I am, of course, a fan of Kickstarter. I’ve thus far backed seven projects. It is fun, and a cool way to support interesting people, and I like getting things that I’ve forgotten I “bought”. However, the thing I am really impressed by are the updates.
The first thing is, it is essentially a blog for a given project. I am used to these, since I subscribe to a gazillion, one for each software project, interesting person, and web comic. However, this particular implementation is pretty interesting. It probably has to do with the fact that there are two contexts in which nearly all the messages are published, pre-funded and post-funded. So, they are either powered by the need to generate support, or they are just happy to drop some updates on the host of strangers who want them to succeed.
I wonder if there is a way to instill that same sense into other blogs. I have come to dread client fund-raising, because I often get drafted to proofread appeal letters, which is time-consuming for me, and takes up a lot of mental capacity. However, the main thing is that I don’t see them having the same energy as a Kickstarter update. It feels desperate, no doubt because it is desperate. Maybe appeals hidden inside of transparent updates, sent out with more frequency, would do the trick. Huh.
Anyhow, two projects of which I particular like the updates are Lib-Ray: Non-DRM Open-Standards HD Video Format and Wollstonecraft. Lib-Ray is by Terry Hancock, and the updates are both detailed and welcoming; it is a great example of how to engage your community. Wollstonecraft is by Jordan Stratford, and has great insights into the process of creating a product (which is really awesome, by the way! I can’t wait to read it to Clover!).
Exciting! 