Kickstarter thought

[mase123987]

Kickerstarter is obviously a great choice for someone with an idea but having troubles getting financial backing. In some cases though, it is starting to feel like a place where mostly smaller companies look to take the risk out of a new product. In a way, using it to make people pay for the product before it is even made. This is kind of against the spirit of kickstarter. What do you think?

 

[BIGPADDY]

It good for getting individuals or small companies money for a product, service etc. However I wouldn't what to back a project that I would basically be a beta tester but I suppose that the risk you take.

 

[jmshub]

There is good and bad to kickstarter. I see companies fundraising for projects in an interesting way. But there are the downsides, as you said. And there is the thermodo, a good example of a company that is basically holding features hostage (you know, like platform support!) unless people pay up.

 

[Rndomuser]

Well, there's nothing wrong with paying for "testing" the beta product - if people prefer it, why not? Every page for such products has some kind of disclaimer about taking a risk, and people don't have to pay huge amount of money outright, or anything at all...

 

[mase123987]

Well, there's nothing wrong with paying for "testing" the beta product - if people prefer it, why not? Every page for such products has some kind of disclaimer about taking a risk, and people don't have to pay huge amount of money outright, or anything at all...

There is nothing wrong with taking a risk. I just don't like companies looking at kickstarter as a free money source to take advantage of.

 

[Rndomuser]

Well, there are many "guidelines" that try to prevent something as abusive as "I need more $$$ to buy myself this beautiful house, now give them to me!" - for example a project must show the actual working prototypes (not just rendering of some thing) and production plans with updates on whole process, etc. Of course, if the backers go crazy with donations and donate like $10 million for some project - nothing will prevent the project starter from thinking "ok, I got huge amount of $$$ in my hands... No need to even bother with finishing the project - I'll just retire and get me some house in some warm country", but that's really the donator's fault ;-)

 

[JerseySal]

The beauty of capitalism is risk. If someone wants to help fund your cacamammie ideas, then more power to you. Once risk and reward is taken away, and winners are chosen by the powers that be, then capital investments shrink...wich turns the economy to what we're slowly heading towards in today.