Matt is setting up a subscription-based crowdfunding account at Patreon:
http://mattchat.us/?p=570
Why Patreon?
Patreon page. Patreon is still new enough to elicit more head scratching than enthusiasm at this point, but I think once you understand it, you’ll agree that it’s a better way to support folks like me than PayPal or Kickstarter. Here are my thoughts on it.
The main reason I decided to go for Patreon was the payment structure. The problem with PayPal is that you’re limited to either paying a subscription (so much per week, month, etc.) or a one-time payment. The subscriptions are great, of course, but it puts me in a position of feeling guilty if I have to take some time off. If there’s no new episode that week, you just paid for nothing. I understand that most of you folks would probably say–”So what, Matt? Enjoy!” But I still don’t feel right about it.
Patreon, however, allows you to pay
only when I release new content that I specifically label as “paid.” This maintains the pressure on me to continue to release new episodes (if I don’t–no money!), but I don’t have the dread of pissing off a subscriber if I don’t get it done on schedule.
The one-time payments from Paypal are probably the least offensive option for most people. Unfortunately, almost everyone who does that never donates again. I guess the mindset is, “I paid him $50, that’s enough for here to eternity!” I always appreciate, of course, these awesome gifts, but they simply aren’t a sustainable way to produce the show. I’d prefer, actually, for that person to do the $1 or $5 per episode deal instead; that way, I’d have a steady flow of income for quite awhile, and hopefully by the time I’d collected the $50, the person would simply let it continue. At any rate, I’d have a much better way to plan my spending and make sure I don’t blow my budget.
Another great thing about Patreon is they take a much smaller cut than Paypal. If you give me a $1 through Paypal, I usually get sixty-seven cents.
Paypal takes out a full thirty-three cents (33%) for their fees! Patreon, on the other hand, only takes out 8%. I don’t know anyone who wants to support Paypal; you just want to support the content creator. So I think this fact alone is enough reason for you to switch to Patreon!
Finally, Patreon is simply a more fun way to handle all this. There’s more of a community feeling to the site, like Kickstarter. You can see all the other patrons and interact with everyone on the pages. Thus, you can let others know you’re a true supporter, though you can also remain anonymous if you prefer. I can also set up funding goals and rewards for folks. In short, I just don’t see a downside.
So, if you’re currently supporting me through PayPal, consider switching over to Patreon. It won’t cost you anything extra, and both of us will get better benefits. If you’re not currently supporting me, now’s a good chance to climb aboard. For only a buck per show, you’ll be supporting a rather excellent show and its humble, only slightly nutty producer!
