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Thread: PetaPixel post about recent photo related KS projects

  1. #1

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    PetaPixel post about recent photo related KS projects

    http://petapixel.com/2015/09/16/the-...photo-project/

    Though the writer did get some facts wrong RE ‪#‎new55‬ and ‪#‎wanderlust‬, what he says is 100% from the perspective of a potential backer who does not have time to delve into the many trivial and often irrelevant details of each project, just as much as few consumers actually delve into that level of detail and minutia about each and every thing they buy.

    Please do not turn this into a thread about the merits of crowed funding, because honestly, that has been discussed enough.

  2. #2

    Re: PetaPixel post about recent photo related KS projects

    I left a comment regarding the TW90. Bloggers for sites like these rarely actually know what they're talking about. It's not like Petapixel is hiring professional writers.

  3. #3

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    Re: PetaPixel post about recent photo related KS projects

    The point is, that they do not have to know what they are talking about. All they know is the gave money and got nothing (yet), and in some cases lost hope of seeing the money or the product, or getting it before its just too late to be relevant like with the instacube example.

  4. #4

    Re: PetaPixel post about recent photo related KS projects

    I'll take his instacube if he doesn't want it.

  5. #5

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    Re: PetaPixel post about recent photo related KS projects

    What this type of report should do is cause potential project creators to consider carefully before they start. So far I've backed the TW 90 and the Galaxy high speed photo paper. The money for the projects is trivial. What I really want is the product. It looks like the TW 90 will really ship (although the creators seem to have no idea when). As for the high speed paper, well I'm only in to it for $50 and can only hope it will be ready some time next summer. But, if it fails completely I'm prepared to lose the $50.

  6. #6

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    Re: PetaPixel post about recent photo related KS projects

    Part of the problem with the crowd sourced model is the backers themselves though. High expectations and a lack of understanding about how the platform works invariably leads to discontent. As an example, most backers see themselves as investors (they're not) and as such feel that they must be treated like stock holders. At the same time, none of the platforms have really provided any real clarity on what being a backer actually means. Add to the mix a few fraudulent campaigns and you have a recipe for distrust and disenchantment.

  7. #7
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: PetaPixel post about recent photo related KS projects

    Quote Originally Posted by koh303 View Post
    The point is, that they do not have to know what they are talking about. All they know is the gave money and got nothing (yet), and in some cases lost hope of seeing the money or the product, or getting it before its just too late to be relevant like with the instacube example.
    Isn't this comment directly opposed to your thread starter request...'Please do not turn this into a thread about the merits of crowed funding, (sic) because honestly, that has been discussed enough.'
    Tin Can

  8. #8

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    Re: PetaPixel post about recent photo related KS projects

    I'm not sure how to respond to this thread without talking about the merits of crowd funding, but basically there are three parties, and they are all at fault to varying degrees. Creators are often overly optimistic about schedule, Backers don't understand their relationship to Creators, and Kickstarter doesn't help anyone figure any of it out.

  9. #9

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    Re: PetaPixel post about recent photo related KS projects

    Well Ben, I have come to this conclusion. Both creators and backers are most probably enthusiastic amateurs who both go into the project with stars in their eyes. I do know this for sure, I could never be a 'creator', no matter how much I daydream about wonderful photo related gadgets. I'm not good with pressure and pressure is central to a KS campaign.

    Probably the most reliable results from campaigns come from established companies like Lomography. They essentially use a campaign only to determine the market and get paid up front, thus avoiding having a vast unsold inventory of some item they only thought would take off.

    Another outfit that is successful is Ondu, (whose makes pinhole cameras) because so much of the labor is in house with only a few outside suppliers of bits and pieces.

    As demonstrated by the TravelWide shipping is also becoming or had already become a major expense and headache for creators.

  10. #10

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    Re: PetaPixel post about recent photo related KS projects

    I don't know how many general conclusions you can draw from any one Kickstarter project. We had been burned before by our own poor design-for-manufacture, so we certainly didn't have stars in our eyes. We knew what we didn't know, but we thought that our production partner would help us guide the design a bit more. One of the biggest things we learned was exactly what we could expect from our prototyping partners.

    So far, shipping seems like a very straightforward process, and it's going to be far cheaper than I expected. It has just taken some time to figure out who we needed to reach out to, and get onboarded into their system. But I wouldn't describe it as a "headache"—in fact, it's been a cakewalk compared to all the rest of our trials and tribulations.

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