Crowdsourcing

A week ago I showed off my collection of T-shirts, some of which have come from crowdsourcing participation, but that is not all I get.

Sometimes there are stickers, patches, CDs, books, and comics. And there are many things that don't get photographed easily, like downloads, Skype calls, and having your name on a shirt worn by an ultramarathon runner.

I have seen more criticism of crowdsourcing than of the Rolling Jubilee, perhaps because it is better known. I will write more about one of those criticisms Monday, but my experiences have been very positive.

My first experience came through Indie Go Go, with a fundraiser for Dear White People. I liked the trailer they already had, I appreciated what they were trying to do, and I had just gotten a bonus. Combine that with the chance to have a character in the movie named after me, and I could not resist.

http://www.dearwhitepeoplemovie.com/

I don't know how prevalent it had been before, but I suddenly started seeing projects everywhere. I have participated in two others via Indie Go Go, and at least one through Go Fund Me, but the bulk have definitely been through Kickstarter.

What struck me most the first time is that this is a way to make dreams come true. In the arts it can be really hard to get funding, because so much of the industry wants guaranteed returns. Well, in this case you are often getting guaranteed returns. Part of the Mindless Self Indulgence Kickstarter was the recording process and manufacturing for their new album. Many of the participation levels involved getting that album. It provides the audience while demonstrating its existence.

So I could see the practical aspects right away, and I could also understand the concerns that some people who should be able to find funding in other ways were taking away from those with less options.

I do get that, and plenty of people have written about why it is horrible that the Veronica Mars movie or Zach Braff or James Franco should turn to Kickstarter. I'm not sure I have anything to add there. The ethics and merits of each individual project may not be exactly equivalent to other similar ones.

Ability to complete the project is an important consideration. Right now, if I started a drive to fund my first movie, I would not get enough participation, and honestly that would be fair because I do not have enough experience to even adequately calculate how much money I would need for it, or take that amount and use it effectively. I know one drive that shorted himself on funds for distributing the pledge perks, but is making it work. There is a lot that goes into a successful campaign.

However, I still keep loving the results, over and over again. What I did not realize until later was the sense of involvement and ownership that comes from being a backer. The perks are nice, but those campaigns that use the updates well build a sense of community and anticipation and pride even. This thing that I have helped fund is awesome, and I am glad it is happening, and glad that I took part. Two of my most touching souvenirs are not regular perks, but I have a thank you card that came with a CD, and a Halloween card that came - well technically it was part of a perk that I  had not chosen, but I had paid extra and he upgraded me, but there's this gratitude thing going on, and I'm sentimental.

One of the books showing, Life Begins At Incorporation, by Matt Bors, is not actually one that I participated in. I think I learned about the project after it was done. But I have bought the book, and enjoyed it, and it exists because of crowdsourcing. 

If it is not obvious, I lean towards the creative projects, but it is more than just art. The ultramarathon was a fundraiser for a program that uses a race to improve relations between local people and lions in the Ewaso Nyiro ecosystem in Kenya. There is creative thinking in there, even if it is not art.

http://ewasolions.org/

Again, this is not something that is tax-deductible; this is not charity. And yet, it can still provide that warm feeling, depending on the project. There is a wide range.

It's a good way of giving.