5 ms·

Those numbers look similar to Zynga’s whale user ratios.

slg 6y ago
The numbers might be similar, but I don't love the comparison due to the ethical differences between the two. There is a lot more shady psychology and manipulation going on with Zynga than there is when a creator of free content starts accepting donations through Patreon. This is especially true when the membership bonuses are setup like Ben's in which they are mostly just being thanked in slightly more elaborate ways as the donation level increases. https://www.patreon.com/AppliedScience https://www.patreon.com/AppliedScience
- eru 6y ago
  Importantly, there's a limit to how much money you can spend on a single 'client' [0]. I don't think Zynga had meaningful limits on whale spend per game? [0] I assume client is the inverse of a patron? Just going by Roman usage.
  - hobofan 6y ago
    Is there? Apart from the preset tiers, you can usually specify a custom amount to donate monthly, so you could easily spend a few thousand per month on a single creator.
    - eru 6y ago
      Sorry, I meant there's not much of an incentive to keep pumping in extra money for most types of content. As opposed to eg Zynga or cam girls.
- muzani 6y ago
  Yeah, I think while Patreon's high end are fans buying merchandise and donating, Zynga's are addicts.
- distant_hat 6y ago
  YouTube has a huge number of bots on it as well. Patreon is less easily gamed.
- roel_v 6y ago
  Is it? I see Patreon as OnlyFans for nerds - and I don't think OnlyFans is that dissimilar to Zynga...
  - marcinzm 6y ago
    That depends on the user behavior and expectations. For example, I get exactly nothing back directly for any of the patreons I back. No gifts, no bonuses, no personal interaction, nothing. Some send things to backers but I ignore it as it doesn't interest me. OnlyFans and Zynga there is I feel an expectation and goal of a personal reward for your payment.
Cthulhu_ 6y ago
But the nice thing of Patreon is that users can do small donations (like $0,50 / month) and it would already out-earn Youtube's ad revenue by a lot.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

slg 6y ago

The numbers might be similar, but I don't love the comparison due to the ethical differences between the two. There is a lot more shady psychology and manipulation going on with Zynga than there is when a creator of free content starts accepting donations through Patreon. This is especially true when the membership bonuses are setup like Ben's in which they are mostly just being thanked in slightly more elaborate ways as the donation level increases. https://www.patreon.com/AppliedScience https://www.patreon.com/AppliedScience

eru 6y ago
Importantly, there's a limit to how much money you can spend on a single 'client' [0]. I don't think Zynga had meaningful limits on whale spend per game? [0] I assume client is the inverse of a patron? Just going by Roman usage.
- hobofan 6y ago
  Is there? Apart from the preset tiers, you can usually specify a custom amount to donate monthly, so you could easily spend a few thousand per month on a single creator.
  - eru 6y ago
    Sorry, I meant there's not much of an incentive to keep pumping in extra money for most types of content. As opposed to eg Zynga or cam girls.
muzani 6y ago
Yeah, I think while Patreon's high end are fans buying merchandise and donating, Zynga's are addicts.
distant_hat 6y ago
YouTube has a huge number of bots on it as well. Patreon is less easily gamed.
roel_v 6y ago
Is it? I see Patreon as OnlyFans for nerds - and I don't think OnlyFans is that dissimilar to Zynga...
- marcinzm 6y ago
  That depends on the user behavior and expectations. For example, I get exactly nothing back directly for any of the patreons I back. No gifts, no bonuses, no personal interaction, nothing. Some send things to backers but I ignore it as it doesn't interest me. OnlyFans and Zynga there is I feel an expectation and goal of a personal reward for your payment.

Cthulhu_ 6y ago

But the nice thing of Patreon is that users can do small donations (like $0,50 / month) and it would already out-earn Youtube's ad revenue by a lot.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]