For those who put the "funds" into "crowdfunding:"

[minor-architect.livejournal.com]

Hello, everyone! I've been asked to reprise the comments I made about those who support crowdfunded projects, which I posted to my own journal last week. So here is that entry again - although edited to make it less of a rant and more fit for general consumption. :)

I've been following the crowdfunding community's turn in the LiveJournal Spotlight, since I'm a patron of several art, poetry, and fiction projects. On the first day, I noticed two posts with similar themes: "On Patronage" by the_vulture and "Let’s Discuss How Creators Can Attract Customers and Patrons" by laffingkat. While the former concentrated on the patron's perspective, in what I believe was an effort to encourage more patrons to discuss their reasons for donating, the latter encouraged both patrons and creators to share their thoughts - which many creators did, quite enthusiastically.

Comments to the "Let's Discuss" post: 40. Comments to the "On Patronage" post: 4. [Author's note: At the time of this writing, those numbers stood at 53 and 30, respectively.]

The disparity between these numbers worries me because it implies that the patrons who read those posts weren't willing to make their voices heard. But we should be hearing from them as much as we're hearing from creators, because as the title of this entry suggests, patrons put the "funds" into "crowdfunding." Without patrons to support them, most independently-produced films and albums or prompted art and fiction projects wouldn't survive past the "free trial" stage. Not only does this limit everyone's entertainment options, it also keeps outstanding creators from doing the work at which they excel because they're forced to take other jobs to feed themselves. And that leaves us to the small mercies of the Big Industries, which aren't always receptive to the wants of their customers.

Fortunately, the creators of crowdfunded projects are receptive to our wants - or they need to become so, if they intend to keep the patrons they've wowed with their talent. So speak up! Tell the creators you admire what you'd like to see from them! (Politely, of course; as they say, "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.") Start your own discussions here at the crowdfunding community so there's more balance between the creator-driven posts and the patron-driven ones. (Bonus: this also increases communication between the two groups that should be talking to each other, anyway.)

[Author's second note: Casting your vote in this poll would also help the entire community get a better idea of just how many patrons are circulating here.]

Drive the point home: we're one half of this equation, too. Crowdfunding patrons of the world, unite!

Comments

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

I appreciate you posting this here. I had a bunch of things I wanted to post today, but LJ is fried. I really want to work on getting patron participation up.

[minor-architect.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! I don't know how I managed to slip this post through the latest barricades, though. Just luck, I guess! :)

[the-vulture.livejournal.com]

This leads to an interesting for me, that being "What do I want?"

It's also a hard one to answer because, frankly, I don't know. In regards to crowdfunded activities, it's all about stumbling across things I like to the point of being willing to put money behind them.

One of the things I've noticed is I like to consume in bite sized portions. Given the nature of my lifestyle, I don't often have a lot of time and/or attention to spend on longer projects like stories and novels unless they really, really grip me. I have a number of e-books I've purchased from haikujaguar months ago that, whilst I've really enjoyed many of her works, I've still haven't finished reading. I so rarely find myself with time to just sit and read. I also think the ability to participate and converse is a hugely important thing for me. Perhaps between these two factors is the reason why such things as readings and the Poetry Fishbowl draw most of my attention.

I'd like to stress, though, that these are my own preferences and will likely differ, perhaps greatly, from other patrons.