Kickstarter.com is a website that has both Social Networking and Web 2.0 features. The site freely allows people to post ideas that need funding. It also allows people to fund the creative ideas of others.
The Kickstarter site builds community and enhances the symbiotic nature of creativity for those who will build a better world.
If this idea is appealing to you, I suggest a quick trip through the projects that are currently seeking funding. This will help identify the nature of the site and the individuals who participate in this digital community.
It is interesting to note that, since launching in 2009:
- $200 million pledged to projects
- 1.8 million people have backed a project
- 20,000 projects successfully funded
The website states,
"People come to Kickstarter to build community ".
With the current state of the web, and the danger of fraud and identity theft ever present in the minds of millions of web surfers world wide, I have to wonder, what type of accountability is available to backers and those who post creative ideas on this site. Obviously this is a community of "risk takers", but they are protected by a set of Eligibility requirements and guidelines.
The least obvious guideline is that ideas must be stated in the form of a project. A project has a start and an end. This site cannot be used to fund a business or charity or an ongoing activity. Guidelines force the creative ideas into the following categories:
They neither promote nor prohibit commercially viable ideas or the application of those ideas. This makes the site an excellent "test bed" for entrepreneurs seeking to try out a product or idea. The site administrator(s) also reviews each project to assure the ideas listed are not "prohibited items or subject material". This review hints of censorship, but the restrictions are necessary to maintain the "indie" culture of the site and I feel it promotes the authenticity of the concept.
If you've made it this far, you may want to create a project and seek funding for the project. I walked through the process and the steps are listed below.
Step 1 - review guidelines, prohibited items, prohibited activities and prohibited material.
Step 2 - Create the basic information associated with the project, including
| Project title | Project image | Category |
| Short Description (blurb) | Project location | Funding duration |
| Funding goal |
Step 3 - define the rewards you are willing to give your backers. The rewards are what you will give your backers at the completion of the project. The reward is not required but backers are more likely to contribute if you offer a reward, and the reward can be incremented in such a way that larger supporters receive a larger reward. This also lends credibility to the project by sending backers a "piece" of the project.
Step 4 - tell the story of your project idea. This is where the long narrative description of the project will be located. it should fully describe the project and the expected outcomes. It may also include a video describing yourself and the project.
Step 5 - describe yourself and tell potential backers who you are. You can do this with a Facebook connect and / or a photo, a short biography, a geographic location and additional websites that more fully describe you and your work.
Step 6 - create an Amazon payment account. This is the account where the funding for the project will be located. It is also an identity verification method for both the creator and backer.
Step 7 - review the Kickstarter project prior to submitting to Kickstarter staff for publication.
Screen Shots
Step 1 - Guidelines
Step 2 - Basics
Step 3 - Rewards
Step 4 - Story
Step 5 - About you
Step 6 - Account
Step 7 - Review
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