Perks Preferences?
Sep. 12th, 2010 08:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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crowdfundingWhat kinds of perks get your attention and encourage you to dig into your hard-earned cash? I'm trying to figure out how to adapt crowdfunding to my photography and am interested in knowing what people like, what is The Shiny that encourages them to dig in. And what are realistic levels to ask for when you're a budding artist?
You don't have to actively support crowdfunding or photography or crowdfunded photography if you want to answer.
I figure prints are always a possibility. The 2 biggest issues with that right now are cost of postage & getting time to ship (I live in New Zealand) & our printer, while a good photo printer, sometimes puts marks on the back of the paper and I'm afraid this might turn people off.
I likeysabetwordsmith's use of posting a few pictures in her journal and then offering to post others if she gets donations. I usually upload my picts to Webshots for people to see/download as screensavers/send as e-cards. I could hold a few prize ones back when I do this and offer to upload them if I get donations. When I upload my Webshots I'll usually upload a few of the better ones to my Weblogimages account and post them in my journal.
I could also see if there's a way create a special album at Webshots and lock it to only certain people. I don't know if it's possible and this would require my audience getting a Webshots account.
Or I could make a special Donor filter and post the picts on that on my DW/LJ.
What are your thoughts?
And come to think of it, how do you make a Paypal donation button?
(ETA: Sorryysabetwordsmith, not sure what tag would fit best for this so I've put networking but feel free to tell me what to change it to!)
You don't have to actively support crowdfunding or photography or crowdfunded photography if you want to answer.
I figure prints are always a possibility. The 2 biggest issues with that right now are cost of postage & getting time to ship (I live in New Zealand) & our printer, while a good photo printer, sometimes puts marks on the back of the paper and I'm afraid this might turn people off.
I like
ysabetwordsmith's use of posting a few pictures in her journal and then offering to post others if she gets donations. I usually upload my picts to Webshots for people to see/download as screensavers/send as e-cards. I could hold a few prize ones back when I do this and offer to upload them if I get donations. When I upload my Webshots I'll usually upload a few of the better ones to my Weblogimages account and post them in my journal.I could also see if there's a way create a special album at Webshots and lock it to only certain people. I don't know if it's possible and this would require my audience getting a Webshots account.
Or I could make a special Donor filter and post the picts on that on my DW/LJ.
What are your thoughts?
And come to think of it, how do you make a Paypal donation button?
(ETA: Sorry
ysabetwordsmith, not sure what tag would fit best for this so I've put networking but feel free to tell me what to change it to!)
There are alternatives to PayPal out there :)
Date: 2010-09-11 11:18 pm (UTC)The artist for Deviant Moon has been funding his latest project with some limited edition signed decks, I'm sure someone can spin a different idea off from that to fund what they're working on or want to work on.
Re: There are alternatives to PayPal out there :)
Date: 2010-09-12 01:01 am (UTC)Signed prints might be a good idea. I could also link it to my Cafe Press shop, maybe I could pre-order some of the ornaments with my prints on it and then if people contribute a certain amount (enough to cover the ornament, shipping & a bit towards a project) I could offer that as a perk as well.
Re: There are alternatives to PayPal out there :)
Date: 2010-09-12 08:38 pm (UTC)I agree. I actually had someone chip in toward my first (crappy) digital camera when I wanted to buy a cheap one to see if I could shoot digital. I've also seen artists do fascinating fund drives for new brushes.
>> Personally I'd rather see my government put more money in to the arts (in fact I think a welfare system for artists would solve a lot of problems)<<
I would like to see more money devoted to the arts also. But that always starts arguments over what is "good enough" to support that way. Maybe the government isn't the best way to do that; I don't really have much faith in government. I wonder if crowdfunding could take over. Some of the big sites are fielding -- and filling -- projects with four-or-five-figure goals. Crowdfunding probably isn't developed enough to do this yet, but eventually might be able to raise funds collectively and then dish them out to qualifying creators.
Re: There are alternatives to PayPal out there :)
Date: 2010-09-12 09:41 pm (UTC)I don't have faith in the current system of government, but that doesn't mean we can't change how it is run.
Crowdfunding probably isn't developed enough to do this yet, but eventually might be able to raise funds collectively and then dish them out to qualifying creators.
It's a good idea for the meantime, I'll give it that.
Re: There are alternatives to PayPal out there :)
Date: 2010-09-12 10:45 pm (UTC)Nevertheless, people argue vigorously about that, either over whether funding should be tied to quality or not, or what's worth funding or not, or some other variation.
>>and money from public education, at least by the time I left high school, goes in to art classes. <<
I think this aspect is a great idea. Sadly, it has become quite unpopular. Class sizes are rising as schools fire teachers and consolidate classes; most things outside core academics and sports have been cut widely. Arts and music are usually among the first to go.
Re: There are alternatives to PayPal out there :)
Date: 2010-09-12 10:51 pm (UTC)Re: There are alternatives to PayPal out there :)
Date: 2010-09-12 11:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-09-11 11:25 pm (UTC)Use a printing service, trust me, they have more access to resources than you can probably imagine, much less afford. If I am ever to buy prints again it will have to be of very high quality, and unless you have the money to afford those machines, special types of paper, and ink, you should look in to a service whose target market comprises of artists, advertisers, and publishers. Please don't bother doing it all yourself if you can't afford this, it will probably not make a great impression on your work, and many people out there expect an appearance of professionalism for their money.
Speaking of printing services
Date: 2010-09-12 12:24 am (UTC)Re: Speaking of printing services
Date: 2010-09-12 01:05 am (UTC)Hmmm, I should take a more thorough look at what services are out there.
Thank you!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-09-12 01:11 am (UTC)I agree, people do expect professionalism for their money.
When you do buy prints, or if you were to buy prints, what kinds of things would you look for (sizes, prices, subjects)??
(no subject)
Date: 2010-09-12 06:11 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-09-12 06:27 am (UTC)I should have added this-
Date: 2010-09-12 08:53 am (UTC)Re: I should have added this-
Date: 2010-09-12 09:33 am (UTC)I think there is a place for people who can, and people who can't afford, the high-end prints and books. My wife and I have a lot of "coffee table" art books. We both enjoy seeing other people's art, especially when it comes to photography.
And you have given me a good reminder that while there are many people on my friends list who aren't pulling in big dollars and couldn't afford to crowdfund much, there are people like yourself who are willing to pay for quality art and materials.
Re: I should have added this-
Date: 2010-09-12 10:05 am (UTC)Hmm...
Date: 2010-09-12 08:43 pm (UTC)Following that, I like things that are either flat or matted to 8.5x11 or 9x12 inches. Most of my hung art prints are that size. I think the only things we have that are much bigger than that are either originals or limited-edition fine art prints. (We used to be less broke, though some of the originals were gifts.)
Thoughts
Date: 2010-09-12 05:47 am (UTC)I think the most likely to shift me into active paying mode are Free Icon Day features: guaranteeing illustration, going from B/W to color, or offering a second icon. Closely following this are small tangible items such as a bookmark or ACEO card.
I don't know how attached people are to these, but I print out a poetic bookmark each year for my fishbowl donors.
For photography, hmmm ... hardcopy postcards, bookmarks, or ACEOs would be awesome. But also consider electronic options such as full-file-size wallpaper images or calendars.
I am brokeass broke, rarely able to afford more than $2 or so for a donation. If not for that I would be doing a lot more support for crowdfunded projects.
>>The 2 biggest issues with that right now are cost of postage & getting time to ship (I live in New Zealand)<<
Two options: offer files that people can print out themselves, or get a friend to produce copies onshore in countries where you have a big audience.
>>I could hold a few prize ones back when I do this and offer to upload them if I get donations.<<
That's a good idea.
>>Or I could make a special Donor filter and post the picts on that on my DW/LJ.<<
That's what I do for my fishbowl. There is a Donors-locked post each month. So any time you chip in, you get put on that list for 2 months, and you can read all the previous Donor perk-posts if you wish.
>>not sure what tag would fit best for this so I've put networking but feel free to tell me what to change it to!<<
Networking is fine for a start. I added several others as well; I hope those are okay. If you have more ideas, just let me know. As you can see, the tag list is still in development. I am trying to build it thoughtfully and not fill it with junk.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2010-09-12 06:24 am (UTC)Silly question though, what's ACEOs?
I also want to open up perks to people for non-monetary support/contributions. I have a lot of people on my friends list who would probably give money if they could, but they can't and I don't want them left out. I am trying to get a poll together to post in my red_trillium journal (since that's where I have a paid account) but am having technical difficulties. I want to know what kinds of non-monetary support would also attract perks. I figure signal-boosting is a possibility (not sure how often/how many places), what other options would you, as a non-monetary person, consider doing?
And thank you for tag help!
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2010-09-12 06:53 am (UTC)ACEO stands for "Art Cards, Editions and Originals". These cards have one main rule - they are 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches - the size of a trading card.
http://www.art-cards.org/
I chipped in for the Haiti Earthquake Charity Painting, and the donor perk for that is an ACEO card.
http://community.livejournal.com/therebirthofme/tag/haiti
>>I also want to open up perks to people for non-monetary support/contributions.<<
Well, first is plain old recognition. While some folks prefer to stay anonymous, many enjoy a listing on a Patrons page or whatever. My Fishbowl Report each month always lists that month's donors; individual poem posts list the prompter(s) and sponsor(s) of that poem. The Aphorisms of Kherishdar has a Patrons page and some of the names are even linked to that person's homepage:
http://stardancer.org/kherishdar/patrons.html
Another possibility is special posts that are only visible to certain people. I do one for Donors but you could just as easily do yours for people who promote your work by linking to your journal(s) or whatever.
Just tie the perks to things you want people to do. Avepasifika offered to post extra episodes of her serial after reaching a certain number of new Friends, because she wanted to boost her Friends list. So you really need to ask yourself, what do you want to accomplish with this project? How can people help you achieve that?
>>I figure signal-boosting is a possibility (not sure how often/how many places), what other options would you, as a non-monetary person, consider doing?<<
The main thing is signal-boosting. I will quite casually post links on my LJ and DW journals. I may also post to the Crowdfunding communities, though I prefer creators to do that themselves for sake of diversity. My LJ echoes to my personal Facebook page; for writing/editing stuff I may hand-copy a link to my fan page there also. I have some email lists where I occasionally post things, but nothing photography related.
Branching out a bit, I can write reviews, usually of books but I've done other projects like music, personal care items, calendars, etc. as well. Sometimes I do small writing/editing bits for friends as a way to help a project -- it saves them having to hire someone to write, say, a press release. Or I can do barter for that stuff too.
On a few occasions, I've gathered addresses or other resources for friends, like libraries or newspapers. You might find someone to hunt down galleries for you, if you wanted to hang your photos in far-flung places; I know that artists and photographers sometimes do stuff like that. It's a bit outside my range.
Oh, and check with Quennessa over on LJ about ideas for advance funding of photography projects. She's done some of that and might be willing to share.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2010-09-12 07:54 am (UTC)Something like posting to Facebook, Wordpress, other blogs as well as someone's DW/LJ would be a bonus, I'd consider it as important as monetary contributions, especially as we're going towards Christmas.. I don't have a FB or WP and while I know it's not hard to create one I am trying to not stretch *too* thin so that would be a bonus for me.
I'll ask Quennessa some time. I know she's full on right now & since I'm still working on this, trying to formulate it all I've got some time to gather thoughts still.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2010-09-12 08:50 pm (UTC)Yeah, apparently they are popular for trading.
>>especially as we're going towards Christmas<<
That reminds me of a special seasonal activity: the virtual shopping fair. Several people do a post where they invite all their friends to list what they sell, so other folks in the audience can shop with them. It's a lot of fun and really boosts promotion. These were mine from 2009 and 2008:
http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/871196.html
http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/438042.html
You can see the 2008 one worked a lot better; the timing wasn't as good in 2009. I'll probably do it again this year too.
>>I don't have a FB or WP and while I know it's not hard to create one I am trying to not stretch *too* thin so that would be a bonus for me. <<
Facebook has features you can set to echo posts from other services, so it's possible to have content there with very minimal effort. That's how I originally set up my FB page. I only started going direct to FB and spending time there when it became a networking hub for me -- I was surprised to see how many of my professional contacts were on there, so that boosted my interest.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2010-09-13 10:41 am (UTC)I've been resisting FB....still resisting. For now, that might change :)
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2010-09-12 06:26 am (UTC)