll jump on it. Give us task to repeat every week, and we’ll turn it into a habit. But ask us to think about something new every day without attaching a major deadline to it? Yeah, sorry, we’d love to, but maybe you can find someone else to jump in…
Law #3: We need to see that our work is helping others in order to keep doing it. As volunteers, we are fueled by the positive impact we have on others, and we lose momentum when that’s harder to see. I think the single biggest mistake we made in the first year of one of my current projects was not creating a smaller version of the marketplace that we could release much sooner.
Law #4: Real life will get in the way. Job stress, moving, breakups, illness, overwhelm, family issues, school, travel, projects, personal transitions, and other forms of Real Life don’t stop knocking. Ever. Volunteering is a commitment, but it’s a rather secondary commitment to, say, staying alive and healthy, and we have to remain flexible as our own availabilities change.
These laws aren’t so bad. As long as we remember them and respect them, we can find our way.
(based on The Process, the Laws, and Dreaming vs. Doing from my personal blog.)
"Show of Hands" By Jesse Kuhn from rawtoastdesign.com
When helping out with an unfunded community project — which we do simply because we love it and we want it to exist in the world — everything we do is subject to the
Laws of Volunteerism.
These laws, as far as I can tell, are as follows:
Law #1: Our predicted involvement will be bigger than our actual involvement. The energy and excitement that we have at the beginning of a project is rarely sustainable at its peak levels, and the actual time we can invest in a project over the long-term needs to have a realistic bare minimum.
Law #2: We will mostly do things that are either urgent or methodical. Give us a fire to put out, and we’ll jump on it. Give us task to repeat every week, and we’ll turn it into a habit. But ask us to think about something new every day without attaching a major deadline to it? Yeah, sorry, we’d love to, but maybe you can find someone else to jump in…
Law #3: We need to see that our work is helping others in order to keep doing it. As volunteers, we are fueled by the positive impact we have on others, and we lose momentum when that’s harder to see. I think the single biggest mistake we made in the first year of one of my current projects was not creating a smaller version of the marketplace that we could release much sooner.
Law #4: Real life will get in the way. Job stress, moving, breakups, illness, overwhelm, family issues, school, travel, projects, personal transitions, and other forms of Real Life don’t stop knocking. Ever. Volunteering is a commitment, but it’s a rather secondary commitment to, say, staying alive and healthy, and we have to remain flexible as our own availabilities change.
These laws aren’t so bad. As long as we remember them and respect them, we can find our way.
(based on The Process, the Laws, and Dreaming vs. Doing from my personal blog.)
When helping out with an unfunded community project — which we do simply because we love it and we want it to exist in the world — everything we do is subject to the Laws of Volunteerism.
These laws, as far as I can tell, are as follows:
Law #1: Our predicted involvement will be bigger than our actual involvement. The energy and excitement that we have at the beginning of a project is rarely sustainable at its peak levels, and the actual time we can invest in a project over the long-term needs to have a realistic bare minimum.
Law #2: We will mostly do things that are either urgent or methodical. Give us a fire to put out, and we’ll jump on it. Give us task to repeat every week, and we’ll turn it into a habit. But ask us to think about something new every day without attaching a major deadline to it? Yeah, sorry, we’d love to, but maybe you can find someone else to jump in…
Law #3: We need to see that our work is helping others in order to keep doing it. As volunteers, we are fueled by the positive impact we have on others, and we lose momentum when that’s harder to see. I think the single biggest mistake we made in the first year of one of my current projects was not creating a smaller version of the marketplace that we could release much sooner.
Law #4: Real life will get in the way. Job stress, moving, breakups, illness, overwhelm, family issues, school, travel, projects, personal transitions, and other forms of Real Life don’t stop knocking. Ever. Volunteering is a commitment, but it’s a rather secondary commitment to, say, staying alive and healthy, and we have to remain flexible as our own availabilities change.
These laws aren’t so bad. As long as we remember them and respect them, we can find our way.
(based on The Process, the Laws, and Dreaming vs. Doing from my personal blog.)
When helping out with an unfunded community project — which we do simply because we love it and we want it to exist in the world — everything we do is subject to the Laws of Volunteerism.
These laws, as far as I can tell, are as follows:
Law #1: Our predicted involvement will be bigger than our actual involvement. The energy and excitement that we have at the beginning of a project is rarely sustainable at its peak levels, and the actual time we can invest in a project over the long-term needs to have a realistic bare minimum.
Law #2: We will mostly do things that are either urgent or methodical. Give us a fire to put out, and we’ll jump on it. Give us task to repeat every week, and we’ll turn it into a habit. But ask us to think about something new every day without attaching a major deadline to it? Yeah, sorry, we’d love to, but maybe you can find someone else to jump in…
Law #3: We need to see that our work is helping others in order to keep doing it. As volunteers, we are fueled by the positive impact we have on others, and we lose momentum when that’s harder to see. I think the single biggest mistake we made in the first year of one of my current projects was not creating a smaller version of the marketplace that we could release much sooner.
Law #4: Real life will get in the way. Job stress, moving, breakups, illness, overwhelm, family issues, school, travel, projects, personal transitions, and other forms of Real Life don’t stop knocking. Ever. Volunteering is a commitment, but it’s a rather secondary commitment to, say, staying alive and healthy, and we have to remain flexible as our own availabilities change.
As long as we remember these laws, and as long as we vow never to try to break or transcend them (because that doesn’t work — at least not sustainably), then everything we do has hope.
(based on The Process, the Laws, and Dreaming vs. Doing from my personal blog.)
When helping out with an unfunded community project — simply because we love it and want it to exist in the world — everything we do is subject to the Laws of Volunteerism.
These laws, as far as I can tell, are as follows:
Law #1: Our predicted involvement will be bigger than our actual involvement. The energy and excitement that we have at the beginning of a project is rarely sustainable at its peak levels, and the actual time we can invest in a project over the long-term needs to have a realistic bare minimum.
Law #2: We will mostly do things that are either urgent or methodical. Give us a fire to put out, and we’ll jump on it. Give us task to repeat every week, and we’ll turn it into a habit. But ask us to think about something new every day without attaching a major deadline to it? Yeah, sorry, we’d love to, but maybe you can find someone else to jump in…
Law #3: We need to see that our work is helping others in order to keep doing it. As volunteers, we are fueled by the positive impact we have on others, and we lose momentum when that’s harder to see. I think the single biggest mistake we made in the first year of one of my current projects was not creating a smaller version of the marketplace that we could release much sooner.
Law #4: Real life will get in the way. Job stress, moving, breakups, illness, overwhelm, family issues, school, travel, projects, personal transitions, and other forms of Real Life don’t stop knocking. Ever. Volunteering is a commitment, but it’s a rather secondary commitment to, say, staying alive and healthy, and we have to remain flexible as our own availabilities change.
As long as we remember these laws, and as long as we vow never to try to break or transcend them (because that doesn’t work — at least not sustainably), then everything we do has hope.
(based on The Process, the Laws, and Dreaming vs. Doing from my personal blog.)
When helping out with an unfunded community project — simply because we love it and want it to exist in the world — everything we do is subject to the Laws of Volunteerism.
These laws, as far as I can tell, are as follows:
Law #1: Our predicted involvement will be bigger than our actual involvement. The energy and excitement that we have at the beginning of a project is rarely sustainable at its peak levels, and the actual time we can invest in a project over the long-term needs to have a realistic bare minimum.
Law #2: We will mostly do things that are either urgent or methodical. Give us a fire to put out, and we’ll jump on it. Give us task to repeat every week, and we’ll turn it into a habit. But ask us to think about something new every day without attaching a major deadline to it? Yeah, sorry, we’d love to, but maybe you can find someone else to jump in…
Law #3: We need to see that our work is helping others in order to keep doing it. As volunteers, we are fueled by the positive impact we have on others, and we lose momentum when that’s harder to see. I think the single biggest mistake we made in the first year of one of my current projects was not creating a smaller version of the marketplace that we could release much sooner.
Law #4: Real life will get in the way. Job stress, moving, breakups, illness, overwhelm, family issues, school, travel, projects, personal transitions, and other forms of Real Life don’t stop knocking. Ever. Volunteering is a commitment, but it’s a rather secondary commitment to, say, staying alive and healthy, and we have to remain flexible as our own availabilities change.
They’re not terrible. We can work with these. We just have to keep our expectations in check.
(based on The Process, the Laws, and Dreaming vs. Doing from my personal blog.)
When building an unfunded community project simply bect to exist in the world, everything we do is subject to the Laws of Volunteerism.
These laws, as far as I can tell, are as follows:
Law #1: Our predicted involvement will be bigger than our actual involvement. The energy and excitement that we have at the beginning of a project is rarely sustainable at its peak levels, and the actual time we can invest in a project over the long-term needs to have a realistic bare minimum.
Law #2: We will mostly do things that are either urgent or methodical. Give us a fire to put out, and we’ll jump on it. Give us task to repeat every week, and we’ll turn it into a habit. But ask us to think about something new every day without attaching a major deadline to it? Yeah, sorry, we’d love to, but maybe you can find someone else to jump in…
Law #3: We need to see that our work is helping others in order to keep doing it. As volunteers, we are fueled by the positive impact we have on others, and we lose momentum when that’s harder to see. I think the single biggest mistake we made in the first year of one of my current projects was not creating a smaller version of the marketplace that we could release much sooner.
Law #4: Real life will get in the way. Job stress, moving, breakups, illness, overwhelm, family issues, school, travel, projects, personal transitions, and other forms of Real Life don’t stop knocking. Ever. Volunteering is a commitment, but it’s a rather secondary commitment to, say, staying alive and healthy, and we have to remain flexible as our own availabilities change.
They’re not terrible. We can work with these. We just have to keep our expectations in check.
(based on The Process, the Laws, and Dreaming vs. Doing from my personal blog.)
On an unfunded community project that we build simply because we love it and want it to exist in the world, everything we do is subject to the Laws of Volunteerism.
These laws, as far as I can tell, are as follows:
Law #1: Our predicted involvement will be bigger than our actual involvement. The energy and excitement that we have at the beginning of a project is rarely sustainable at its peak levels, and the actual time we can invest in a project over the long-term needs to have a realistic bare minimum.
Law #2: We will mostly do things that are either urgent or methodical. Give us a fire to put out, and we’ll jump on it. Give us task to repeat every week, and we’ll turn it into a habit. But ask us to think about something new every day without attaching a major deadline to it? Yeah, sorry, we’d love to, but maybe you can find someone else to jump in…
Law #3: We need to see that our work is helping others in order to keep doing it. As volunteers, we are fueled by the positive impact we have on others, and we lose momentum when that’s harder to see. I think the single biggest mistake we made in the first year of one of my current projects was not creating a smaller version of the marketplace that we could release much sooner.
Law #4: Real life will get in the way. Job stress, moving, breakups, illness, overwhelm, family issues, school, travel, projects, personal transitions, and other forms of Real Life don’t stop knocking. Ever. Volunteering is a commitment, but it’s a rather secondary commitment to, say, staying alive and healthy, and we have to remain flexible as our own availabilities change.
They’re not terrible. We can work with these. We just have to keep our expectations in check.
(based on
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At the beginning of this year, I launched and managed a successful fundraiser for a new community project and business (I asked for $5,000 from an internet full of strangers, and they gave me over $8,000). As promised in my last post (about why I didn’t use Kickstarter for this campaign), here is the story of how it played out, and why it worked.
Laying the Groundwork
I didn’t just wake up one day and suddenly expect lots of people to give me money and trust me with it.
Well, okay, actually I kind of did. But there was work that happened before it, too.
I gathered a community in advance. For three years prior to launching the fundraiser, I developed and ran a community expression website that served the same audience my new project was going to help. I encouraged conversations, I worked with volunteers, I shined spotlights on community members, and I helped people feel connected. The project gathered a consistent 20,000 members a month, and it was never monetized. My motives were unquestionable: I built it to develop and serve a community. And in the process, I also built trust.
I thought about it for awhile. The idea for the new project wasn’t sudden — it percolated for a year. I talked about it with many of people, untangled a bunch of problems and concerns, asked around for what people needed, and slowly unfolded a plan. It wasn’t a complete plan, or even a very solid one, but it had substance to it. I even tried to get it off the ground several times, but I realized I just couldn’t make it work without some funding, so it kept going back onto the shelf. But then it kept sliding into conversations, too — it was just such a good idea. By the time the fundraiser happened, it was exactly what needed to happen. I was out of conversations to have about it, the idea was too resilient to die, and I couldn’t move forward without support. So I started asking for it.
Making the Plan
After seeing a few friends experience success with Kickstarter fundraising, I decided to model a fundraiser after the method they use:
- set a deadline
- set a funding goal
- set rewards for contributors based on giving level
- promise to return the money if you don’t reach your goal
I found this post by Craig Mod very helpful in considering where to set those rules. The advice in that post, however, conflicted with what friends of mine had learned from their own successful campaign in one area: Craig suggests setting the goal high to keep the momentum up, while my friends suggested setting the goal as low as you could stand it, so reach it quickly and the rest of the campaign is celebratory.
I compromised and set an honest goal of $5,000. I knew I could make the project happen for that amount, I knew I would probably walk away from it if we couldn’t raise it. It also seemed like a reasonable request for the community.
(That said, $5k really isn’t enough money to start a full-fledged San Francisco tech startup with, so I knew I was going to have to make some compromises. No matter. It was worth it to me.)
I took Craig Mod’s advice and gave the fundraiser a one-month deadline. And I set the rewards and contribution levels based on what made sense to me for the project, as you can see here.
At the beginning of this year, I launched and managed a successful fundraiser for a new community project and business (I asked for $5,000 from an internet full of strangers, and they gave me over $8,000). As promised in my last post (about why I didn’t use Kickstarter for this campaign), here is the story of how it played out, and why it worked.
Laying the Groundwork
I didn’t just wake up one day and suddenly expect lots of people to give me money and trust me with it.
Well, okay, actually I kind of did. But there was work that happened before it, too.
I gathered a community in advance. For three years prior to launching the fundraiser, I developed and ran a community expression website that served the same audience my new project was going to help. I encouraged conversations, I worked with volunteers, I shined spotlights on community members, and I helped people feel connected. The project gathered a consistent 20,000 members a month, and it was never monetized. My motives were unquestionable: I built it to develop and serve a community. And in the process, I also built trust.
I thought about it for awhile. The idea for the new project wasn’t sudden — it percolated for a year. I talked about it with many of people, untangled a bunch of problems and concerns, asked around for what people needed, and slowly unfolded a plan. It wasn’t a complete plan, or even a very solid one, but it had substance to it. I even tried to get it off the ground several times, but I realized I just couldn’t make it work without some funding, so it kept going back onto the shelf. But then it kept sliding into conversations, too — it was just such a good idea. By the time the fundraiser happened, it was exactly what needed to happen. I was out of conversations to have about it, the idea was too resilient to die, and I couldn’t move forward without support. So I started asking for it.
Making the Plan
After seeing a few friends experience success with Kickstarter fundraising, I decided to model a fundraiser after the method they use:
- set a deadline
- set a funding goal
- set rewards for contributors based on giving level
- promise to return the money if you don’t reach your goal
I found this post by Craig Mod very helpful in considering where to set those rules. The advice in that post, however, conflicted with what friends of mine had learned from their own successful campaign in one area: Craig suggests setting the goal high to keep the momentum up, while my friends suggested setting the goal as low as you could stand it, so reach it quickly and the rest of the campaign is celebratory.
I compromised and set an honest goal of $5,000. I knew I could make the project happen for that amount, I knew I would probably walk away from it if we couldn’t raise it. It also seemed like a reasonable request for the community.
(That said, $5k really isn’t enough money to start a full-fledged San Francisco tech startup with, so I knew I was going to have to make some compromises. No matter. It was worth it to me.)
I took Craig Mod’s advice and gave the fundraiser a one-month deadline. And I set the rewards and contribution levels based on what made sense to me for the project, as you can see here.
At the beginning of this year, I launched at managed a successful community fundraiser> for a new businesswhy I didn’t use Kickstarter for this campaign), here is the story of how it played out, and why it worked.
Laying the Groundwork
Before I
At the beginning of this year, I launched at managed a successful community fundraiser for a new business. As I promised in my last post (about why I didn’t use Kickstarter for this campaign), here is the story of how it played out, and why it worked.
Laying the Groundwork
Before
At the beginning of this year, I launched at managed a successful community fundraiser for a new business. As I promised in my last post (about why I didn’t use Kickstarter for this campaign), here is the story of how it played out, and why it worked.
At the beginning of this year, I launched at managed a successful community fundraiser for a new business. As I promised in my last post (about why I didn’t use Kickstarter for this campaign), here is the story of how it played out.
Update: This program is currently on hold, but if you’d like to be included when it starts back up again, you can sign up here.
Hi! Welcome! This is a new thing.
I’m collecting online community workers.
And by that I mean online community creators, builders, moderators, and managers. People who create spaces online that others gather around, people who keep those spaces healthy, and people who want to learn how.
I’m not quite sure exactly what we’re going to do yet — it depends on who shows up. But for starters, we’re all gonna hang out on an email discussion list and get to know each other a bit.
Here’s my first draft of a set of Guidelines for this group. Does it sound interesting to you?
We encourage...
- Sharing Job Leads (especially ones that come directly to this project)
- Asking for and sharing advice on community management situations
- Sharing resources specific to online community work
We discourage…
- Asking us to participate in or to help promote your project*. That gets annoying, so we consider it spam.
- Sharing or reposting anything said in the group with anyone outside of it, unless you have permission.
*With one exception: since this is a Culture Conductor community, we may treat you a little bit like an advisory board for the rest of our project sometimes. Hope that’s okay. You can ignore that stuff if you want.
I want to limit this group to people who are already involved in community work, or are really interested in getting started in that field. We get plenty of outsider perspectives on our roles all day long. What we need now is to talk to each other.
So, hi. I’m Sarah. Nice to meet you! What’s your name? What’s your relationship to this work? Are you just getting started? A long-time veteran? Do you come from corporate communities, nonprofits, blogs, forums, self-organizing groups that use free tools? Do you create communities from scratch, or maintain stability in ones that already exist? What draws you to this kind of work? Tell me everything.
I can’t wait to meet you!
Update: This program is currently on hold, but if you’d like to be included when it starts back up again, you can sign up here.
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Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome
, and the first of its kind [see comment discussion below]. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone [see comment discussion below] has three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people. I had more control over the campaign and I paid lower fees on the money I raised (about 4% instead of 9%) than I would have if I had used Kickstarter.
And I will tell you all about how I organized that fundraiser and why my community made it successful in another post.
[photo credit: "Tip Jar" by Dave Dugdale]
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone [see comment discussion below] has three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people. I had more control over the campaign and I paid lower fees on the money I raised (about 4% instead of 9%) than I would have if I had used Kickstarter.
And I will tell you all about how I organized that fundraiser and why my community made it successful in another post.
[photo credit: "Tip Jar" by Dave Dugdale]
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone [see comment discussion below] has three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people. I had more control over the campaign and I paid lower fees on the money I raised (about 4% instead of 9%) than I would have if I had used Kickstarter.
And I will tell you all about how I organized that fundraiser and why my community made it successful in another post.
[photo credit: "Tip Jar" by Dave Dugdale]
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone [see comment discussion below] has three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people. I had more control over the campaign and I paid lower fees on the money I raised (about 4% instead of 9%) than I would have if I had used Kickstarter.
And I will tell you all about how I organized that fundraiser and why my community made it successful in another post.
[photo credit: "Tip Jar" by Dave Dugdale]
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people. I had more control over the campaign and I paid lower fees on the money I raised (about 4% instead of 9%) than I would have if I had used Kickstarter.
And I will tell you all about how I organized that fundraiser and why my community made it successful in another post.
[photo credit: "Tip Jar" by Dave Dugdale]
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people. I had more control over the campaign and I paid lower fees on the money I raised (about 4% instead of 9%) than I would have if I’d used Kickstarter.
I will tell you all about how I organized that fundraiser and why my community made it successful in another post.
[photo credit: "Tip Jar" by Dave Dugdale]
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people. I had more control over the campaign and I paid lower fees on the money I raised (about 4% instead of 9%) than I would have if I’d used Kickstarter.
I will tell you all about how I organized that fundraiser and why my community made it successful in another post.
[photo credit: "Tip Jar" by Dave Dugdale]
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people. I had more control over the campaign and I paid lower fees on the money I raised (about 4% instead of 9%) than I would have if I’d used Kickstarter.
I will tell you all about how I organized that fundraiser and why my community made it successful in another post.
[photo credit: "Tip Jar" by Dave Dugdale]
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people. I had more control over the campaign, and I paid lower fees on the money I raised (about 4% instead of 9%) than I would have if I’d used Kickstarter.
I will tell you all about how I organized that fundraiser and why my community made it successful in another post.
[photo credit: "Tip Jar" by Dave Dugdale]
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people. I had more control over the campaign, and I paid lower fees on the money I raised (closer to 4% than 9%).
I will tell you all about how I organized that fundraiser and why my community made it successful in another post.
[photo credit: "Tip Jar" by Dave Dugdale]
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people. I had more control over the campaign, and I paid lower fees on the money I raised (closer to 4% than 9%).
I will tell you all about how I organized that fundraiser and why my community made it successful in another post.
[photo credit: "Tip Jar" by Dave Dugdale]
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people. I had more control over the campaign, and I paid lower fees on the money I raised (closer to 4% than 9%).
I will tell you all about how I organized that fundraiser — and why my community made it successful — in another post.
[photo credit: "Tip Jar" by Dave Dugdale]
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome,
and the first of its kind [see comment discussion below]. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone [see comment discussion below] has three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people. I had more control over the campaign and I paid lower fees on the money I raised (about 4% instead of 9%) than I would have if I had used Kickstarter.
And I will tell you all about how I organized that fundraiser and why my community made it successful in another post.
[photo credit: "Tip Jar" by Dave Dugdale]
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people.
I will tell you all about how I organized that fundraiser — and why my community made it successful — in another post.
[photo credit: "Tip Jar" by Dave Dugdale]
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people.
I will tell you all about how I organized that fundraiser — and why my community made it successful — in another post someday soon.
[photo credit: "Tip Jar" by Dave Dugdale]
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people. And I will tell you all about how I organized that fundraiser — and why my community made it successful — in another post.
[photo credit: "Tip Jar" by Dave Dugdale]
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people.
And I will tell you all about how I organized that fundraiser — and why my community made it successful — in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days and laid out some perks for contributors based on donation amount. At the end of the time period, I had raised about $8500 from nearly 300 people.
And I will tell you all about how and why the project was successful in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised about $8500 total.
And I will tell you all about how and why the project was successful in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went DIY.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how and why the project was successful in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
Dopp Went DIY
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how and why the project was successful in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I Went the DIY Route
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how and why the project was successful in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
I went the DIY route.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how and why the project was successful in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how and why the project was successful in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr.
In December, I launched a crowdfunding campaign without Kickstarter. I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs to track donations (mostly because I thought it was prettier than ChipIn). I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t necessarily make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them a solid alternate option — especially if Kickstarter’s rules aren’t working for you.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. (It’s not investment; it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.)
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different thank-you gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. It’s not investment: it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people different gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. It’s not investment: it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. (This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.)
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. It’s not investment: it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
Most of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is simply that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to that game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. It’s not investment: it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t seem to know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
A big part of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to the game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. It’s not investment: it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members don’t know this.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
A big part of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to the game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. It’s not investment: it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com — a social fundraising tool for creative projects — now has a reputation among social media enthusiasts as THE Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members have no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
A big part of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to the game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. It’s not investment: it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members have no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
A big part of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to the game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. It’s not investment: it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members have no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
A big part of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to the game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. It’s not investment: it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
photo credit: “Tip Jar” by Dave Dugdale
photo by Dave Dugdale
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members have no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
A big part of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to the game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. It’s not investment: it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members have no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
A big part of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to the game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. It’s not investment: it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members have no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
A big part of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to the game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. It’s not investment: it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members have no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
A big part of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to the game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. It’s not investment: it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, laid out some perks for contributors, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members have no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
A big part of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to the game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. It’s not investment: it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members have no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
A big part of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to the game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. It’s not investment: it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used a Tumblr site to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? There are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in another post.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members have no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
A big part of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to the game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. It’s not investment: it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.
Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t actually need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game. (It just helps. Sometimes. That’s all.)
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used Tumblr to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? there are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in my next post.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members have no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Consider the Innovations
A big part of Kickstarter’s magic mojo is that they made a game out of raising money. Here are the rules to the game:
- Set a deadline. Let people know there is a limited time to this campaign.
- Set a minimum funding goal. “If we don’t reach this number, the project won’t have enough funding to happen.” Figure out what that number is.
- Enforce the deadline and the funding goal. The campaign STOPS at the deadline, and if you didn’t meet the goal, the project DOESN’T happen. This is where Kickstarter is most valuable: they play bad cop about the rules of the game, while you get to play good cop and try to get people excited.
- Set up tiered levels of giving, and promise people gifts for each level.
- Let the fundraisers keep full ownership of their projects. It’s not investment: it’s sponsorship. It’s pre-selling. It’s generosity.
Most of these rules are steal-able. Kids, you can totally try this from home. You don’t need to be on Kickstarter’s lawn to play this game.
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used Tumblr to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? there are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in my next post.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Five facts about Kickstarter
Let’s set a few things straight:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members have no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used Tumblr to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? there are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in my next post.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Here are the facts about Kickstarter:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members have no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I also find it disturbing that people are so excited about them that they spread false rumors about their particular form of magic. And I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used Tumblr to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? there are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in my next post.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Here are the facts about Kickstarter:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” chorus members have no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I’m not in favor of people spreading false rumors about their particular form of magic, and I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used Tumblr to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? there are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in my next post.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Here are the facts about Kickstarter:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” enthusiasts that I talked to had no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I’m not in favor of people spreading false rumors about their particular form of magic, and I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used Tumblr to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? there are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in my next post.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Here are some facts about Kickstarter:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” enthusiasts that I talked to had no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I’m not in favor of people spreading false rumors about their particular form of magic, and I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used Tumblr to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? there are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in my next post.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Here are some facts about Kickstarter:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” enthusiasts that I talked to had no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I’m not in favor of people spreading false rumors about their particular form of magic, and I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used Tumblr to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? there are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in my next post.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Here are some facts about Kickstarter:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” enthusiasts that I talked to had no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I’m not in favor of people spreading false rumors about their particular form of magic, and I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used Tumblr to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? there are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in my next post.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Here are some facts about Kickstarter:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” enthusiasts that I talked to had no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I’m not in favor of people spreading false rumors about their particular form of magic, and I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used Tumblr to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? there are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in my next post.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Here are some facts about Kickstarter:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” enthusiasts that I talked to had no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I’m not in favor of people spreading false rumors about their particular form of magic, and I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used Tumblr to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? there are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 days, and raised over $8000 total.
And I will tell you all about how that happened in my next post.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Here are some facts about Kickstarter:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” enthusiasts that I talked to had no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I’m not in favor of people spreading false rumors about their particular form of magic, and I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
(Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.)
Another option is to use a PayPal-based fundraising tracker, like ChipIn or Fundrazr. For the fundraiser I managed in December, I did a variation on that: I used the giving widget offered by PayPal Labs. (I just thought it was prettier than ChipIn.)
I also used Tumblr to manage the campaign, and Google Checkout to catch a bunch of contributors who hated PayPal (guess what? there are many).
I set a goal of $5,000 in 30 da
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Here are some facts about Kickstarter:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” enthusiasts that I talked to had no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I’m not in favor of people spreading false rumors about their particular form of magic, and I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.
And there are other options out there.
But after some research, I decided that for the fundraising campaign I launched in December, I wanted to be as DIY as possible. Here’s how it all played out.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Here are some facts about Kickstarter:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” enthusiasts that I talked to had no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you will pay $400 – $500 in fees.
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I’m not in favor of people spreading false rumors about their particular form of magic, and I think it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period to get started.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
Note: This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and heat that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate option.
And there are other options out there. Many of the require that you be a nonprofit, or
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Here are some facts about Kickstarter:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” enthusiasts that I talked to had no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you’ll pay $400 – $500 in fees.
It’s not the only way.
Personally, I am all for Kickstarter. I think they’re a good, sexy, internet-loving company that’s doing amazing things for people, and doing them well. But I’m not in favor of people spreading false rumors about their particular form of magic, and it’s important that everyone know: there are other ways.
IndieGoGo, for instance, is a blatant Kickstarter clone with three major differences:
- There is no approval process or waiting period.
- You can list any kind of project — creative, business, whatever.
- You get to keep all of the money, even if you don’t reach the goal.
This doesn’t make them better. If anything, it removes a lot of the game and hotness that makes Kickstarter projects so exciting. But it does make them an alternate possibility.
And if you’re at all associated with
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Here are some facts about Kickstarter:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” enthusiasts that I talked to had no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you’ll pay $400 – $500 in fees.
It’s not the only way.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Here are some facts about Kickstarter:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” enthusiasts that I talked to had no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5,000, you’ll pay $400 – $500 in fees.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Here are some facts about Kickstarter:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You ONLY receive funds if your project reaches its funding goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” enthusiasts that I talked to had no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5000, you’ll get about $4500 of it.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve also been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true), and that you can keep all the money you raise even if you don’t reach your goal (nope!). One person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES financial contributions (definitely, definitely not true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Here are some facts about Kickstarter:
- It’s smart, attractive, clean, awesome, and the first of its kind. Yes indeed it is.
- It ONLY allows funding for creative projects. No business funding.
- You only get your funds if the project reaches its goal. (This a core feature of their service, and an alarming number of “Kickstarter is awesome!” enthusiasts that I talked to had no idea.)
- Because of their growing popularity, you now have to submit your projects to Kickstarter for review, and wait to be approved or denied before you can start your campaign.
- At the end of a successful campaign, Kickstarter will take 5% of the total amount you made, and Amazon payments (their payment system) will take an additional 3-5%. That means that if you raise $5000, you’ll get about $4500 of it.
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve been told that anyone can use it for anything (not true). And one person even informed me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES donations (not at all true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Here’s the truth
Kickstarter.com has picked up a reputation among social media enthusiasts as a Magical Way to Raise Money. People have told me it works better than other methods, and it attracts more attention (probably true). I’ve heard that anyone can use it for anything (not true). One person even told me that Kickstarter personally MATCHES and DOUBLES donations (not at all true). There is a growing mythology about this tool.
Before I made my living as a web publisher and online community manager, I spent over a decade working in the corporate trenches. At some point in cubicle land, I learned to always under-promise on a project. I became the evil master of carefully setting expectations a little low (and dealing with manager concerns before the project even started) so that I could come out with a wiz-bang TADA! I’d beat my carefully padded deadlines, deliver more than I’d said I could, and generally leave management impressed. I’m not going to say it was an especially honest job skill, but it was effective.
Oddly, I’ve learned that managing my community members’ expectations accordingly can be equally effective. I think people drawn to community management tend toward the “people pleaser” end of the spectrum … you sort of have to if you’re going to dedicate your days to helping people build community with each other. Of course I want to do the best I can for my members, make ‘em happy, and keep ‘em coming back for more … but when it comes to site developments and big changes, I almost always set expectations as low as possible.
Big redesign coming? Don’t promise any features. Warn that things are changing. Recognize that people may not like the change. Mention which features will be going away. Explain why. Then, upon relaunch, dazzle with amazing awesome features no one dared to anticipate! Leave one much beloved feature you planned to cut!
Before I made my living as a web publisher and online community manager, I spent over a decade working in the corporate trenches. At some point in cubicle land, I learned to always under-promise on a project. I became the evil master of carefully setting expectations a little low (and dealing with manager concerns before the project even started) so that I could come out with a wiz-bang TADA! I’d beat my carefully padded deadlines, deliver more than I’d said I could, and generally leave management impressed. I’m not going to say it was an especially honest job skill, but it was effective.
Oddly, I’ve learned that managing my community members’ expectations accordingly can be equally effective. I think people drawn to community management tend toward the “people pleaser” end of the spectrum … you sort of have to if you’re going to dedicate your days to helping people build community with each other. Of course I want to do the best I can for my members, make ‘em happy, and keep ‘em coming back for more … but when it comes to site developments and big changes, I almost always set expectations as low as possible.
Big redesign coming? Don’t promise any features. Warn that things are changing. Recognize that people may not like the change. Mention which features will be going away. Explain why. Then, upon relaunch, dazzle with amazing awesome features no one dared to anticipate! Leave one much beloved feature you planned to cut!
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager equipped with a huge arsenal of wisdom and experience. Tarrant has also been serving as a key contributor at our very own Culture Conductor, editing many posts and managing a big chunk of the publishing process around here. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were juicy, juicy, juicy. Ready to dive in? Read on…
~Sarah Dopp
Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak
Tarrant Figlio
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (“NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!”)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins.
- Encourage members.
- Listen, listen, listen.
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts, or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t; those things indeed have their place (or in the case of paperwork and meetings, their inevitability). In managing a community, though, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer — not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice: stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view, don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior, the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize, I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community handling every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
In her past life, Tarrant managed communities on AOL, iVillage, and WebMD. Whether referred to as "board goddess" or "community whisperer", Tarrant has a passion for message boards, forums, groups, blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and nurturing online communities.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager equipped with a huge arsenal of wisdom and experience. Tarrant has also been serving as a key contributor at our very own Culture Conductor, editing many posts and managing a big chunk of the publishing process around here. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were juicy, juicy, juicy. Ready to dive in? Read on…
~Sarah Dopp
Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak
Tarrant Figlio
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (“NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!”)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins.
- Encourage members.
- Listen, listen, listen.
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts, or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t; those things indeed have their place (or in the case of paperwork and meetings, their inevitability). In managing a community, though, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer — not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice: stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view, don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior, the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize, I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community handling every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager equipped with a huge arsenal of wisdom and experience. Tarrant has also been serving as a key contributor at our very own Culture Conductor, editing many posts and managing a big chunk of the publishing process around here. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were juicy, juicy, juicy. Ready to dive in? Read on…
~Sarah Dopp
Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak
Tarrant Figlio
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (“NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!”)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins.
- Encourage members.
- Listen, listen, listen.
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts, or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t; those things indeed have their place (or in the case of paperwork and meetings, their inevitability). In managing a community, though, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer — not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice: stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view, don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior, the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize, I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community handling every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager equipped with a huge arsenal of wisdom and experience. Tarrant has also been serving as a key contributor at our very own Culture Conductor, editing many posts and managing a big chunk of the publishing process around here. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were juicy, juicy, juicy. Ready to dive in? Read on…
~Sarah Dopp
Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak
Tarrant Figlio
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (“NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!”)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins.
- Encourage members.
- Listen, listen, listen.
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts, or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t; those things indeed have their place or in the case of paperwork and meetings their inevitability. In managing a community, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer; not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice: stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls.” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize. I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager equipped with a huge arsenal of wisdom and experience. Tarrant has also been serving as a key contributor at our very own Culture Conductor, editing many posts and managing a big chunk of the publishing process around here. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were juicy, juicy, juicy. Ready to dive in? Read on…
~Sarah Dopp
Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak
Tarrant Figlio
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (“NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!”)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins.
- Encourage members.
- Listen, listen, listen.
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t; those things indeed have their place or in the case of paperwork and meetings their inevitability. In managing a community, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer; not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice: stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls.” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize. I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager equipped with a huge arsenal of wisdom and experience. Tarrant has also been serving as a key contributor at our very own Culture Conductor, editing many posts and managing a big chunk of the publishing process around here. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were juicy, juicy, juicy. Ready to dive in? Read on…
~Sarah Dopp
Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak
Tarrant Figlio
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (“NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!”)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins.
- Encourage members.
- Listen, listen, listen.
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t; those things indeed have their place or in the case of paperwork and meetings their inevitability. In managing a community, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer; not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice: stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls.” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize. I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager equipped with a huge arsenal of wisdom and experience. Tarrant has also been serving as a key contributor at our very own Culture Conductor, editing many posts and managing a big chunk of the publishing process around here. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were juicy, juicy, juicy. Ready to dive in? Read on…
~Sarah Dopp
Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak
Tarrant Figlio
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (“NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!”)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins
- Encourage members
- Listen, listen, listen
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t; those things indeed have their place or in the case of paperwork and meetings their inevitability. In managing a community, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer; not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice: stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls.” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize. I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager equipped with a huge arsenal of wisdom and experience. Tarrant has also been serving as a key contributor at our very own Culture Conductor, editing many posts and managing a big chunk of the publishing process around here. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were juicy, juicy, juicy. Ready to dive in? Read on…
~Sarah Dopp
Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak
Tarrant Figlio
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins
- Encourage members
- Listen, listen, listen
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t; those things indeed have their place or in the case of paperwork and meetings their inevitability. In managing a community, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer; not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice: stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls.” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize. I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager equipped with a huge arsenal of wisdom and experience. Tarrant has also been serving as a key contributor at our very own Culture Conductor, editing many posts and managing a big chunk of the publishing process around here. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were juicy, juicy, juicy. Ready to dive in? Read on…
~Sarah Dopp
Tarrant Figlio
Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins
- Encourage members
- Listen, listen, listen
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t; those things indeed have their place or in the case of paperwork and meetings their inevitability. In managing a community, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer; not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice: stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls.” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize. I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager equipped with a huge arsenal of wisdom and experience. Tarrant has also been serving as a key contributor at our very own Culture Conductor, editing many posts and managing a big chunk of the publishing process around here. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were juicy, juicy, juicy. Ready to dive in? Read on…
~Sarah Dopp
Tarrant Figlio
Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak:
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins
- Encourage members
- Listen, listen, listen
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t; those things indeed have their place or in the case of paperwork and meetings their inevitability. In managing a community, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer; not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice: stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls.” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize. I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager equipped with a huge arsenal of wisdom and experience. Tarrant has also been serving as a key contributor at our very own Culture Conductor, editing many posts and managing a big chunk of the publishing process around here. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were juicy, juicy, juicy. Ready to dive in? Read on…
~Sarah Dopp
Tarrant Figlio
Or…Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak.
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins
- Encourage members
- Listen, listen, listen
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t; those things indeed have their place or in the case of paperwork and meetings their inevitability. In managing a community, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer; not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice: stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls.” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize. I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager equipped with a huge arsenal of wisdom and experience. Tarrant has also been serving as a key contributor at our very own Culture Conductor, editing many of our posts and managing a big chunk of the publishing process around here. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were juicy, juicy, juicy. Ready to dive in? Read on…
~Sarah Dopp
Tarrant Figlio
Or…Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak.
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins
- Encourage members
- Listen, listen, listen
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t; those things indeed have their place or in the case of paperwork and meetings their inevitability. In managing a community, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer; not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice: stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls.” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize. I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager equipped with a huge arsenal of wisdom and experience. Tarrant has also been serving as a key contributor at our very own Culture Conductor, editing many of our posts and managing a big chunk of the publishing process around here. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were juicy, juicy, juicy. Ready to dive in? Read on… ~Sarah Dopp
Tarrant Figlio
Or…Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak.
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins
- Encourage members
- Listen, listen, listen
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t; those things indeed have their place or in the case of paperwork and meetings their inevitability. In managing a community, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer; not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice: stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls.” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize. I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager equipped with a huge arsenal of wisdom and experience. Tarrant has also been serving as a key contributor at our very own Culture Conductor, editing many of our posts and managing the publishing process. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were so juicy that we’re breaking them into a series. Ready for the first one? Read on… ~Sarah Dopp
Tarrant Figlio
Or…Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak.
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins
- Encourage members
- Listen, listen, listen
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t; those things indeed have their place or in the case of paperwork and meetings their inevitability. In managing a community, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer; not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice: stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls.” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize. I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager and Editor of our very own Culture Conductor. Tarrant has been editing posts and managing the publishing process around here since early September, and doing an excellent job. She also comes equipped with a huge arsenal of community management wisdom. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were so juicy that we’re breaking them into a series. Ready for the first one? Read on… ~Sarah Dopp
Tarrant Figlio
Or…Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak.
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins
- Encourage members
- Listen, listen, listen
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t; those things indeed have their place or in the case of paperwork and meetings their inevitability. In managing a community, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer; not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice: stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls.” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize. I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager and Editor of our very own Culture Conductor. Tarrant has been editing posts and managing the publishing process around here since early September, and doing an excellent job. She also comes equipped with a huge arsenal of community management wisdom. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were so juicy that we’re breaking them into a series. Ready for the first one? Read on… ~Sarah Dopp
Or…Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak.
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins
- Encourage members
- Listen, listen, listen
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t; those things indeed have their place or in the case of paperwork and meetings their inevitability. In managing a community, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer; not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice: stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls.” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize. I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
As you prepare a meal, you gather ingredients. You do the same when preparing the buffet that becomes your community.
The vital ingredients of a community are passion, patience, participation. The bells and whistles really don’t matter. What makes a community great: showing your love for what you do and for your community. The other truly vital ingredient in online community management is transparency.
Don’t apologize for ads (unless they truly don’t fit the community). Explain that something must pay for the servers, pays for you to have Internet, and food on the table, the IT team that keeps things running to serve their community.
If you aren’t going to “fix” something that members feel is broken—tell them. Explain that either the functionality works properly or that this “simple fix” (because members always think a fix is simple) will take to many resources to provide at this time.
When you make changes to community functionality, look at it as both a manager and a member. How do you feel about these changes? What as a member troubles you in the changes? If you don’t have the final say in what community functions will be implemented — advocate hard for the members of your community. If you predict your members will have a valid complaint about a redesign or change in functionality; you need to do everything you can to show the project manager and upper management why and what changes your members need.
On the other hand, be prepared for negative feedback for every change you make. Know the members reactions and be prepared with copy to address those reactions. Even if you argued for months about members distaste for a change, you need to be able to sell it to them and get the community focused back on the community topic. Acknowledge the complaint. Then move on to community as usual.
Members who feel ownership always will be verbal and never thank a site for every single part of a redesign. Understand this by thinking about how you would feel if someone you knew came into your home and moved all the furniture without warning you. Sure, it might look better but something about it won’t be right for you.
Be very up front with your members about who you are and why you have this community. Share the ingredients with your community. You share the secret sauce; but you are vital to the flavor of your particular community.
In her past life, Tarrant managed communities on AOL, iVillage, and WebMD. Whether referred to as "board goddess" or "community whisperer", Tarrant has a passion for message boards, forums, groups, blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and nurturing online communities.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager and Editor of our very own Culture Conductor. Tarrant has been editing posts and managing the publishing process around here since early September, and doing an excellent job. She also comes equipped with a huge arsenal of community management wisdom. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were so juicy that we’re breaking them into a series. Ready for the first one? Read on… ~Sarah Dopp
As you prepare a meal, you gather ingredients. You do the same when preparing the buffet that becomes your community.
The vital ingredients of a community are passion, patience, participation. The bells and whistles really don’t matter. What makes a community great: showing your love for what you do and for your community. The other truly vital ingredient in online community management is transparency.
Don’t apologize for ads (unless they truly don’t fit the community). Explain that something must pay for the servers, pays for you to have Internet, and food on the table, the IT team that keeps things running to serve their community.
If you aren’t going to “fix” something that members feel is broken—tell them. Explain that either the functionality works properly or that this “simple fix” (because members always think a fix is simple) will take to many resources to provide at this time.
When you make changes to community functionality, look at it as both a manager and a member. How do you feel about these changes? What as a member troubles you in the changes? If you don’t have the final say in what community functions will be implemented — advocate hard for the members of your community. If you predict your members will have a valid complaint about a redesign or change in functionality; you need to do everything you can to show the project manager and upper management why and what changes your members need.
On the other hand, be prepared for negative feedback for every change you make. Know the members reactions and be prepared with copy to address those reactions. Even if you argued for months about members distaste for a change, you need to be able to sell it to them and get the community focused back on the community topic. Acknowledge the complaint. Then move on to community as usual.
Members who feel ownership always will be verbal and never thank a site for every single part of a redesign. Understand this by thinking about how you would feel if someone you knew came into your home and moved all the furniture without warning you. Sure, it might look better but something about it won’t be right for you.
Be very up front with your members about who you are and why you have this community. Share the ingredients with your community. You share the secret sauce; but you are vital to the flavor of your particular community.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager and Editor of our very own Culture Conductor. Tarrant has been editing posts and managing the publishing process around here since early September, and doing an excellent job. She also comes equipped with a huge arsenal of community management wisdom. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were so juicy that we’re breaking them into a series. Ready for the first one? Read on… ~Sarah Dopp
As you prepare a meal, you gather ingredients. You do the same when preparing the buffet that becomes your community.
The vital ingredients of a community are passion, patience, participation. The bells and whistles really don’t matter. What makes a community great: showing your love for what you do and for your community. The other truly vital ingredient in online community management is transparency.
Don’t apologize for ads (unless they truly don’t fit the community). Explain that something must pay for the servers, pays for you to have Internet, and food on the table, the IT team that keeps things running to serve their community.
If you aren’t going to “fix” something that members feel is broken—tell them. Explain that either the functionality works properly or that this simple fix (because members always think a fix is simple) will take to many resources to provide at this time.
When you make changes to community functionality, look at it as both a manager and a member. How do you feel about these changes? What as a member troubles you in the changes? If you don’t have the final say in what community functions will be implemented — advocate hard for the members of your community. If you predict your members will have a valid complaint about a redesign or change in functionality; you need to do everything you can to show the project manager and upper management why and what changes your members need.
On the other hand, be prepared for negative feedback for every change you make. Know the members reactions and be prepared with copy to address those reactions. Even if you argued for months about members distaste for a change, you need to be able to sell it to them and get the community focused back on the community topic. Acknowledge the complaint. Then move on to community as usual.
Members who feel ownership always will be verbal and never thank a site for every single part of a redesign. Understand this by thinking about how you would feel if someone you knew came into your home and moved all the furniture without warning you. Sure, it might look better but something about it won’t be right for you.
Be very up front with your members about who you are and why you have this community. Share the ingredients with your community. You share the secret sauce; but you are vital to the flavor of your particular community.
In her past life, Tarrant managed communities on AOL, iVillage, and WebMD. Whether referred to as "board goddess" or "community whisperer", Tarrant has a passion for message boards, forums, groups, blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and nurturing online communities.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager and Editor of our very own Culture Conductor. Tarrant has been editing posts and managing the publishing process around here since early September, and doing an excellent job. She also comes equipped with a huge arsenal of community management wisdom. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were so juicy that we’re breaking them into a series. Ready for the first one? Read on… ~Sarah Dopp
As you prepare a meal, you gather ingredients. You do the same when preparing the buffet that becomes your community.
The vital ingredients of a community are passion, patience, participation. The bells and whistles really don’t matter. What makes a community great: showing your love for what you do and for your community. The other truly vital ingredient in online community management is transparency.
Don’t apologize for ads (unless they truly don’t fit the community). Explain that something must pay for the servers, pays for you to have Internet, and food on the table, the IT team that keeps things running to serve their community.
If you aren’t going to “fix” something that members feel is broken—tell them. Explain that either the functionality works properly or that this simple fix (because members always think a fix is simple) will take to many resources to provide at this time.
When you make changes to community functionality, look at it as both a manager and a member. How do you feel about these changes? What as a member troubles you in the changes? If you don’t have the final say in what community functions will be implemented—advocate hard for the members of your community. If you predict your members will have a valid complaint about a redesign or change in functionality; you need to do everything you can to show the project manager and upper management why and what changes your members need.
On the other hand, be prepared for negative feedback for every change you make. Know the members reactions and be prepared with copy to address those reactions. Even if you argued for months about members distaste for a change, you need to be able to sell it to them and get the community focused back on the community topic. Acknowledge the complaint. Then move on to community as usual.
Members who feel ownership always will be verbal and never thank a site for every single part of a redesign. Understand this by thinking about how you would feel if someone you knew came into your home and moved all the furniture without warning you. Sure, it might look better but something about it won’t be right for you.
Be very up front with your members about who you are and why you have this community. Share the ingredients with your community. You share the secret sauce; but you are vital to the flavor of your particular community.
In her past life, Tarrant managed communities on AOL, iVillage, and WebMD. Whether referred to as "board goddess" or "community whisperer", Tarrant has a passion for message boards, forums, groups, blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and nurturing online communities.
Or…Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak.
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins
- Encourage members
- Listen, listen, listen
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t; those things indeed have their place or in the case of paperwork and meetings their inevitability. In managing a community, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer; not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice: stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls.” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize. I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager and Editor of our very own Culture Conductor. Tarrant has been editing posts and managing the publishing process around here since early September, and doing an excellent job. She also comes equipped with a huge arsenal of community management wisdom. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were so juicy that we’re breaking them into a series. Ready for the first one? Read on… ~Sarah Dopp
As you prepare a meal, you gather ingredients. You do the same when preparing the buffet that becomes or is your community.
The vital ingredients of a community are passion, patience, participation. The bells and whistles really don’t matter. What makes a community great: showing your love for what you do and for your community. The other truly vital ingredient in online community management is transparency.
Don’t apologize for ads (unless they truly don’t fit the community)–explain that something must pay for the servers, pays for you to have Internet, and food on the table, the IT team that keeps things running to serve their community.
If you aren’t going to “fix” something that members feel is broken—tell them. Explain that either the functionality works properly or that this simple fix (because members always think a fix is simple) will take to many resources to provide at this time.
When you make changes to community functionality, look at it as both a manager and a member. How do you feel about these changes? What as a member troubles you in the changes? If you don’t have the final say in what community functions will be implemented—advocate hard for the members of your community. If you predict your members will have a valid complaint about a redesign or change in functionality—you need to do everything you can to show the project manager and upper management why and what changes your members need.
On the other hand, be prepared for negative feedback for every change you make. Know the members reactions and be prepared with copy to address those reactions. Even if you argued for months about members distaste for a change, you need to be able to sell it to them and get the community focused back on the community topic. Acknowledge the complaint. Then move on to community as usual.
Members who feel ownership always will be verbal and never thank a site for every single part of a redesign. Understand this by thinking about how you would feel if someone you knew came into your home and moved all the furniture without warning you. Sure, it might look better but something about it won’t be right for you.
Be very up front with your members about who you are and why you have this community. Share the ingredients with your community. You share the secret sauce–but you are vital to the flavor of your particular community.
In her past life, Tarrant managed communities on AOL, iVillage, and WebMD. Whether referred to as "board goddess" or "community whisperer", Tarrant has a passion for message boards, forums, groups, blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and nurturing online communities.
Engagement starts with the first post, perhaps even before the first post ever appears from a new member. Keep in mind that “lurkers” often read a long time before jumping in. Be consistent in how you treat members and what you present to your community.
When you have a new member, welcome them, respond to something in their post, and ask them a question. Even if you believe you can give all the answers the member needs at one time–don’t. Slowly feed those answers out as part of a dialogue. Listen, respond, question.
Be on top of the topics related to your community. Know what science says, know what holidays relate to your community Brownielocks.com is TRULY invaluable when it comes to listing holidays that relate to any community-serious or not so serious. Know what the mainstream media says. Know what other communities similar to yours talk about on and offline. Have an ego feed. Have a feed for keywords related to your community. Know your competition and know they may have something interesting going on. (and not just their metrics or their bells and whistles.) Use those things as conversation starters.
Play some off-topic games sometimes. Memes are memes for a reason. So throw together or use a Friday Five, a Friday Fill-in, turn the m & m game into a series of posts for everyone to join in. Icebreakers do break the ice, help members know each other better and truly become a community.
In her past life, Tarrant managed communities on AOL, iVillage, and WebMD. Whether referred to as "board goddess" or "community whisperer", Tarrant has a passion for message boards, forums, groups, blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and nurturing online communities.
Engagement starts with the first post, perhaps even before the first post ever appears from a new member. Keep in mind that “lurkers” often read a long time before jumping in. Be consistent in how you treat members and what you present to your community.
When you have a new member, welcome them, respond to something in their post, and ask them a question. Even if you believe you can give all the answers the member needs at one time–don’t. Slowly feed those answers out as part of a dialogue. Listen, respond, question.
Be on top of the topics related to your community. Know what science says, know what holidays relate to your community Brownielocks.com is TRULY invaluable when it comes to listing holidays that relate to any community-serious or not so serious., know what the mainstream media says, know what other communities similar to yours talk about. Use those things as conversation starters. Have an ego feed. Have a feed for keywords related to your community. Know your competition and know they may have something interesting going on. (and not just their metrics or their bells and whistles.)
Play some off-topic games sometimes. Memes are memes for a reason. So throw together or use a Friday Five, a Friday Fill-in, turn the m & m game into a series of posts for everyone to join in. Icebreakers do break the ice, help members know each other better and truly become a community.
In her past life, Tarrant managed communities on AOL, iVillage, and WebMD. Whether referred to as "board goddess" or "community whisperer", Tarrant has a passion for message boards, forums, groups, blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and nurturing online communities.
Or…Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak.
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins
- Encourage members
- Listen, listen, listen
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t–those things indeed have their place or in the case of paperwork and meetings their inevitability. In managing a community, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer; not a ranch hand herding sheep.
“But what about trolls?” I hear you ask.
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice–stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “Don’t feed the trolls.” comes in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize–I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
In her past life, Tarrant managed communities on AOL, iVillage, and WebMD. Whether referred to as "board goddess" or "community whisperer", Tarrant has a passion for message boards, forums, groups, blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and nurturing online communities.
Or…Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak.
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins
- Encourage members
- Listen, listen, listen
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t–those things indeed have their place or in the case of paperwork and meetings their inevitability. In managing a community, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer; not a ranch hand herding sheep. “But what about trolls
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice–stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “don’t feed the trolls comes” in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize–I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
In her past life, Tarrant managed communities on AOL, iVillage, and WebMD. Whether referred to as "board goddess" or "community whisperer", Tarrant has a passion for message boards, forums, groups, blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and nurturing online communities.
Or…Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak.
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments. (NO! Don’t talk baby names here on the trimester board! We have a board for that!)
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins
- Encourage members
- Listen, listen, listen
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation.
Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children.
When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. Even the rule abiding don’t flourish in a community when “big brother” seems to slam a mighty fist at the slightest hint of infraction.
I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things. It doesn’t–those things indeed have their place or in the case of paperwork and meetings their inevitability. In managing a community, consider yourself the host of the party, the professional party organizer and not
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize–I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
In her past life, Tarrant managed communities on AOL, iVillage, and WebMD. Whether referred to as "board goddess" or "community whisperer", Tarrant has a passion for message boards, forums, groups, blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and nurturing online communities.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager and http://cultureconductor.com/?p=1282&preview=truenow Editor of our very own Culture Conductor. Tarrant has been editing posts and managing the publishing process around here since early September, and doing an excellent job. She also comes equipped with a huge arsenal of community management wisdom. Ready for the juiciest bits? Read on…
Q: What kind of a community manager would you say you are?
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments.
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins
- Encourage members
- Listen, listen, listen
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation. Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children. When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize–I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
Q: What are some of the myths and misunderstandings you’ve heard about online communities over the years?
- Axe murderers, scammers, and stalkers abound on Internet communities. Yes, I advise caution when meeting people face-to-face for the first time. No, don’t send money to every sad story I read, no matter how well you think you “know” the person.
Stalkers? Yes, they happen, but you can pick up a stalker when you take your children to a park too.
- Online communities are clique-y. Not true. Online communities don’t automatically welcome newcomers; especially if the community manager doesn’t lead by example. They may not always agree with a new member either. I haven’t ever seen a community online where absent truly boorish behavior, a new member who participates often enough to be known, is shunned.
- Online communities are dangerous to your brand unless you carefully moderate before a post goes live.
- Corporations should only allow two-way communication on their own community site–not third-party sites like Twitter and Facebook.
- Corporations should have _____________ (tickers, blogs, sparkly signature lines, photos, chats, groups, a Facebook/Twitter/MySpace/LiveJournal–whatever is hot at that moment) because everyone else says it is the only way to go these days.
- Any intern can moderate a community–it does not need any special skills.
- We don’t have the bandwidth to have community, so we should not have it at all.
- Community doesn’t have that many page views, so it isn’t important.
- I have “real friends,” I don’t need an Internet community.
- I am not that interesting, so why would I join a community?
Q: What do you think are the most vital ingredients for any online community?
Vital ingredients: passion, patience, participation. The bells and whistles really don’t matter. What makes a community great: showing your love for what you do and for your community. The other truly vital ingredient in online community management is transparency.
Don’t apologize for ads (unless they truly don’t fit the community)–explain that something must pay for the servers, pays for you to have Internet, and food on the table, the IT team that keeps things running to serve their community.
If you aren’t going to “fix” something that members feel is broken—tell them. Explain that either the functionality works properly or that this simple fix (because members always think a fix is simple) will take to many resources to provide at this time.
When you make changes to community functionality, look at it as both a manager and a member. How do you feel about these changes? What as a member troubles you in the changes? If you don’t have the final say in what community functions will be implemented—advocate hard for the members of your community. If you predict your members will have a valid complaint about a redesign or change in functionality—you need to do everything you can to show the project manager and upper management why and what changes your members need.
On the other hand, be prepared for negative feedback for every change you make. Know the members reactions and be prepared with copy to address those reactions. Even if you argued for months about members distaste for a change, you need to be able to sell it to them and get the community focused back on the community topic. Acknowledge the complaint. Then move on to community as usual.
Members who feel ownership always will be verbal and never thank a site for every single part of a redesign. Understand this by thinking about how you would feel if someone you knew came into your home and moved all the furniture without warning you. Sure, it might look better but something about it won’t be right for you.
Be very up front with your members about who you are and why you have this community.
Q: What are some of the things you’ve done to get participants more engaged?
Engagement starts with the first post, perhaps even before the first post ever appears from a new member. Keep in mind that lurkers often read a long time before jumping in. Be consistent in how you treat members and what you present to your community. When you have a new member, welcome them, respond to something in their post, and ask them a question. Even if you believe you can give all the answers the member needs at one time–don’t. Slowly feed those answers out as part of a dialogue. Listen, respond, question.
Be on top of the topics related to your community. Know what science says, know what holidays relate to your community (brownielocks.com is TRULY invaluable when it comes to listing holidays that relate to any community-serious or not so serious.), know what the mainstream media says, know what other communities similar to yours talk about. Use those things as conversation starters.
Play some off-topic games sometimes. Friday fives, Friday Fill-ins, three truths and a lie, etc. Icebreakers do break the ice, help members know each other better and truly become a community.
Q: What advice do you have for community managers (and members) who are dealing with trolls and flaming in their online spaces?
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice–stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “don’t feed the trolls comes” in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
Q: Can you tell us about your history working in online communities?
In 1995, I first became seriously involved in online communities. It is a long, not-very-sordid tale of pregnancy, Oprah, and a site that lived on AOL and the rest of the web called Parent Soup. Oprah lured me onto the Internet with her first (I think) community-based tie-in with a series she ran on her TV show about fitness and weight loss. I couldn’t lose weight and exercise at that point, but I investigated. First, I checked out Oprah and jumped into message boards. I found a few more boards at a magazine doing the same type of dip their toes into the Internet and I enjoyed participating.
Then one day, I dialed in to AOL and a homepage announcement said something about Parent Soup. Parent Soup! I am a parent! I like parents! I jumped into chat. I became a chat host, because AOL billed hourly then and my hours were above our budget. Chat hosting gave you two hours free for every hour you hosted chat as I remember it. I spent hours in chat anyway-might as well get two hours for every hour I hosted.
Soon I became a message board host and before I knew it I got hired for my first “paid” job–Community Producer for the Expectant Parents Channel. Through all of that, I pitched new ideas (a pregnancy day-by-day calendar, a Trying to Conceive channel with boards, chats and content all their own, pregnancy circles, etc.).
I searched the Internet for ideas on how to do this community thing “right.” I ended up on Nancy White’s Community of Practice listserv, which helped tremendously even though I had to translate those ideas into my own, very different, communities. I watched other people who “did” community well or didn’t do it well. I loudly shared what I knew to anyone and everyone. Yes, I started my life on the Internet being the annoying kid in class who talks too much.
In 1998, I slid up from Parent Soup AOL to their parent–iVillage and became the Message Board Community Coordinator. It gave me a chance to teach channel moderators how to moderate and make the big calls. It gave me the chance to teach the volunteer community leaders how to grow their message board communities.
After leaving that position, I held a job as Information Specialist at University of Florida. There I enjoyed building websites for the Family, Youth and Community Sciences Department, sharing the joys of wikis, blogs, feed readers, shared bookmarking and more with faculty and students. In exchange, I continued learning new things: nonprofit management, (The department I worked for offers a degree in nonprofit management.) offline community management, families, children, and healthy diets. I sharpened my css, Flash, PowerPoint, and presentation skills.
In 2007, I started work at WebMD as a Senior Community Moderator and later became a Programming Coordinator as well. Working from home again, playing in communities, learning new things, and teaching some of what I knew along the way.
At the end of September, I left WebMD and here I am editing at Culture Conductor and working as a headline editor at BlogHerAds.
Q: What did you love most about the different communities you’ve worked in?
Each community had something special. I can’t even begin to list the ways in which the different communities gave me a different bit of something that made me, well me. They supported me, praised me, loathed me at times, gave me confidence and shredded it so my head wouldn’t swell. I guess the biggest thing I love about online communities is getting to share in so many people’s lives. Everyone has a story. Those stories have good, bad, mundane, and truly exceptional moments. Learning those stories, knowing those people with those stories–magic.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager and Editor of our very own Culture Conductor. Tarrant has been editing posts and managing the publishing process around here since early September, and doing an excellent job. She also comes equipped with a huge arsenal of community management wisdom. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were so juicy that we’re breaking them into a series. Ready for the first one? Read on… ~Sarah Dopp
The vital ingredients of a community are passion, patience, participation. The bells and whistles really don’t matter. What makes a community great: showing your love for what you do and for your community. The other truly vital ingredient in online community management is transparency.
Don’t apologize for ads (unless they truly don’t fit the community)–explain that something must pay for the servers, pays for you to have Internet, and food on the table, the IT team that keeps things running to serve their community.
If you aren’t going to “fix” something that members feel is broken—tell them. Explain that either the functionality works properly or that this simple fix (because members always think a fix is simple) will take to many resources to provide at this time.
When you make changes to community functionality, look at it as both a manager and a member. How do you feel about these changes? What as a member troubles you in the changes? If you don’t have the final say in what community functions will be implemented—advocate hard for the members of your community. If you predict your members will have a valid complaint about a redesign or change in functionality—you need to do everything you can to show the project manager and upper management why and what changes your members need.
On the other hand, be prepared for negative feedback for every change you make. Know the members reactions and be prepared with copy to address those reactions. Even if you argued for months about members distaste for a change, you need to be able to sell it to them and get the community focused back on the community topic. Acknowledge the complaint. Then move on to community as usual.
Members who feel ownership always will be verbal and never thank a site for every single part of a redesign. Understand this by thinking about how you would feel if someone you knew came into your home and moved all the furniture without warning you. Sure, it might look better but something about it won’t be right for you.
Be very up front with your members about who you are and why you have this community.
In her past life, Tarrant managed communities on AOL, iVillage, and WebMD. Whether referred to as "board goddess" or "community whisperer", Tarrant has a passion for message boards, forums, groups, blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and nurturing online communities.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager and Editor of our very own Culture Conductor. Tarrant has been editing posts and managing the publishing process around here since early September, and doing an excellent job. She also comes equipped with a huge arsenal of community management wisdom. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were so juicy that I want to give them to you one at a time. Ready for the first one?
The vital ingredients of a community are passion, patience, participation. The bells and whistles really don’t matter. What makes a community great: showing your love for what you do and for your community. The other truly vital ingredient in online community management is transparency.
Don’t apologize for ads (unless they truly don’t fit the community)–explain that something must pay for the servers, pays for you to have Internet, and food on the table, the IT team that keeps things running to serve their community.
If you aren’t going to “fix” something that members feel is broken—tell them. Explain that either the functionality works properly or that this simple fix (because members always think a fix is simple) will take to many resources to provide at this time.
When you make changes to community functionality, look at it as both a manager and a member. How do you feel about these changes? What as a member troubles you in the changes? If you don’t have the final say in what community functions will be implemented—advocate hard for the members of your community. If you predict your members will have a valid complaint about a redesign or change in functionality—you need to do everything you can to show the project manager and upper management why and what changes your members need.
On the other hand, be prepared for negative feedback for every change you make. Know the members reactions and be prepared with copy to address those reactions. Even if you argued for months about members distaste for a change, you need to be able to sell it to them and get the community focused back on the community topic. Acknowledge the complaint. Then move on to community as usual.
Members who feel ownership always will be verbal and never thank a site for every single part of a redesign. Understand this by thinking about how you would feel if someone you knew came into your home and moved all the furniture without warning you. Sure, it might look better but something about it won’t be right for you.
Be very up front with your members about who you are and why you have this community.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager and Editor of our very own Culture Conductor. Tarrant has been editing posts and managing the publishing process around here since early September, and doing an excellent job. She also comes equipped with a huge arsenal of community management wisdom. I asked her to speak to some of the things that matter most in her community work, and her answers were so juicy that I want to give the
The vital ingredients of a community are passion, patience, participation. The bells and whistles really don’t matter. What makes a community great: showing your love for what you do and for your community. The other truly vital ingredient in online community management is transparency.
Don’t apologize for ads (unless they truly don’t fit the community)–explain that something must pay for the servers, pays for you to have Internet, and food on the table, the IT team that keeps things running to serve their community.
If you aren’t going to “fix” something that members feel is broken—tell them. Explain that either the functionality works properly or that this simple fix (because members always think a fix is simple) will take to many resources to provide at this time.
When you make changes to community functionality, look at it as both a manager and a member. How do you feel about these changes? What as a member troubles you in the changes? If you don’t have the final say in what community functions will be implemented—advocate hard for the members of your community. If you predict your members will have a valid complaint about a redesign or change in functionality—you need to do everything you can to show the project manager and upper management why and what changes your members need.
On the other hand, be prepared for negative feedback for every change you make. Know the members reactions and be prepared with copy to address those reactions. Even if you argued for months about members distaste for a change, you need to be able to sell it to them and get the community focused back on the community topic. Acknowledge the complaint. Then move on to community as usual.
Members who feel ownership always will be verbal and never thank a site for every single part of a redesign. Understand this by thinking about how you would feel if someone you knew came into your home and moved all the furniture without warning you. Sure, it might look better but something about it won’t be right for you.
Be very up front with your members about who you are and why you have this community.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager and Editor of our very own Culture Conductor. Tarrant has been editing posts and managing the publishing process around here since early September, and doing an excellent job. She also comes equipped with a huge arsenal of community management wisdom. Ready for the juiciest bits? Read on…
The vital ingredients of a community are passion, patience, participation. The bells and whistles really don’t matter. What makes a community great: showing your love for what you do and for your community. The other truly vital ingredient in online community management is transparency.
Don’t apologize for ads (unless they truly don’t fit the community)–explain that something must pay for the servers, pays for you to have Internet, and food on the table, the IT team that keeps things running to serve their community.
If you aren’t going to “fix” something that members feel is broken—tell them. Explain that either the functionality works properly or that this simple fix (because members always think a fix is simple) will take to many resources to provide at this time.
When you make changes to community functionality, look at it as both a manager and a member. How do you feel about these changes? What as a member troubles you in the changes? If you don’t have the final say in what community functions will be implemented—advocate hard for the members of your community. If you predict your members will have a valid complaint about a redesign or change in functionality—you need to do everything you can to show the project manager and upper management why and what changes your members need.
On the other hand, be prepared for negative feedback for every change you make. Know the members reactions and be prepared with copy to address those reactions. Even if you argued for months about members distaste for a change, you need to be able to sell it to them and get the community focused back on the community topic. Acknowledge the complaint. Then move on to community as usual.
Members who feel ownership always will be verbal and never thank a site for every single part of a redesign. Understand this by thinking about how you would feel if someone you knew came into your home and moved all the furniture without warning you. Sure, it might look better but something about it won’t be right for you.
Be very up front with your members about who you are and why you have this community.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager and http://cultureconductor.com/?p=1282&preview=truenow Editor of our very own Culture Conductor. Tarrant has been editing posts and managing the publishing process around here since early September, and doing an excellent job. She also comes equipped with a huge arsenal of community management wisdom. Ready for the juiciest bits? Read on…
Q: What kind of a community manager would you say you are?
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments.
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins
- Encourage members
- Listen, listen, listen
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation. Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children. When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize–I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
Q: What are some of the myths and misunderstandings you’ve heard about online communities over the years?
- Axe murderers, scammers, and stalkers abound on Internet communities. Yes, I advise caution when meeting people face-to-face for the first time. No, don’t send money to every sad story I read, no matter how well you think you “know” the person.
Stalkers? Yes, they happen, but you can pick up a stalker when you take your children to a park too.
- Online communities are clique-y. Not true. Online communities don’t automatically welcome newcomers; especially if the community manager doesn’t lead by example. They may not always agree with a new member either. I haven’t ever seen a community online where absent truly boorish behavior, a new member who participates often enough to be known, is shunned.
- Online communities are dangerous to your brand unless you carefully moderate before a post goes live.
- Corporations should only allow two-way communication on their own community site–not third-party sites like Twitter and Facebook.
- Corporations should have _____________ (tickers, blogs, sparkly signature lines, photos, chats, groups, a Facebook/Twitter/MySpace/LiveJournal–whatever is hot at that moment) because everyone else says it is the only way to go these days.
- Any intern can moderate a community–it does not need any special skills.
- We don’t have the bandwidth to have community, so we should not have it at all.
- Community doesn’t have that many page views, so it isn’t important.
- I have “real friends,” I don’t need an Internet community.
- I am not that interesting, so why would I join a community?
Q: What do you think are the most vital ingredients for any online community?
Vital ingredients: passion, patience, participation. The bells and whistles really don’t matter. What makes a community great: showing your love for what you do and for your community. The other truly vital ingredient in online community management is transparency.
Don’t apologize for ads (unless they truly don’t fit the community)–explain that something must pay for the servers, pays for you to have Internet, and food on the table, the IT team that keeps things running to serve their community.
If you aren’t going to “fix” something that members feel is broken—tell them. Explain that either the functionality works properly or that this simple fix (because members always think a fix is simple) will take to many resources to provide at this time.
When you make changes to community functionality, look at it as both a manager and a member. How do you feel about these changes? What as a member troubles you in the changes? If you don’t have the final say in what community functions will be implemented—advocate hard for the members of your community. If you predict your members will have a valid complaint about a redesign or change in functionality—you need to do everything you can to show the project manager and upper management why and what changes your members need.
On the other hand, be prepared for negative feedback for every change you make. Know the members reactions and be prepared with copy to address those reactions. Even if you argued for months about members distaste for a change, you need to be able to sell it to them and get the community focused back on the community topic. Acknowledge the complaint. Then move on to community as usual.
Members who feel ownership always will be verbal and never thank a site for every single part of a redesign. Understand this by thinking about how you would feel if someone you knew came into your home and moved all the furniture without warning you. Sure, it might look better but something about it won’t be right for you.
Be very up front with your members about who you are and why you have this community.
Q: What are some of the things you’ve done to get participants more engaged?
Engagement starts with the first post, perhaps even before the first post ever appears from a new member. Keep in mind that lurkers often read a long time before jumping in. Be consistent in how you treat members and what you present to your community. When you have a new member, welcome them, respond to something in their post, and ask them a question. Even if you believe you can give all the answers the member needs at one time–don’t. Slowly feed those answers out as part of a dialogue. Listen, respond, question.
Be on top of the topics related to your community. Know what science says, know what holidays relate to your community (brownielocks.com is TRULY invaluable when it comes to listing holidays that relate to any community-serious or not so serious.), know what the mainstream media says, know what other communities similar to yours talk about. Use those things as conversation starters.
Play some off-topic games sometimes. Friday fives, Friday Fill-ins, three truths and a lie, etc. Icebreakers do break the ice, help members know each other better and truly become a community.
Q: What advice do you have for community managers (and members) who are dealing with trolls and flaming in their online spaces?
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice–stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “don’t feed the trolls comes” in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
Q: Can you tell us about your history working in online communities?
In 1995, I first became seriously involved in online communities. It is a long, not-very-sordid tale of pregnancy, Oprah, and a site that lived on AOL and the rest of the web called Parent Soup. Oprah lured me onto the Internet with her first (I think) community-based tie-in with a series she ran on her TV show about fitness and weight loss. I couldn’t lose weight and exercise at that point, but I investigated. First, I checked out Oprah and jumped into message boards. I found a few more boards at a magazine doing the same type of dip their toes into the Internet and I enjoyed participating.
Then one day, I dialed in to AOL and a homepage announcement said something about Parent Soup. Parent Soup! I am a parent! I like parents! I jumped into chat. I became a chat host, because AOL billed hourly then and my hours were above our budget. Chat hosting gave you two hours free for every hour you hosted chat as I remember it. I spent hours in chat anyway-might as well get two hours for every hour I hosted.
Soon I became a message board host and before I knew it I got hired for my first “paid” job–Community Producer for the Expectant Parents Channel. Through all of that, I pitched new ideas (a pregnancy day-by-day calendar, a Trying to Conceive channel with boards, chats and content all their own, pregnancy circles, etc.).
I searched the Internet for ideas on how to do this community thing “right.” I ended up on Nancy White’s Community of Practice listserv, which helped tremendously even though I had to translate those ideas into my own, very different, communities. I watched other people who “did” community well or didn’t do it well. I loudly shared what I knew to anyone and everyone. Yes, I started my life on the Internet being the annoying kid in class who talks too much.
In 1998, I slid up from Parent Soup AOL to their parent–iVillage and became the Message Board Community Coordinator. It gave me a chance to teach channel moderators how to moderate and make the big calls. It gave me the chance to teach the volunteer community leaders how to grow their message board communities.
After leaving that position, I held a job as Information Specialist at University of Florida. There I enjoyed building websites for the Family, Youth and Community Sciences Department, sharing the joys of wikis, blogs, feed readers, shared bookmarking and more with faculty and students. In exchange, I continued learning new things: nonprofit management, (The department I worked for offers a degree in nonprofit management.) offline community management, families, children, and healthy diets. I sharpened my css, Flash, PowerPoint, and presentation skills.
In 2007, I started work at WebMD as a Senior Community Moderator and later became a Programming Coordinator as well. Working from home again, playing in communities, learning new things, and teaching some of what I knew along the way.
At the end of September, I left WebMD and here I am editing at Culture Conductor and working as a headline editor at BlogHerAds.
Q: What did you love most about the different communities you’ve worked in?
Each community had something special. I can’t even begin to list the ways in which the different communities gave me a different bit of something that made me, well me. They supported me, praised me, loathed me at times, gave me confidence and shredded it so my head wouldn’t swell. I guess the biggest thing I love about online communities is getting to share in so many people’s lives. Everyone has a story. Those stories have good, bad, mundane, and truly exceptional moments. Learning those stories, knowing those people with those stories–magic.
"Coach Bieste." Photo via Fox
Last week, like every week, I watched Glee on Hulu, but this episode was different. In this episode, the tough character of Coach Bieste moved from a stone-faced background role to a heart-achingly vulnerable main spotlight, and her performance got me. I was stunned by it. I spent the next two hours researching the actor, Dot Jones, and her fascinating and varied career. (15-time world arm wrestling champion? For reals?) I dug through everything about her that appeared on YouTube. I didn’t stop until 1 AM when I found her on Facebook, hesitantly clicked the “Add as Friend” button, and included a personal note to express exactly how much her performance moved me, and why, and THANK YOU.
At 2 AM, I received an email: “Dot Jones confirmed you as a friend on Facebook.”
I was elated to get that little gesture of attention and acceptance, but even more pleased to know that she probably — like, really, in all likelihood — actually read my letter. And appreciated it.
The next day, I went to the beach with my friend, Will, and recapped the story. He told me of a similar experience recently. A song at the end an album had moved him in a shocking and probably life-changing way, and he sought out the artist (on Facebook, too!) to tell him so, and why, and THANK YOU. He still hasn’t heard back, but that wasn’t the point. Will knows what I know because we’ve both gotten them: those letters matter.
Back in September, I assisted Will in coordinating the Gender Spectrum Kids Camp. Together (and with the help of a bunch of other volunteers), we organized a fun, supportive weekend for kids ages 4-11 while their parents attended a conference downstairs. I knew Will had been too tied up with registration and scheduling to ever really play with the kids, so that night at the beach, I asked him what the most satisfying part of that experience had been for him.
Photo by Jay Ryness
He thought for a moment and said it was when a kid played dead on the floor at the end of the day. One child had had so much fun — and was so unwilling to leave — that she went as completely limp for as long as she could stand it to stop her parents from taking her home. That moment of 8-year-old melodrama put everything into perspective for Will, and he knew he’d made an impact.
Later that night, I lamented that we don’t get the same kind of feedback from Internet community organizing. Everything is photos and text. There are no hugs. There are no facial expressions. There is no kid on the floor. And then Will reminded me of the letters.
“I just wanted to say that I love this site. I check it every single day. It brightens my mood and gives me the support, advice, and empathy that I can’t get in the world I live in.”
I get letters like that, and comments, and little notes — sometimes directed at me and sometimes directed at my projects — every single day. And you know what? Sometimes I’m so distracted with the details that I flat-out forget they are there. But as soon as I remember to listen, those letters become my kid on the floor. They tell me I’m on the right track. They are the loudest, most sincere, most compelling feedback my teams and I can possibly get to keep building and organizing and putting ourselves out there.
Whoever you are reading this, whatever your role is in your communities, I have two pleas for you:
1) Listen for the letters where you might not be hearing them, and look for your kid on the floor. Somewhere, in some form, you’re probably getting positive feedback about the impact you have on the world. Focus on it, absorb it, and let it fill you up. Let it guide you.
2) Go write those letters. Go be the kid on the floor for the person who is changing your world. Go. Do it. Now. Play dead if you have to. Just make sure they know what you mean.
That feedback makes a difference. THANK YOU.
"Coach Bieste." Photo via Fox
Last week, like every week, I watched Glee on Hulu, but this episode was different. In this episode, the tough character of Coach Bieste moved from a stone-faced background role to a heart-achingly vulnerable main spotlight, and her performance got me. I was stunned by it. I spent the next two hours researching the actor, Dot Jones, and her fascinating and varied career. (15-time world arm wrestling champion? For reals?) I dug through everything about her that appeared on YouTube. I didn’t stop until 1 AM when I found her on Facebook, hesitantly clicked the “Add as Friend” button, and included a personal note to express exactly how much her performance moved me, and why, and THANK YOU.
At 2 AM, I received an email: “Dot Jones confirmed you as a friend on Facebook.”
I was elated to get that little gesture of attention and acceptance, but even more pleased to know that she probably — like, really, in all likelihood — actually read my letter. And appreciated it.
The next day, I went to the beach with my friend, Will, and recapped the story. He told me of a similar experience recently. A song at the end an album had moved him in a shocking and probably life-changing way, and he sought out the artist (on Facebook, too!) to tell him so, and why, and THANK YOU. He still hasn’t heard back, but that wasn’t the point. Will knows what I know because we’ve both gotten them: those letters matter.
Back in September, I assisted Will in coordinating the Gender Spectrum Kids Camp. Together (and with the help of a bunch of other volunteers), we organized a fun, supportive weekend for kids ages 4-11 while their parents attended a conference downstairs. I knew Will had been too tied up with registration and scheduling to ever really play with the kids, so that night at the beach, I asked him what the most satisfying part of that experience had been for him.
Photo by Jay Ryness
He thought for a moment and said it was when a kid played dead on the floor at the end of the day. One child had had so much fun — and was so unwilling to leave — that she went as completely limp for as long as she could stand it to stop her parents from taking her home. That moment of 8-year-old melodrama put everything into perspective for Will, and he knew he’d made an impact.
Later that night, I lamented that we don’t get the same kind of feedback from Internet community organizing. Everything is photos and text. There are no hugs. There are no facial expressions. There is no kid on the floor. And then Will reminded me of the letters.
“I just wanted to say that I love this site. I check it every single day. It brightens my mood and gives me the support, advice, and empathy that I can’t get in the world I live in.”
I get letters like that, and comments, and little notes — sometimes directed at me and sometimes directed at my projects — every single day. And you know what? Sometimes I’m so distracted with the details that I flat-out forget they are there. But as soon as I remember to listen, those letters become my kid on the floor. They tell me I’m on the right track. They are the loudest, most sincere, most compelling feedback my teams and I can possibly get to keep building and organizing and putting ourselves out there.
Whoever you are reading this, whatever your role is in your communities, I have two pleas for you:
1) Listen for the letters where you might not be hearing them, and look for your kid on the floor. Somewhere, in some form, you’re probably getting positive feedback about the impact you have on the world. Focus on it, absorb it, and let it fill you up. Let it guide you.
2) Go write those letters. Go be the kid on the floor for the person who is changing your world. Go. Do it. Now. Play dead if you have to. Just make sure they know what you mean.
That feedback makes a difference. THANK YOU.
"Coach Bieste." Photo via Fox
Last week, like every week, I watched Glee on Hulu, but this episode was different. In this episode, the tough character of Coach Bieste moved from a stone-faced background role to a heart-achingly vulnerable main spotlight, and her performance got me. I was stunned by it. I spent the next two hours researching the actor, Dot Jones, and her fascinating and varied career (15-time world arm wrestling champion? For reals?). I dug through everything about her that appeared on YouTube. I didn’t stop until 1 AM when I found her on Facebook, hesitantly clicked the “Add as Friend” button, and included a personal note to express exactly how much her performance moved me, and why, and THANK YOU.
At 2 AM, I received an email: “Dot Jones confirmed you as a friend on Facebook.”
I was elated to get that little gesture of attention and acceptance, but even more pleased to know that she probably — like, really, in all likelihood — actually read my letter. And appreciated it.
The next day, I went to the beach with my friend, Will, and recapped the story. He told me of a similar experience recently. A song at the end an album had moved him in a shocking and probably life-changing way, and he sought out the artist (on Facebook, too!) to tell him so, and why, and THANK YOU. He still hasn’t heard back, but that wasn’t the point. Will knows what I know because we’ve both gotten them: those letters matter.
Back in September, I assisted Will in coordinating the Gender Spectrum Kids Camp. Together (and with the help of a bunch of other volunteers), we organized a fun, supportive weekend for kids ages 4-11 while their parents attended a conference downstairs. I knew Will had been too tied up with registration and scheduling to ever really play with the kids, so that night at the beach, I asked him what the most satisfying part of that experience had been for him.
Photo by Jay Ryness
He thought for a moment and said it was when a kid played dead on the floor at the end of the day. One child had had so much fun — and was so unwilling to leave — that she went as completely limp for as long as she could stand it to stop her parents from taking her home. That moment of 8-year-old melodrama put everything into perspective for Will, and he knew he’d made an impact.
Later that night, I lamented that we don’t get the same kind of feedback from Internet community organizing. Everything is photos and text. There are no hugs. There are no facial expressions. There is no kid on the floor. And then Will reminded me of the letters.
“I just wanted to say that I love this site. I check it every single day. It brightens my mood and gives me the support, advice, and empathy that I can’t get in the world I live in.”
I get letters like that, and comments, and little notes — sometimes directed at me and sometimes directed at my projects — every single day. And you know what? Sometimes I’m so distracted with the details that I flat-out forget they are there. But as soon as I remember to listen, those letters become my kid on the floor. They tell me I’m on the right track. They are the loudest, most sincere, most compelling feedback my teams and I can possibly get to keep building and organizing and putting ourselves out there.
Whoever you are reading this, whatever your role is in your communities, I have two pleas for you:
1) Listen for the letters where you might not be hearing them, and look for your kid on the floor. Somewhere, in some form, you’re probably getting positive feedback about the impact you have on the world. Focus on it, absorb it, and let it fill you up. Let it guide you.
2) Go write those letters. Go be the kid on the floor for the person who is changing your world. Go. Do it. Now. Play dead if you have to. Just make sure they know what you mean.
That feedback makes a difference. THANK YOU.
"Coach Bieste." Photo via Fox
Last week, like every week, I watched Glee on Hulu, but this episode was different. In this episode, the tough character of Coach Bieste moved from a stone-faced background role to a heart-achingly vulnerable main spotlight, and her performance got me. I was stunned by it. I spent the next two hours researching the actor, Dot Jones, her fascinating and varied career. (15-time world arm wrestling champion? For reals?) My investigation led to anything about her that appears on YouTube. I didn’t stop until 1 AM when I found her on Facebook, hesitantly clicked the “Add as Friend” button, and included a personal note to express exactly how much her performance moved me, and why, and THANK YOU.
At 2 AM, I received an email: “Dot Jones confirmed you as a friend on Facebook.”
I was elated to get that little gesture of attention and acceptance, but even more pleased to know that she probably — like, really, in all likelihood — actually read my letter. And appreciated it.
The next day, I went to the beach with my friend, Will, and recapped the story. He told me of a similar experience recently. A song at the end an album had moved him in a shocking and probably life-changing way, and he sought out the artist (on Facebook, too!) to tell him so, and why, and THANK YOU. He still hasn’t heard back, but that wasn’t the point. Will knows what I know because we’ve both gotten them: those letters matter.
Back in September, I assisted Will in coordinating the Gender Spectrum Kids Camp. Together (and with the help of a bunch of other volunteers), we organized a fun, supportive weekend for kids ages 4-11 while their parents attended a conference downstairs. I knew Will had been too tied up with registration and scheduling to ever really play with the kids, so that night at the beach, I asked him what was the most satisfying part of that experience had been for him.
Photo by Jay Ryness
He thought for a moment and said it was when a kid played dead on the floor at the end of the day. One child had had so much fun — and was so unwilling to leave — that she went as completely limp for as long as she could stand it to stop her parents from taking her home. That moment of 8-year-old melodrama put everything into perspective for Will, and he knew he’d made an impact.
Later that night, I lamented that we don’t get the same kind of feedback from Internet community organizing. Everything is photos and text. There are no hugs. There are no facial expressions. There is no kid on the floor. And then Will reminded me of the letters.
“I just wanted to say that I love this site. I check it every single day. It brightens my mood and gives me the support, advice, and empathy that I can’t get in the world I live in.”
I get letters like that, and comments, and little notes — sometimes directed at me and sometimes directed at my projects — every single day. And you know what? Sometimes I’m so distracted with the details that I flat-out forget they are there. But as soon as I remember to listen, those letters become my kid on the floor. They tell me I’m on the right track. They are the loudest, most sincere, most compelling feedback my teams and I can possibly get to keep building and organizing and putting ourselves out there.
Whoever you are reading this, whatever your role is in your communities, I have two pleas for you:
1) Listen for the letters where you might not be hearing them, and look for your kid on the floor. Somewhere, in some form, you’re probably getting positive feedback about the impact you have on the world. Focus on it, absorb it, and let it fill you up. Let it guide you.
2) Go write those letters. Go be the kid on the floor for the person who is changing your world. Go. Do it. Now. Play dead if you have to. Just make sure they know what you mean.
That feedback makes a difference. THANK YOU.
"Coach Bieste." Photo via Fox
Last week, like every week, I watched Glee on Hulu, but this episode was different. In this episode, the tough character of Coach Bieste moved from a stone-faced background role to a heart-achingly vulnerable main spotlight, and her performance got me. I was stunned by it. I spent the next two hours researching the actor, Dot Jones, her fascinating and varied career. (15-time world arm wrestling champion? For reals?) My investigation led to anything about her that appears on YouTube. I didn’t stop until 1 AM when I found her on Facebook, hesitantly clicked the “Add as Friend” button, and included a personal note to express exactly how much her performance moved me, and why, and THANK YOU.
At 2 AM, I received an email: “Dot Jones confirmed you as a friend on Facebook.”
I was elated to get that little gesture of attention and acceptance, but even more pleased to know that she probably — like, really, in all likelihood — actually read my letter. And appreciated it.
The next day, I went to the beach with my friend, Will, and recapped the story. He told me of a similar experience recently. A song at the end an album had moved him in a shocking and probably life-changing way, and he sought out the artist (on Facebook, too!) to tell him so, and why, and THANK YOU. He still hasn’t heard back, but that wasn’t the point. Will knows what I know because we’ve both gotten them: those letters matter.
Back in September, I assisted Will in coordinating the Gender Spectrum Kids Camp. Together (and with the help of a bunch of other volunteers), we organized a fun, supportive weekend for kids ages 4-11 while their parents attended a conference downstairs. I knew Will had been too tied up with registration and scheduling to ever really play with the kids, so that night at the beach, I asked him what was the most satisfying part of that experience had been for him.
Photo by Jay Ryness
He thought for a moment and said it was when a kid played dead on the floor at the end of the day. One child had had so much fun — and was so unwilling to leave — that she went as completely limp for as long as she could stand it to stop her parents from taking her home. That moment of 8-year-old melodrama put everything into perspective for Will, and he knew he’d made an impact.
Later that night, I lamented that we don’t get the same kind of feedback from Internet community organizing. Everything is photos and text. There are no hugs. There are no facial expressions. There is no kid on the floor. And then Will reminded me of the letters.
“I just wanted to say that I love this site. I check it every single day. It brightens my mood and gives me the support, advice, and empathy that I can’t get in the world I live in.”
I get letters like that, and comments, and little notes — sometimes directed at me and sometimes directed at my projects — every single day. And you know what? Sometimes I’m so distracted with the details that I flat-out forget they are there. But as soon as I remember to listen, those letters become my kid on the floor. They tell me I’m on the right track. They are the loudest, most sincere, most compelling feedback my teams and I can possibly get to keep building and organizing and putting ourselves out there.
Whoever you are reading this, whatever your role is in your communities, I have two pleas for you:
1) Listen for the letters where you might not be hearing them, and look for your kid on the floor. Somewhere, in some form, you’re probably getting positive feedback about the impact you have on the world. Focus on it, absorb it, and let it fill you up. Let it guide you.
2) Go write those letters. Go be the kid on the floor for the person who is changing your world. Go. Do it. Now. Play dead if you have to. Just make sure they know what you mean.
That feedback makes a difference. THANK YOU.
In her past life, Tarrant managed communities on AOL, iVillage, and WebMD. Whether referred to as "board goddess" or "community whisperer", Tarrant has a passion for message boards, forums, groups, blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and nurturing online communities.
I am honored and thrilled to introduce you to Tarrant Figlio, a long-time community manager and http://cultureconductor.com/?p=1282&preview=truenow Editor of our very own Culture Conductor. Tarrant has been editing posts and managing the publishing process around here since early September, and doing an excellent job. She also comes equipped with a huge arsenal of community management wisdom. Ready for the juiciest bits? Read on…
Q: What kind of a community manager would you say you are?
In the beginning, I thought managing community meant controlling the conversation. I had a hard line and while defensible, it had its ridiculous moments.
I learned along the way:
- Lead with light reins
- Encourage members
- Listen, listen, listen
- Teach members how to be a part of the community.
- Teach members to take ownership of the community. The most valuable asset in online communities are the members who lead conversations, take new members under their wing, point to site content, and invest themselves in building the community.
- Lead by example.
I take a laid-back approach to community policing. Yes, I enforce guidelines; however, I refuse to pull posts that might lead to a violation. Community management boils down to how to help your community grow. Communities grow when you treat members as adults, not errant children. When looking for a new place to live, you don’t want to move into that neighborhood with a cop on every corner and cameras watching everything. The same thing happens online. I think many managers either think that their job starts and ends with reading and deleting posts or starts and ends with the paperwork side of things.
I talk a lot in my communities. I ask questions. I answer questions. I connect members with other members who can answer their questions or empathize with them.
I know the moods of my communities, the players and which way the wind blows. By participating in those conversations, I can steer a conversation before it turns bad in many instances. If I pull more than an isolated post, I post to the board reminding all the members how and why they should stop before they flame or continue to flame.
I do it in a way that isn’t casual and doesn’t call out the members in public. It also isn’t “A NOTE FROM ABOVE” where the members haven’t ever seen the mightiness that holds the power to pull a post. They know me. I remind them of the rules. I make it clear that while I know why they reacted like they did and I empathize–I want them to find a different way to react and stay in the bounds of a healthy discussion.
In order to manage a community, you need to know the community. Listen to them, talk with them, be a part of the community. Even on big sites with a community with every topic under the sun, you can connect on some level with the smaller parts of that community. If you can’t, then you miss serving your community well.
Q: What are some of the myths and misunderstandings you’ve heard about online communities over the years?
- Axe murderers, scammers, and stalkers abound on Internet communities. Yes, I advise caution when meeting people face-to-face for the first time. No, don’t send money to every sad story I read, no matter how well you think you “know” the person.
Stalkers? Yes, they happen, but you can pick up a stalker when you take your children to a park too.
- Online communities are clique-y. Not true. Online communities don’t automatically welcome newcomers; especially if the community manager doesn’t lead by example. They may not always agree with a new member either. I haven’t ever seen a community online where absent truly boorish behavior, a new member who participates often enough to be known, is shunned.
- Online communities are dangerous to your brand unless you carefully moderate before a post goes live.
- Corporations should only allow two-way communication on their own community site–not third-party sites like Twitter and Facebook.
- Corporations should have _____________ (tickers, blogs, sparkly signature lines, photos, chats, groups, a Facebook/Twitter/MySpace/LiveJournal–whatever is hot at that moment) because everyone else says it is the only way to go these days.
- Any intern can moderate a community–it does not need any special skills.
- We don’t have the bandwidth to have community, so we should not have it at all.
- Community doesn’t have that many page views, so it isn’t important.
- I have “real friends,” I don’t need an Internet community.
- I am not that interesting, so why would I join a community?
Q: What do you think are the most vital ingredients for any online community?
Vital ingredients: passion, patience, participation. The bells and whistles really don’t matter. What makes a community great: showing your love for what you do and for your community. The other truly vital ingredient in online community management is transparency.
Don’t apologize for ads (unless they truly don’t fit the community)–explain that something must pay for the servers, pays for you to have Internet, and food on the table, the IT team that keeps things running to serve their community.
If you aren’t going to “fix” something that members feel is broken—tell them. Explain that either the functionality works properly or that this simple fix (because members always think a fix is simple) will take to many resources to provide at this time.
When you make changes to community functionality, look at it as both a manager and a member. How do you feel about these changes? What as a member troubles you in the changes? If you don’t have the final say in what community functions will be implemented—advocate hard for the members of your community. If you predict your members will have a valid complaint about a redesign or change in functionality—you need to do everything you can to show the project manager and upper management why and what changes your members need.
On the other hand, be prepared for negative feedback for every change you make. Know the members reactions and be prepared with copy to address those reactions. Even if you argued for months about members distaste for a change, you need to be able to sell it to them and get the community focused back on the community topic. Acknowledge the complaint. Then move on to community as usual.
Members who feel ownership always will be verbal and never thank a site for every single part of a redesign. Understand this by thinking about how you would feel if someone you knew came into your home and moved all the furniture without warning you. Sure, it might look better but something about it won’t be right for you.
Be very up front with your members about who you are and why you have this community.
Q: What are some of the things you’ve done to get participants more engaged?
Engagement starts with the first post, perhaps even before the first post ever appears from a new member. Keep in mind that lurkers often read a long time before jumping in. Be consistent in how you treat members and what you present to your community. When you have a new member, welcome them, respond to something in their post, and ask them a question. Even if you believe you can give all the answers the member needs at one time–don’t. Slowly feed those answers out as part of a dialogue. Listen, respond, question.
Be on top of the topics related to your community. Know what science says, know what holidays relate to your community (brownielocks.com is TRULY invaluable when it comes to listing holidays that relate to any community-serious or not so serious.), know what the mainstream media says, know what other communities similar to yours talk about. Use those things as conversation starters.
Play some off-topic games sometimes. Friday fives, Friday Fill-ins, three truths and a lie, etc. Icebreakers do break the ice, help members know each other better and truly become a community.
Q: What advice do you have for community managers (and members) who are dealing with trolls and flaming in their online spaces?
My advice for “trolls” starts and ends with “Don’t feed the Trolls.” No, wait it doesn’t.
My advice–stop actively seeking out and suspecting trolls. Welcome an alternative point of view. Ask questions about it. Ask how the member came to that conclusion. If a member comes with a point of view eerily similar to another person’s point of view–don’t make your first stop crosschecking IP addresses and registration information.
In the past decade, I have come across very few true trolls. That wasn’t true when I first started working in online community. I know trolls still exist and plague some communities and that’s where “don’t feed the trolls comes” in. If you don’t lose your cool and you have taught your community the proper response to true “troll” behavior; the trolls find reward elsewhere.
Q: Can you tell us about your history working in online communities?
In 1995, I first became seriously involved in online communities. It is a long, not-very-sordid tale of pregnancy, Oprah, and a site that lived on AOL and the rest of the web called Parent Soup. Oprah lured me onto the Internet with her first (I think) community-based tie-in with a series she ran on her TV show about fitness and weight loss. I couldn’t lose weight and exercise at that point, but I investigated. First, I checked out Oprah and jumped into message boards. I found a few more boards at a magazine doing the same type of dip their toes into the Internet and I enjoyed participating.
Then one day, I dialed in to AOL and a homepage announcement said something about Parent Soup. Parent Soup! I am a parent! I like parents! I jumped into chat. I became a chat host, because AOL billed hourly then and my hours were above our budget. Chat hosting gave you two hours free for every hour you hosted chat as I remember it. I spent hours in chat anyway-might as well get two hours for every hour I hosted.
Soon I became a message board host and before I knew it I got hired for my first “paid” job–Community Producer for the Expectant Parents Channel. Through all of that, I pitched new ideas (a pregnancy day-by-day calendar, a Trying to Conceive channel with boards, chats and content all their own, pregnancy circles, etc.).
I searched the Internet for ideas on how to do this community thing “right.” I ended up on Nancy White’s Community of Practice listserv, which helped tremendously even though I had to translate those ideas into my own, very different, communities. I watched other people who “did” community well or didn’t do it well. I loudly shared what I knew to anyone and everyone. Yes, I started my life on the Internet being the annoying kid in class who talks too much.
In 1998, I slid up from Parent Soup AOL to their parent–iVillage and became the Message Board Community Coordinator. It gave me a chance to teach channel moderators how to moderate and make the big calls. It gave me the chance to teach the volunteer community leaders how to grow their message board communities.
After leaving that position, I held a job as Information Specialist at University of Florida. There I enjoyed building websites for the
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