Crowdfunding Glossary R-Z
Jan. 29th, 2013 05:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmith posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
crowdfundingA while back I posted parts of a crowdfunding glossary, and it turns out, never posted the last piece. So here it is.
referral -- an identifiable trail whereby a current audience member brings a new audience member to a project. This may involve friending, donations, prompts, or various other activities. Sometimes it's as simple as "I found your project through a link on my friend's page." Some projects offer perks for referrals.
sponsor -- someone who pays for a specific item to be released. A sponsor covers the whole price; some projects allow for several cosponsors to split the price. (This is distinct from general patrons who may donate toward the project as a whole, rather than individual items.) Creators often list the sponsor(s) of an item on its page or post when it gets published. Sponsor is a subtype of patron.
subscriber -- someone who pays to support a project during a specific time span, during which they usually get access to extra material or privileges reserved for subscribers. Some websites function on a subscriber basis, although they may have some free material that anyone can see. Some serial projects work similar to a magazine subscription, where subscribers get the new material as it comes out; older installments may or may not be available to the general public. Subscriber is a subtype of patron.
supporter -- a broad category spanning the enthusiastic audience members who help keep a crowdfunded project alive. This includes fans, barkers, patrons, prompters, etc.
swag -- small physical items used as promotions and/or rewards for a project. These may include bookmarks of a book's cover, ACEO cards, mouse pads, etc.
tag -- a word or short phrase that identifies a project or topic. Tags function in blogs, social networks, and many other online venues to help people find material that interests them. They usually appear in a tag list (alphabetically) or tag cloud (with size indicating frequency of use). Creating tags for a crowdfunded project makes it easier to locate within a larger venue (such as a blog service) and navigate within a smaller venue (such as the creator's blog where the project appears). The Twitter term is hashtag, for the # symbol that appears at the beginning, such as #crowdfunding or #poetryfishbowl. Hashtags are also used on Tumblr.
threshold -- a predetermined amount of collection. This usually refers to money but can be linkbacks, friends, reviews, or anything else the creator is trying to collect. Reaching a threshold tends to activate a perk or make something else happen, even something as simple as knowing you bought the creator a pizza. Projects often stack thresholds with more exciting perks the higher they go. Also known as a goal or target. In particular, crowdfunding hub sites such as Kickstarter require a fundraising goal for a project.
tip jar -- a method for collecting random amounts of money from an audience for a project that doesn't have set prices, or in addition to set prices for people who wish to support the project as a whole. This is most often a PayPal "Donate" button, which allows the shopper to decide the amount of money sent; but it can be something else. Some creators have their own graphic of a jar, a hat, a guitar case, or some other object reminiscent of what buskers put out to collect tips.
weblit -- literature available through the World Wide Web. This includes such things as poetry, short stories, serialized novels, and ongoing serials.
referral -- an identifiable trail whereby a current audience member brings a new audience member to a project. This may involve friending, donations, prompts, or various other activities. Sometimes it's as simple as "I found your project through a link on my friend's page." Some projects offer perks for referrals.
sponsor -- someone who pays for a specific item to be released. A sponsor covers the whole price; some projects allow for several cosponsors to split the price. (This is distinct from general patrons who may donate toward the project as a whole, rather than individual items.) Creators often list the sponsor(s) of an item on its page or post when it gets published. Sponsor is a subtype of patron.
subscriber -- someone who pays to support a project during a specific time span, during which they usually get access to extra material or privileges reserved for subscribers. Some websites function on a subscriber basis, although they may have some free material that anyone can see. Some serial projects work similar to a magazine subscription, where subscribers get the new material as it comes out; older installments may or may not be available to the general public. Subscriber is a subtype of patron.
supporter -- a broad category spanning the enthusiastic audience members who help keep a crowdfunded project alive. This includes fans, barkers, patrons, prompters, etc.
swag -- small physical items used as promotions and/or rewards for a project. These may include bookmarks of a book's cover, ACEO cards, mouse pads, etc.
tag -- a word or short phrase that identifies a project or topic. Tags function in blogs, social networks, and many other online venues to help people find material that interests them. They usually appear in a tag list (alphabetically) or tag cloud (with size indicating frequency of use). Creating tags for a crowdfunded project makes it easier to locate within a larger venue (such as a blog service) and navigate within a smaller venue (such as the creator's blog where the project appears). The Twitter term is hashtag, for the # symbol that appears at the beginning, such as #crowdfunding or #poetryfishbowl. Hashtags are also used on Tumblr.
threshold -- a predetermined amount of collection. This usually refers to money but can be linkbacks, friends, reviews, or anything else the creator is trying to collect. Reaching a threshold tends to activate a perk or make something else happen, even something as simple as knowing you bought the creator a pizza. Projects often stack thresholds with more exciting perks the higher they go. Also known as a goal or target. In particular, crowdfunding hub sites such as Kickstarter require a fundraising goal for a project.
tip jar -- a method for collecting random amounts of money from an audience for a project that doesn't have set prices, or in addition to set prices for people who wish to support the project as a whole. This is most often a PayPal "Donate" button, which allows the shopper to decide the amount of money sent; but it can be something else. Some creators have their own graphic of a jar, a hat, a guitar case, or some other object reminiscent of what buskers put out to collect tips.
weblit -- literature available through the World Wide Web. This includes such things as poetry, short stories, serialized novels, and ongoing serials.
