BY ALEX BARNARD
Kickstarter.com is a website that allows people to fund creative projects from anywhere around the world. Artists, designers, and inventors alike can pitch their projects online in an effort to obtain as many financial investors as possible. Each backer pledges money in return for rewards for their loyalty, which may include early copies of a product, a T-Shirt, or even a producer’s credit.
Kickstarter has a diverse community of projects that vary greatly in scale. The site devotes equal space to custom hot sauces, which was a success when raising thousands of dollars, and the Ouya video game console earning millions. On Kickstarter, everyone has a chance to make it big. The website allows both celebrities and the general public to pitch their ideas, relying on its community of backers to decide which projects are worth there cash.
Kickstarter has helped get many successful projects started. Incident in New Baghdad, a Kickstarter backed documentary about the Baghdad airstrike on July 12, 2007 was nominated for an Oscar. Cards Against Humanity, a dirty card game became one of the top selling games on Amazon. Each of these projects and many others were able to be a success because of their success on Kickstarter.
Each project creator sets a minimum amount of money that must be raised before any of it is taken from the backers. If a project is funded the creator must deliver on any promises made to the backers. However, on several occasions creators have failed to deliver and the community was outraged.
Backing a project on Kickstarter has its share of risks. As Kickstarter’s popularity increases more and more people have tried to take advantage of the site with fraudulent projects designed to raise money by taking advantage of the public’s good will. Susan Wilson raised over $20,000 for her daughter to attend a summer camp that would allow her to make own video game. It turns out that Susan Wilson had considerable wealth, and was even called one of Fortune magazine’s most powerful women entrepreneurs. Clearly Susan Wilson was able to pay for her daughter’s summer camp by herself, and her highly publicized Kickstarter served a clear warning of how easy it is to take advantage of those on the Internet.
Kickstarter makes it easier for the average person to pitch their ideas and crowd source their projects. While malicious schemers on the Internet who will take advantage of others can target the site, its benefits to those truthful content creators should not be overlooked. Several innovative projects became a success because of the crowd source funding that Kickstarter can provide, helping content creators who don’t want to take out large loans or sell their ideas to a corporate entity. Whether you’re just browsing or actively backing projects, Kickstarter is an interesting site that can develop into something even greater if the right creative minds use it.
