Comments on: Crowdfunding the Academy http://www.willriley.net/social-finance/crowdfunding-the-academy/ Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:19:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Shane McLoughlin http://www.willriley.net/social-finance/crowdfunding-the-academy/comment-page-1/#comment-185 Shane McLoughlin Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:19:43 +0000 http://www.willriley.net/?p=329#comment-185 Just thought I'd share my idea from having been on fundit.ie, regarding a rewards system. I offered to give 1 person 5% of the total amount raised as reward, therefore encouraging contribution. Risk free too! Does anyone think it will work? Just thought I’d share my idea from having been on fundit.ie, regarding a rewards system. I offered to give 1 person 5% of the total amount raised as reward, therefore encouraging contribution. Risk free too! Does anyone think it will work?

]]> By: Rowena Robles http://www.willriley.net/social-finance/crowdfunding-the-academy/comment-page-1/#comment-184 Rowena Robles Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:02:47 +0000 http://www.willriley.net/?p=329#comment-184 Hello, I think this is a great idea. And you do acknolwedge how it can be complicated as well as expose racial and class-based divisions and issues of access. I think another issue is that academics and academia has an attitude of remaining under the radar (for lack of a better phrase) in terms of where they get their funding and how they get it. Of course, it's all listed in their CV, but to put it out there on the Internet may be equated with saying that they have not been successful securing funding from the traditional sources (external and internal grants). I think that this is worth pursuing, but I believe that it needs to be framed in very specific ways (e.g. in California, the huge cuts to the state systems of education will directly impact the $ for internal grants so this sort of platform is now necessary.) As soon as I submit this comment, I will become your Twitter follower. I look forward to seeing how this progresses! Good luck, Rowena Hello,

I think this is a great idea. And you do acknolwedge how it can be complicated as well as expose racial and class-based divisions and issues of access. I think another issue is that academics and academia has an attitude of remaining under the radar (for lack of a better phrase) in terms of where they get their funding and how they get it. Of course, it’s all listed in their CV, but to put it out there on the Internet may be equated with saying that they have not been successful securing funding from the traditional sources (external and internal grants).

I think that this is worth pursuing, but I believe that it needs to be framed in very specific ways (e.g. in California, the huge cuts to the state systems of education will directly impact the $ for internal grants so this sort of platform is now necessary.)

As soon as I submit this comment, I will become your Twitter follower. I look forward to seeing how this progresses!

Good luck,
Rowena

]]> By: Ciarán Mc Mahon http://www.willriley.net/social-finance/crowdfunding-the-academy/comment-page-1/#comment-183 Ciarán Mc Mahon Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:17:48 +0000 http://www.willriley.net/?p=329#comment-183 This is very interesting, and thank you for your thoughtful analysis. I am now actively considering crowdfunding a project, and wondering why I didn't think of it before! However, a major problem I have immediately realised, and one which I don't think you have mentioned, is that of reward. When I look at successful projects on www.fundit.ie, I see that they all have very well structured ladders of incentives for funders. How can academics incentivise people to fund our projects? What can we offer in return? Listed in the acknowledgments? A copy of the paper? I can't really think of anything else. This is very interesting, and thank you for your thoughtful analysis. I am now actively considering crowdfunding a project, and wondering why I didn’t think of it before!

However, a major problem I have immediately realised, and one which I don’t think you have mentioned, is that of reward. When I look at successful projects on http://www.fundit.ie, I see that they all have very well structured ladders of incentives for funders.

How can academics incentivise people to fund our projects? What can we offer in return? Listed in the acknowledgments? A copy of the paper? I can’t really think of anything else.

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