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So when someone uses the phrase (which is what I responded to) "remember that you’re playing the role of an investor, rather than a consumer" you don't take f
by raesene9 8y ago
So when someone uses the phrase (which is what I responded to)
"remember that you’re playing the role of an investor, rather than a consumer"
you don't take from it that this was meant as a short-hand for financial investor?
If not then semantic differnce, but there is a persistent meme whenever kickstarter is discussed on HN that backing is akin to financial investment rather than purchase, and I disagree with that meme.
Sure you can back something purely for the hope that it will happen, and I've done that, but you're not a financial investor in that product/service/etc
- Retric 8y agoIt’s descriptive as you are a financial investor as you’re investing money not time etc. I think they promote the term backers which is also used for people who donate to charity. Unlike with charity you can get meaningful payout rather than a token item. Still, the highest rewards are often symbolic in nature just like charity’s “gold donor” lists etc.
- raesene9 8y agoTo quote https://www.kickstarter.com/terms-of-use https://www.kickstarter.com/terms-of-use "When a project is successfully funded, the creator must complete the project and fulfill each reward. Once a creator has done so, they’ve satisfied their obligation to their backers. " if a kickstarter has symbolic rewards, then sure that's fine. But otherwise it's a contractual obligation to provide a reward in exchange for money. Not a donation, not an investment.
- Retric 8y agoA bond is a contract with specific terms and an investment at the same time. The only real difference between a kickstarter and a bond is handing back money vs handing back something other than money. Well, granted interest payments don’t compound.