In these challenging times any kind of good news is welcome. I recently received outstanding updates from three separate crowdfunding campaigns I have supported. I’ve backed nearly thirty such crowdsourced funding campaigns over the years, and some have worked-out better than others.
Campaigns supporting the development of technology products can be dicey for a variety of reasons. I’ve had much better luck with crowdfunding campaigns for the arts, with media such as TV and movies, documentaries, and books.
Continue reading Spectacularly Successful Crowdfunding Campaigns for the Arts →
When I was invited to a screening of The Space Between with director, producer and actor Amy Jo Johnson, I knew I was going to meet a superhero. Johnson was an original Power Ranger. (The first Pink Power Ranger to be specific.)
I ran into the Power Rangers once at Emerald City Comicon but they were cosplayers. Johnson is the real deal, both as a Power Ranger and an actress in general. Her dozens of TV and film credits include starring roles in Felicity, Flashpoint, and The Division.
The Superhero and The Space Between
Continue reading The Superhero, the Producer and the Director →
Many say crowdfunding is a great way to support a cause or product that you believe in or want to encourage. It’s the financial version of crowdsourcing. I have supported over a dozen crowdfunding campaigns myself, ranging from movies to mine removal.
Crowdfunding lets you experience The Thrill of Victory… and The Agony of Defeat
As suggested by the opening to ABC’s Wide World of Sports, you win some and you lose some. When it comes to crowdfunding, the project can go any of three ways:
- Doesn’t raise enough in pledges and they are never collected
- Collects the pledges and accomplishes what they said they’d do
- Collects the pledges and doesn’t accomplish what they said they’d do
Continue reading Think Twice about Crowdfunding Technology Products →
It used to be that if you needed a security system at home or at the office, you’d call an alarm company.
They would provide the full package:
- Provide and install a security system, complete with a console and sensors and the wires that connected everything
- Monitor the system from their office, and notify the police or fire department if something bad happened
- You would enable and disable the system using a key or keypad on the console, but the alarm company took care of the rest
That model served a lot of people for several decades, and there is no shortage of companies offering that kind of service today. (In some markets, you’ll encounter ads for security systems several times daily on radio, TV, and other media.)
Continue reading How Technology Changed our Perception of Security →
Always asking "What are you trying to accomplish?"