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.

alternative publishing -- methods of releasing a product, such as literature or music, outside the conventional publication industry.  This includes crowdfunding and self-publishing.

audience interaction -- the process of exchanging ideas between creators and consumers.  Audience interaction is a major aspect of the crowdfunding business model, which distinguishes it from conventional models that tend to separate creators from consumers.  The audience consists of all the people interested in a project, whether they just lurk or support it with inspiration, prompts, money, etc.  But it's the lively, active part of the audience that really counts in crowdfunding, the people who respond to polls, leave feedback, influence the plot of a story, pick which sketches get posted, etc.  Creators who like to talk with their supporters, and folks who like to hang out with creative people, are drawn to crowdfunding because it facilitates this connection.

barker -- someone who promotes a project frequently across various online venues.  They may write about it on their blog, post links via Twitter or Facebook, and otherwise attract more traffic.  Some projects have perks for linkbacks or other promotional activities.  A barker may or may not also be a patron; promotion is an excellent way to support a project for people who don't have much money. 

buy it now -- a feature originally offered by some online auctions, this has adapted in crowdfunding as a purchase option.  It may indicate the full price for something that could otherwise be microfunded, or temporary access to something that will be removed from sale if not sold within a limited time.

call for prompts -- asking the audience to provide ideas for writing, sketching, or other creative activities.  There may or may not be a theme.  Some portion of the material produced is often posted for free, and prompters may get a private look at the results from their own prompt.  This activity may be done live, as in a fishbowl; but it can be used to store ideas for long-term use instead.  Also known as a prompt call.

creator -- a person who runs a crowdfunded project; can be an artist, poet, author, diviner, musician, etc.

crowdfunding -- a business model in which ordinary people pool small amounts of their own money to accomplish something similar to what a big business or bank can do.  It allows a creator or entrepreneur to appeal directly to an audience, thus avoiding the bottleneck of conventional finance or publication methods.

cyberfunded creativity -- a business model in which creators connect directly with an audience online.  It features a higher level of interaction than the conventional publication process and removes the bottleneck of publishers, music companies, art galleries, etc.  Creators can produce and sell anything they can find a market for; and audiences can inspire and sponsor works to their own taste.  Cyberfunded creativity is a subtype of crowdfunding focused on creative material in online venues.