Crowdfunding: Connecting Creators and Patrons

hub site -- a website that hosts activities relating to many different projects.  There are fundraiser hub sites for crowdfunding projects, such as Kickstarter or IndieGoGo.  There are also hub sites that host specific types of content, such as webcomics or fiction.  Also called a platform or host site.

landing page -- the post or website page where links to a project should point, usually containing a summary of the project and a guide to its parts.  This provides a gateway for new visitors to learn about the project, and a navigation tool for established fans to find their way through it.  Read about "How to Make a Landing Page."

linkback -- promotion of a project by posting the URL to its landing page, current session, an individual item, or other tidbit in the viewer's own venue.  This helps attract more people to the project.  Also known as linklove or linkluv.

microfunding -- sometimes a synonym for "crowdfunding" in wider use, it more often refers to a version of cyberfunded creativity where patrons make small donations to fund an item piece-by-piece that is too big for any one of them to sponsor all at once.  For example, an epic poem might be priced per line and posted one verse at a time.  Serial fiction is often funded and posted by installment.

patron -- someone who contributes money to a crowdfunded project.  It may apply to a specific item for publication, or to the project as a whole.  Also known as donor or sponsor.

perk -- a benefit for doing something in a crowdfunded project, such as making a donation or linking back to a post.  A fiction project might have a perk of extending a story; an art project might go from black-and-white to color.  Perks may be individual (if you pay X amount, you get to see an extra poem privately) or collective (if total donations reach Y amount, an extra poem is published for everyone to enjoy). There are many types of perks and ways to earn them.  Also known as rewards or incentives.

progress meter -- an interactive graphic that provides a visual representation of moving toward a goal.  These may show donations, pages written, sketches uploaded, or whatever else the creator wishes to track.  Something often happens upon reaching the goal, such as the audience getting a perk.  Note that projects often have multiple goals, while most meters can only track one (the highest).  Also known as a ticker.  A popular source is TickerFactory.

project -- a general term for crowdfunded material with defined parameters.  A project may be a one-time activity or object (such as a book), or it may be ongoing (such as a free art day held monthly).  See "Types of Crowdfunded Project."

prompter -- someone who provides inspiration and suggestions to a creator, usually during a call for prompts.  Regular prompters in an ongoing project can build up considerable influence, especially if they request topics that rarely get portrayed in the creative arts.  A prompter may or may not also support the project in other ways. 

pseudonym -- something other than the creator's legal name used to identify who created a work.  This can be a nickname, pen name, username on a particular online service, etc.  Some creators post a list of their different pseudonyms so people can find them in different venues.

fan -- someone who is devoted to a crowdfunded project, but isn't necessarily contributing money to it.  Fans keep the project alive by paying attention to it, most often through comments and/or inspiration.  Some creators and projects are fueled mainly by fan enthusiasm.  A fan may or may not also be a barker, aiding the project through promotion in other venues. 

feedback -- anything from the audience that gives the creator useful targeting information about a crowdfunded project.  This may include comments, votes in a poll, prompts, linkbacks, using a "favorite" or "like" function, reviews, ratings, etc.

fishbowl -- a traditional exercise in which someone does an activity in front of an audience, while the audience makes suggestions or analytical comments.  In a writing or art class, this is typically done by seating one or a few people at the front of the room to work while the rest of the class observes; ideas or observations may be recorded on the blackboard.  In cyberfunded creativity, this has been adapted to a live writing or art activity online, usually hosted on a blog, where audience members post ideas and the creator makes something using those ideas.  The fishbowl technique can also be used for brainstorming business projects or other ideas.

ficlet -- a short piece of fiction, usually under 1000 words.  Some crowdfunded fiction is written in brief segments, which may be extended by donations or other audience actions.  Also known as microfic.

first-reader -- a volunteer editor.  This is a friend, family member, or fan who looks over a rough draft and suggests improvements so that you can make revisions before the final version gets published.  Some crowdfunding projects provide perks for supporters who do this.

flash fiction -- a short piece of fiction, usually intended to stand alone, although it may belong to a series.  There is no concensus as to what the length of flash fiction "should" be, but ranges average 300-1000 words.  Some people use the term to mean any short-short story.

general fund -- a pool of donations not earmarked for sponsoring a specific item, but paid toward supporting the project as a whole.  Some projects simply put this toward covering overhead costs.  Others use it to fund items not sponsored by individual patrons; the audience may get to vote in a poll to select what gets released based on the amount in the general fund and what items are available.