Is it just me, or am I missing the point of Kickstarter? Most of these just seemed like cheap ways to get the person a pittance of cash.

think of it as a futures market for weird shiat

FTFA:
"A pig in a pocket and the snake wants his turn too. The dog and the cat along with the rat all race toward the pocket to burrow inside."

I will pledge of all my money to this. I have no idea why or what it is. but here, take all of my money.

I love the fact that most of the poetry compilations came from girthy neckbeards.

I'm surprised the rentboy boardgame didn't fly.

The Myspace photo of the woman who wanted to write year-long Santa reminders to kids made me LOL.

Anyway, that was a cavalcade of fail, no doubt.

#38

"A website where people go to read things from other websites, but with different, often misleading headlines and a vague sense of community."

If I were still 12 years old I would totally be in for #24, the Hubble star cards.

I expected sadder. Although those escorts were... yeah. Please don't hurt me.

I'm a little sad because a friend of mine failed at her kickstarter to help her publish a children's book. At least she raised many times over all these fail kickstart projects combined...

Dinobot: I'm a little sad because a friend of mine failed at her kickstarter to help her publish a children's book. At least she raised many times over all these fail kickstart projects combined...

So, like $7?

Fish in a Barrel: If I were still 12 years old I would totally be in for #24, the Hubble star cards.

Yeah, a card deck of all the messier objects, for example, isnt exactly a bad idea.

Oh sorry. I thought we were talking about something else.

meat0918: Is it just me, or am I missing the point of Kickstarter? Most of these just seemed like cheap ways to get the person a pittance of cash.

I've seen it work for bands that have some public interest and are trying to back away from going to a big label.

Of course I also see it as a vehicle for weird shiat as well.

INeedAName: Dinobot: I'm a little sad because a friend of mine failed at her kickstarter to help her publish a children's book. At least she raised many times over all these fail kickstart projects combined...

So, like $7?

Nah, she raised about three hundred bucks, about 15% of the total she needed.

daveinsurgent: #38

"A website where people go to read things from other websites, but with different, often misleading headlines and a vague sense of community."

You mean reddit?

/ducks

...

You know what would be awesome. To somehow mix this and regretsy. That little art-naif prose poem that busy chillin' quoted fits perfectly.

When begging for financing of your "Awesome SF Book", the following sales pitch does not really inspire confidence in your skills as a writer;


"One teenager can change the faith of all human kind. Jacob is a 22 years old teen from California - USA, that is addicted to physics and computer science. "

Basically, you need a fan base before you do the kickstarter thing.

Jacob is a 22 years old teen

Dinobot: INeedAName: Dinobot: I'm a little sad because a friend of mine failed at her kickstarter to help her publish a children's book. At least she raised many times over all these fail kickstart projects combined...

So, like $7?

Nah, she raised about three hundred bucks, about 15% of the total she needed.

She couldn't come up with $1500 on her own?

meat0918: Is it just me, or am I missing the point of Kickstarter? Most of these just seemed like cheap ways to get the person a pittance of cash.

It's supposed to "kickstart" your business idea so you can have it funded up front from people already willing to buy your thing. Don't have $20k to get your widget made, use kickstarter to sell $20+ k worth of pre-sales.

This doesn't stop people from trying to come up with any reason to get people to send you money. Most are of course failure.

I backed this one for a dollar just cuz I thought it was so dumb. I pulled my funding a few hours before hand just to stop receiving the guys email updates.

NSFW http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pr ymlurg/the-feeling-within-a-seri es-of-8 NSFW

Damn, now I'm curious what he'll do for your mom at the higher pledge levels.

Do they refund the money if the project fails or what? I guess I should just go read up on it but tl;dr.

tyguy101aa: I backed this one for a dollar just cuz I thought it was so dumb. I pulled my funding a few hours before hand just to stop receiving the guys email updates.

NSFW http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/p rymlurg/the-feeling-within-a-ser i es-of-8 NSFW

for somereason a space got in the url... also it wasnt a link.

Inconceivable!: Basically, you need a fan base before you do the kickstarter thing.

And advertising.

If you're not prepared to put some money in and get some kind of web advertising, make a video to post and explain the project, and do a lot of work to get your idea out and directed to KS - don't, Just don't.

swaxhog: meat0918: Is it just me, or am I missing the point of Kickstarter? Most of these just seemed like cheap ways to get the person a pittance of cash.

It's supposed to "kickstart" your business idea so you can have it funded up front from people already willing to buy your thing. Don't have $20k to get your widget made, use kickstarter to sell $20+ k worth of pre-sales.

This doesn't stop people from trying to come up with any reason to get people to send you money. Most are of course failure.

The ones that aren't, of course, involve Tim Schafer.

/The Hubble Star cards aren't a horrible idea
//Just not a very exciting idea

Dow Jones and the Temple of Doom: Dinobot: INeedAName: Dinobot: I'm a little sad because a friend of mine failed at her kickstarter to help her publish a children's book. At least she raised many times over all these fail kickstart projects combined...

So, like $7?

Nah, she raised about three hundred bucks, about 15% of the total she needed.

She couldn't come up with $1500 on her own?

Children's book authors probably shouldn't be stripping.

// well they SHOULD be able to, but that's not how our culture works.

Gonad the Ballbarian: When begging for financing of your "Awesome SF Book", the following sales pitch does not really inspire confidence in your skills as a writer;


"One teenager can change the faith of all human kind. Jacob is a 22 years old teen from California - USA, that is addicted to physics and computer science. "

The dude's obviously a time traveler.
I'll bet he'd get more money if he pointed out that he'd done this once before.

Sticky Hands: Dow Jones and the Temple of Doom: Dinobot: INeedAName: Dinobot: I'm a little sad because a friend of mine failed at her kickstarter to help her publish a children's book. At least she raised many times over all these fail kickstart projects combined...

So, like $7?

Nah, she raised about three hundred bucks, about 15% of the total she needed.

She couldn't come up with $1500 on her own?

Children's book authors probably shouldn't be stripping.

// well they SHOULD be able to, but that's not how our culture works.

Yeah, she's also an illustrator, and that's the reason why she doesn't do any art that could be seen as R, even if that would help her get funds for the project thru commissions.

No 'jump to conclusions' mat yet?

Just relieved not to see MY failed project up there (a sports history book, more details upon request). Asked for $500 to buy some photo rights, got $35.

If you have not clicked on the rent boy carton and seen the video, that is waaay creepy

FTA

Can anyone tell me what the hell they are trying to kickstart?
- "I've had my share of wet dreams when I was younger because I stood thinking about some girl that I wanted while I was in still High School. Those are regular, normal stress release dreams."

This sounds like a middle age guy with a twilight fetish
- "I have poems on many different topics, even a spooky poem or two."

Sort of like you probably are now, even if married/dating
- "Single Again allows you and your friends to experience dating in the new millennium without ever leaving your living room."

vodka: Do they refund the money if the project fails or what? I guess I should just go read up on it but tl;dr.

They don't charge anything until the funding is successful. So you pledge an amount, and when time runs out, if they've reached the goal, at that point you get charged what you pledged. I've been involved in it a little bit because of a few people I know being involved in projects, it's kind of a neat idea, but the vast majority of what is on there is utter crap.

ProfessorOhki: /The Hubble Star cards aren't a horrible idea
//Just not a very exciting idea



Could sell well at the NASA store.

CrazedHatter: They don't charge anything until the funding is successful. So you pledge an amount, and when time runs out, if they've reached the goal, at that point you get charged what you pledged. I've been involved in it a little bit because of a few people I know being involved in projects, it's kind of a neat idea, but the vast majority of what is on there is utter crap.

Yeah but what happens if the project gets funded but never produces a product?

vodka: CrazedHatter: They don't charge anything until the funding is successful. So you pledge an amount, and when time runs out, if they've reached the goal, at that point you get charged what you pledged. I've been involved in it a little bit because of a few people I know being involved in projects, it's kind of a neat idea, but the vast majority of what is on there is utter crap.

Yeah but what happens if the project gets funded but never produces a product?

I'm not sure it's been around long enough for us to find out, but I'll be sure to let you know if it happens.

Meh, Kickstarter has had some fun ones. I pledge money for some cool ideas.

8/10 successful projects
Going South - The Farker's book
Double Fine Adventure - Team that did Psychonauts is making a new game
Surfeasy - Very solid privacy key for internet use (and a great bypass for network blockers)
Blocklets - Wooden Lego things
Project Bespin - a weather balloon project send to low earth orbit with pictures
No Time to Explain - Spiffy little physics-based platform game
Revenge of the Bimbot Zombie Killers - VERY snarky B-level movie
Trebuchette - Desk based catapult; enough said

vodka:
Yeah but what happens if the project gets funded but never produces a product?
Same thing as with any project that has investors - the investors gambled and lost. (See "The Producers.")

I backed this (pops) on Kickstarter. It's seriously the best $20 I ever spent.

meat0918: Is it just me, or am I missing the point of Kickstarter? Most of these just seemed like cheap ways to get the person a pittance of cash.

Trick one man, you're a con.
Trick a thousand men, you're in marketing.

Crowed sourced venture capital isn't a bad idea. It seems pretty evident from the start that you are giving money to a stranger on a flimsy promise that he will deliver. You've got the weigh the quality of the idea against the men proposing it.
Known names in an industry, with a track record for delivering the goods, will be able to take advantage of this.

/Some folks will get taken.
/But with a company between you and the con, hopefully that problem will be limited.

Sure the site has a lot of junk, but this is actually pretty cool. Once they've got more to sell, I'm buyin'.

DrBear: vodka:
Yeah but what happens if the project gets funded but never produces a product?
Same thing as with any project that has investors - the investors gambled and lost. (See "The Producers.")

Who is responsible for fulfilling the promises of a project?

It is the responsibility of the project creator to fulfill the promises of their project. Kickstarter reviews projects to ensure they do not violate the Project Guidelines, however Kickstarter does not investigate a creator's ability to complete their project.

Snarcoleptic_Hoosier: Trebuchette - Desk based catapult; enough said

Dude. Link? Because I'd totally back that.

meat0918: Is it just me, or am I missing the point of Kickstarter? Most of these just seemed like cheap ways to get the person a pittance of cash.


You're missing the point of kickstarter.

These...yes...yeesh! Glad I pledged to something that succeeded. Shadowrun!

#14 - copywritten? teehee

KatjaMouse: Snarcoleptic_Hoosier: Trebuchette - Desk based catapult; enough said

Dude. Link? Because I'd totally back that.

Link

A lot of independent comic creators are going the Kickstarter route since the publishing and distribution process of creating books is so dismal. It's great for guys starting out (I'll be doing one when mine is ready to be published) and ones breaking into the industry (like Michael Moreci who just got a series picked up by Image and is not trying to get a cool-looking personal project up).

/not the writer
//just want to see the book published

That should read *now* trying to get a cool-looking personal project up.