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AusGAF 8 - Worksafe Wankers

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Dead Man

Member
But it's not, really, it's just that people think it is.

It was designed as a platform to attract investors to financially back a creative project, where the payoff for investors would be the creative project's existence. Which is a good idea! It's just been twisted a bit.

I spend about $100 a month on various Kickstarters, mostly retro-gaming related game development, and have so far received the end result of two projects in total.

Which sounds terrible, but trust me, it's actually not bad considering how many times I've been on a creative project that never saw the light of day.

I just think a lot of people lose sight of the fact that most creative projects fail, and you are taking a risk - just like you would with any other investment.

I think the difference is the lack of accountability that people perceive. I also think profit sharing should be a fundamental part of the system. Certainly if there is no product included in your support reward. Zach Braff, I'm looking at you.
 

Jintor

Member
I think the difference is the lack of accountability that people perceive. I also think profit sharing should be a fundamental part of the system. Certainly if there is no product included in your support reward. Zach Braff, I'm looking at you.

Klepek was saying on the Bombcast yesterday there's a few competing kickstarter models that have you buying in essentially as... I think a shareholder? Which is... interesting. In liability terms, anyway.
 

Gazunta

Member
the risk should be taken by the creators, not the consumer.

I agree for the most part. It's a large part of why I haven't made a huge push to start a campaign myself. Every time I think about it I just end up going "well, I have a steady job, I could just save my money for a while and pay for it myself if I really want to make this thing". (I was going to look into this for printing up books a year ago, but decided against it for that reason).

What people think it is is what it is. if it's allowed to be used in that fashion then it becomes what it is used to do. [Semantic argument obviously, but true as well].

If it's deviating from its design goal, it's because it is being allowed to do so.

Frankly as someone not deeply invested in the kickstarter system I can't get all that worked up about this. I've come around to the position that it's an unmitigated cash grab, but - what? It's up to Kickstarter to police its own environment, and if they're not willing to do that, let them reap the whirlwind.

Yeah, I'm not sure why people are getting so worked up about it. They could have handled the 'making a case for why this needs outside investment' aspect better, but hey, internet.
 

jambo

Member
Klepek was saying on the Bombcast yesterday there's a few competing kickstarter models that have you buying in essentially as... I think a shareholder? Which is... interesting. In liability terms, anyway.

Valve, especially GabeN, seem to be very interested in going down this path at some point.

They already give back to the community via the TF2 store with content creators getting a cut, the next logical step is gamer investment from people unable to create content.

Maybe we'll finally get HL3 made :lol
 

Jintor

Member
Anyway, I noticed that "Millionaire uses Kickstarter to ask for $700" or whatever thread was active for like a week or two. How long until this egregious thingy blows over?
 

Dead Man

Member
I agree for the most part. It's a large part of why I haven't made a huge push to start a campaign myself. Every time I think about it I just end up going "well, I have a steady job, I could just save my money for a while and pay for it myself if I really want to make this thing". (I was going to look into this for printing up books a year ago, but decided against it for that reason).



Yeah, I'm not sure why people are getting so worked up about it. They could have handled the 'making a case for why this needs outside investment' aspect better, but hey, internet.

I am a bit worked up because they are taking advantage of idiots.
 

Jintor

Member
I'd use that 'fool and his money' thing on you but you already dismissed it

I don't really feel this passes into interventionist-requiring conduct though

("Taking advantage of idiots" could be said to be the very essence of capitalism, come to think of it)
 

Dead Man

Member
If they said "we need $80,000" instead of "we need $10" would this still be a problem?

Yes. That wouldn't really change the fact they are taking advantage of peoples stupidity.

I'd use that 'fool and his money' thing on you but you already dismissed it

I don't really feel this passes into interventionist-requiring conduct though

("Taking advantage of idiots" could be said to be the very essence of capitalism, come to think of it)

Which is why I favour pretty strong consumer protection laws :)
 

Jintor

Member
I was listening to yesterday's AM radio program and they mentioned the Freud museum in his hometown needing to raise $7,500 to repair his couch. First thought in my head was 'they should kickstart that shit'
 

Dead Man

Member
Would you like to see a law in place to prevent these sort of kickstarters? What would the rough wording of that law be?

No, I would rather see Kickstarter actually vet the process better.

And get out of here with asking for the wording of a law on the spot, LOL, ridiculous request.
 

Fredescu

Member
And get out of here with asking for the wording of a law on the spot, LOL, ridiculous request.

No it isn't, I'm asking for a broad description of the law, not legalese. I'm trying to avoid "Yes, because". I want "Yes, it would be this". Since it's no, it doesn't matter. Doesn't seem to be a consumer protection issue after all, more of a brand protection thing.
 

Gazunta

Member
EVERYTHING SHOULD BE FREE AND RICH PEOPLE SHOULD SPEND ALL THEIR MONEY GIVING AWAY STUFF.

OK time for a topic change AusGAF.What was better, Cheez TV or Boris' Breakfast Club?
 

Dead Man

Member
No it isn't, I'm asking for a broad description of the law, not legalese. I'm trying to avoid "Yes, because". I want "Yes, it would be this". Since it's no, it doesn't matter. Doesn't seem to be a consumer protection issue after all, more of a brand protection thing.

? Why is it not a consumer protection thing but a brand protection thing?

EVERYTHING SHOULD BE FREE AND RICH PEOPLE SHOULD SPEND ALL THEIR MONEY GIVING AWAY STUFF.

OK time for a topic change AusGAF.What was better, Cheez TV or Boris' Breakfast Club?
You can't dump a straw man like that and THEN change the topic, LOL

But Cheez TV was by far the better broadcast.
 

jambo

Member
OK time for a topic change AusGAF.What was better, Cheez TV or Boris' Breakfast Club?

Ga67IJL.jpg
 

Dead Man

Member
You don't want a law against it, you think that Kickstarter should maintain their reputation by disallowing certain types of projects. Right?

LOL, no. I think Kickstarter has an ethical obligation to look after the people that back projects, and ensure that projects appearing on their site have concrete aims and rewards. I donj't give a rats arse about KS's reputation. I care about the dumb people that don't actually read things or think before they throw money at them.

Edit: If there was a way to have that in regulations, then I would not be against it, I'm just thinking it is not necessary at the moment. KS are an investor/funding service right? We regulate the hell out of every other aspect of investing.
 

Jintor

Member
LOL, no. I think Kickstarter has an ethical obligation to look after the people that back projects, and ensure that projects appearing on their site have concrete aims and rewards. I donj't give a rats arse about KS's reputation. I care about the dumb people that don't actually read things or think before they throw money at them.

Edit: If there was a way to have that in regulations, then I would not be against it, I'm just thinking it is not necessary at the moment. KS are an investor/funding service right? We regulate the hell out of every other aspect of investing.

I suspect it'd be up to the Yanks to reign them in...
 

senahorse

Member
EVERYTHING SHOULD BE FREE AND RICH PEOPLE SHOULD SPEND ALL THEIR MONEY GIVING AWAY STUFF.

OK time for a topic change AusGAF.What was better, Cheez TV or Boris' Breakfast Club?


Easily Boris, now he was a real character. Also I had my birthday run up the screen a million miles an hour once.

boris%20head%20shot.jpg
 

Gazunta

Member
You can't dump a straw man like that and THEN change the topic, LOL
That's a fair cop.

I agree that if they said 'hey we need $80,000 to hire someone to edit these podcasts and pay for people's time to record them' I would have absolutely no problem with the campaign. But saying they only need $10 is telling people 'hey we don't need your money' in which case...why is this even a thing?

But it's clear there's a lot of people who want more of these podcasts and are willing to pay for them to be made, so hey, good on 'em.

As an aside I asked Scott Kurtz today if they were going to go ahead and do a Kickstarter for more Webcomics Weekly podcasts, which is something I would gladly pay a stupid amount of money for, and he said they've decided against it. Shame :(
 

Fredescu

Member
I think Kickstarter has an ethical obligation to look after the people that back projects, and ensure that projects appearing on their site have concrete aims and rewards.

The biggest problem with looking after backers would be when a successful project doesn't come to fruition. I doubt they'll ever protect anyone against that though. The nice thing about this kickstarter is the project is very likely to happen. Also it has fairly concrete rewards. Given that these backers are likely to get what they pay for, perhaps moreso than most other kickstarters, I'm not seeing the problem. By your own standards anyway.
 

Jintor

Member
I never really liked the mix of personalities on webcomics weekly and the audio quality was shocking. :<

My headphones died again, so I gotta pop down to JBHi-Fi and get it replaced. probably just going to get some sony in-ear buds, but anybody got any quick recommendations? <$100 plz, though could probably go up to $150 for something that'll last a while
 
If they said "we need $80,000" instead of "we need $10" would this still be a problem?
I think so. At least that way you're saying "we need 15 000 idiots to all be willing to give us money" instead of their "we don't care how stupid or few you are, we like you're money."

In a weird kind of way, my dislike for it will decrease proportionately to the number of people that give money. If a lot of people want this, it's a viable product (that was conducted in very poor manner) that has a large marketable consumer base. It's more that they essentially said "we will take money even if one person backs this. We just want money. Your money. Give. Little money. Lot money. Money?"

OK time for a topic change AusGAF.What was better, Cheez TV or Boris' Breakfast Club?
But Cheez TV was by far the better broadcast.
Huh. Did either of you watch Boris? I'm not saying you're both wrong, I'm just curious. It's not your fault, Gaz's question lacked qualifiers about what he meant by better. Better hosts? Cinematography? Cartoons? Production values?

C'mon, Gaz, if you're gonna change the subject do a quality job.
 

Rahk

Member
My headphones died again, so I gotta pop down to JBHi-Fi and get it replaced. probably just going to get some sony in-ear buds, but anybody got any quick recommendations? <$100 plz, though could probably go up to $150 for something that'll last a while
The Shure SE215s are pretty good for the price. I just checked when I ordered them and they're still working after two years. I'm not very careful with them either, just shove them in my pocket. Better quality than any Sony earphones you'll find too.

Apart from that you can check the recommendations here and here for some ideas. I'd go for something that has reportedly good durability as I believe it's important for earphones if you want them to last more than a few months.

Unlikely to find any of them at JB Hi-Fi though, if that's what you're after.
 

Gazunta

Member
How old are you Gaz?

Probably too old to be spending my workday on GAF

Who is Boris and why did he form a club about the first meal of the day

Dude LOVED breakfast. And going to the toilet before the show started.

Easily Boris, now he was a real character. Also I had my birthday run up the screen a million miles an hour once.
Haha yeah me too. I made sure to record it and replay it tons of times.

The guy who played him did magic shows in my local pub all the time when I was a kid. He'd pull me up on stage to 'help'. I started to not want to go because he would always pick me out. :p
 

Dead Man

Member
The biggest problem with looking after backers would be when a successful project doesn't come to fruition. I doubt they'll ever protect anyone against that though. The nice thing about this kickstarter is the project is very likely to happen. Also it has fairly concrete rewards. Given that these backers are likely to get what they pay for, perhaps moreso than most other kickstarters, I'm not seeing the problem. By your own standards anyway.
The rewards are fine, the 10 aim, the request from a pretty established brand, the implication that they couldn't do a podcast without this KS, that is the rubbish.
That's a fair cop.

I agree that if they said 'hey we need $80,000 to hire someone to edit these podcasts and pay for people's time to record them' I would have absolutely no problem with the campaign. But saying they only need $10 is telling people 'hey we don't need your money' in which case...why is this even a thing?

But it's clear there's a lot of people who want more of these podcasts and are willing to pay for them to be made, so hey, good on 'em.

As an aside I asked Scott Kurtz today if they were going to go ahead and do a Kickstarter for more Webcomics Weekly podcasts, which is something I would gladly pay a stupid amount of money for, and he said they've decided against it. Shame :(
If somebody feels this KS is actually providing them with value, that's great. I don't think it is providing anyone with value though. the 10 aim aside (which pretty much destroys the validity of the whole damn thing), for established guys to say they need money to be able to do a podcast of all things is simple ridiculous. A podcast is not free to make at a decent quality level, but it ain't that much either.

I think so. At least that way you're saying "we need 15 000 idiots to all be willing to give us money" instead of their "we don't care how stupid or few you are, we like you're money."

In a weird kind of way, my dislike for it will decrease proportionately to the number of people that give money. If a lot of people want this, it's a viable product (that was conducted in very poor manner) that has a large marketable consumer base. It's more that they essentially said "we will take money even if one person backs this. We just want money. Your money. Give. Little money. Lot money. Money?"




Huh. Did either of you watch Boris? I'm not saying you're both wrong, I'm just curious. It's not your fault, Gaz's question lacked qualifiers about what he meant by better. Better hosts? Cinematography? Cartoons? Production values?

C'mon, Gaz, if you're gonna change the subject do a quality job.

Boris was watched once. While interstate. The town I grew up in was out in the sticks, and had 2 channels.
 
Exactly!

The Shure SE215s are pretty good for the price.
I still have my SE215s after having had them recommended by AusGAF. I don't treat them particularly well at all, I run wearing them (and thus sweat on them a bit), I've put them through the wash once by accident, I don't have the case any more so they get a bit tangled (the cord is strong enough it doesn't tangle much).

The only issue I've had with them is where the cable meets the earpiece can sometimes cut out, but it seems to be a known issue. If you rotate (or disconnect and reconnect) usually they're OK for a while again.

Definitely recommend them.

Not even really sure asking for money is being a dick.
Depends how you ask for it I suppose.
 

Jintor

Member
The Shure SE215s are pretty good for the price. I just checked when I ordered them and they're still working after two years. I'm not very careful with them either, just shove them in my pocket. Better quality than any Sony earphones you'll find too.

Apart from that you can check the recommendations here and here for some ideas. I'd go for something that has reportedly good durability as I believe it's important for earphones if you want them to last more than a few months.

Cheers bigears. I've also been wearing these bright green fluro headphones so even non ear-bud thingies would be good...
 

Deeku

Member
LOL, no. I think Kickstarter has an ethical obligation to look after the people that back projects, and ensure that projects appearing on their site have concrete aims and rewards. I donj't give a rats arse about KS's reputation. I care about the dumb people that don't actually read things or think before they throw money at them.

Edit: If there was a way to have that in regulations, then I would not be against it, I'm just thinking it is not necessary at the moment. KS are an investor/funding service right? We regulate the hell out of every other aspect of investing.
It totally should be regulated, or more realistically a better vetting process or whatever. Like, do these places even get audited to determine if they've actually allocated the money properly. Because if it's just a free for all, as it kinda seems to me, you could probably ask for X, use 0.5X and keep the other 0.5 for yourself? I dunno, KS always seemed shady as hell to me, it's totally just internet panhandling.
 

Fredescu

Member
The rewards are fine, the 10 aim, the request from a pretty established brand, the implication that they couldn't do a podcast without this KS, that is the rubbish.

Having an established brand on kickstarter is probably a good thing for smaller projects. If a decent amount of people back this as their first project and have a good experience because they get what they paid for, they will be more aware of kickstarter and at least some of them will go on to back other projects. I can't see a good reason for not allowing established brands on kickstarters.

The low aim is just a guarantee that the project will happen regardless. Don't see a problem there.
 

Dead Man

Member
Having an established brand on kickstarter is probably a good thing for smaller projects. If a decent amount of people back this as their first project and have a good experience because they get what they paid for, they will be more aware of kickstarter and at least some of them will go on to back other projects. I can't see a good reason for not allowing established brands on kickstarters.

The low aim is just a guarantee that the project will happen regardless. Don't see a problem there.

I wish I was as... optimistic... as you :)

It totally should be regulated, or more realistically a better vetting process or whatever. Like, do these places even get audited to determine if they've actually allocated the money properly. Because if it's just a free for all, as it kinda seems to me, you could probably ask for X, use 0.5X and keep the other 0.5 for yourself? I dunno, KS always seemed shady as hell to me, it's totally just internet panhandling.

Yeah, I don't know the details, hence my avoiding demands for describing legislation. But yeah, it certainly seems to be requiring some form of oversight.
 
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