Why even crowdfund? Isn't that like admitting your shit's not good?enough?
I’ve been immersing myself in the ideals of community-driven projects lately. I’ve been doing so to an extent that I’ve forgotten that it’s not intuitive why it even makes sense to crowdfund. It’s almost counterintuitive. If the product is good enough, why isn’t some “professional organization” or “legitimate authority” endorsing and funding it? That’s their job, right? By the same token, if these hypothetical “experts” aren’t endorsing and funding it, doesn’t that suggest it’s not “good enough”?
Lots of rabbit ears in that paragraph. Because think about it: how does an organization become recognized as professional, legitimate, authoritative, and expert?
The answers are objective and specific.
The answers are:
- Reputation
- Funding
- Anonymity
That last one’s kind of a jab, because it seems like we respect institutions run by people who haven’t got the time of day for us. Being too busy to talk to plebs like me makes it feel like they’re doing something real.
As for the others, reputation starts somewhere. You build it off of doing good for long enough. That’s intuitive. What’s not as intuitive is that reputation has a beginning. Every recognized expert was once an unrecognized expert. They just stuck around for long enough. Me and mine: we intend to stick around. The recognition comes later. I don’t claim to be an “expert,” because I’m still wrestling with the term. That said, I’m pretty damned good at what I do.
So that just leaves funding.
Which is why crowdfunding is COMPLETELY sensible. It gives people an opportunity to take a direct interest in things they believe in. Crowdfunding means you don’t need to accept the decisions of anonymous organizations who haven’t got any time for you. You have the authority. You get to assert direct influence on that which seems valuable.
My mission is to make something valuable. I am skilled. If I’m to become a “legitimate authority” who’s “professional” and “expert,” my barrier isn’t permission: it’s time. Funding — your funding — means the power to take the time and do the work to become the “expert,” whatever that means.
That’s what crowdfunding does. You get to choose who’s the expert.
Anyway, that’s my take.
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Peace.
— Oliver