Heidi wants to know what this Kickstarter thing she keeps hearing about on Facebook is. Why are people asking her for money? Ray Hollister and Tom Braun, the hosts of Deemable Tech, have the answer on this week’s Ask Deemable Tech.
RAY: Hi, I’m Ray Hollister…
TOM: I’m Tom Braun…
RAY: and we’re the hosts of Deemable Tech. On the show, we answer your questions about computers, tablets, mobile phones and the Internet, like this question:
Heidi asks: What is a Kickstarter? I see people posting on Facebook and Twitter about it. Why are people asking for money? Is it safe to do? How do I know it’s not a scam?
RAY: Great question, Heidi. Kickstarter has really taken off in the past year or so. It is a website that allows you to essentially ?pitch’ your product, creative idea or project to the internet. It’s pretty simple: you set up a Kickstarter project, pick a funding goal, and then anyone on the Internet can support you.
TOM: Yeah. While initially people were using Kickstarter to fund smaller projects, it really has gone mainstream. Now bands have funded albums through Kickstarter, developers have funded video games and just recently the creator of the Veronica Mars TV show Kickstarted a Veronica Mars movie, to star Kristen Bell.
RAY: Some public radio shows have used Kickstarter to fund their projects including Jacksonville’s own “State of the Re:Union.” We even recently funded an app for Deemable Tech through a Kickstarter project. We raised over $1,000 to cover the costs of building a mobile app for iPhone and Android. Once we have that finished, we’ll let you know.
TOM: Now, are there risks to Kickstarter? Well one of the great aspects to Kickstarter is that unless a project gets fully funded they don’t actually charge you. It’s just a pledge.
The payment system also goes through Amazon Payments here in the US, so it’s very secure.
RAY: Now, there’s still no way to guarantee that the project you are supporting itself isn’t a scam. Kickstarter does do some vetting of the projects that people submit, but it’s not impossible.
TOM: Very rare, but not impossible.
RAY: And something to keep in mind is that you are not investing in the company, and you are not buying a product. You are giving your money to the project for them to use. In most cases, you get some reward, which is often the product they are trying to create, but if something happens and they aren’t able to produce that product, there’s not much you can do about it.
Of course if you know the people involved in the project or if it’s being put on by a reputable source then you can be fairly confident that your money will be well-spent.
TOM: Overall I’d say it’s reasonably secure. Kickstarter is a legitimate organization and they are working hard to make sure that people’s money goes where it’s supposed to go.
And that’s awesome, because it gives people a chance to back things they are genuinely enthusiastic about.
Now Ray, how exactly does it work? How do I support a project on Kickstarter?
RAY: Go to kickstarter.com, and search for the project you are interested in. Click on the project, on the project page you will see a video or note from the project’s creator telling you what it’s all about. On the right-hand side of the page is a big green button that says “Back this Project.” Click that button and you will be taken to a page asking how much you want to pledge, and what you want your reward to be. After that you will be taken through the steps of the payment process.
TOM: So Kickstarter sounds like it’s pretty straightforward, safe, and a great way to support things you love.
RAY: Absolutely! It allows folks to start projects that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do. Instead of having to find one rich angel investor to back your project, you can ask all of your friends and family for $5 bucks.
RAY: To hear more answers to questions like this one, listen to our show at Deemable dot com, that’s D-E E-M A-B-L-E dot com. There you can listen to all of our previous episodes and, subscribe to our podcast.
TOM: If you have a question for Deemable Tech give us a call us at One Eight Eight Eight, Nine Seven Two, Nine Eight Six Eight, or you can send us an email at questions at deemable dot com.
