 |
|
|
More Sites Offer Free Money from the Public By Christine Durst & Michael Haaren June 7, 2012 Just when you thought the Web couldn’t bring you any more surprises, here comes another. More and more sites are enabling individuals to get “free money” from the public, for a growing variety of needs. Here’s the backstory. THE GROWTH OF “THE CROWD” (US) In the 1990s, AOL famously tried to bring the Internet inside its gated community, to make AOL synonymous with “being online.” And it almost worked. As the company flooded the public with CDs offering free hours of online access, millions signed up. Thus “the crowd” began to migrate online, and, equally important, to hang out there. We slowly began to feel that the online world was real. Experts began to wonder if the “World Wide Web” might actually have commercial potential. Would people trust it enough to buy things there? Fast forward to now. “Internet users” is an obsolete phrase, because now it simply means everybody. And for millions, the online world has replaced “meatspace” as the dominant reality. (Just look at sites like SecondLife.com, or massively-popular online games.) And almost every transaction that occurs offline can occur online – including giving strangers money. WHERE TO GET THE DOUGH Crowdfunding means getting money from the public in the form of a donation or, with the passing of new laws, an investment. But today we’re talking about donations. Here are three websites where you can get donations for everything from medical expenses to your new movie. -- Indiegogo.com: “People all over the world use our industry-leading platform to raise millions of dollars for all types of campaigns,” the site says. “No matter what you are raising money for, you can start right now with no fee or application process.” As we write, requests include a young man who needs money to study in Japan (he’s raised $4,417); a cancer victim who needs medical expenses (he’s raised $11,762); and a singer’s first solo album (she’s raised $2,341). Like other crowdfunding sites, Indiegogo subtracts a commission based on the amount the campaign receives. -- Crowdtilt.com: Crowdtilt calls itself a “groupfunding” site, and lets you pitch your project to a group of friends. To help accomplish this, it requires you to connect your campaign to your Facebook page. Campaign examples include wedding presents, an alumni tailgate fund, and a PHISH party bus going to Washington, DC. -- Kickstarter.com: Kickstarter specializes in the funding of creative projects. But these are defined fairly broadly, and include clothing lines, dance, books, albums, entertainment films, documentaries, photography collections, etc. Most Kickstarter projects are funded for less than $5,000, but some have been funded in the millions. ---- Christine Durst and Michael Haaren are leaders in the work-at-home movement and advocates of de-rat-raced living. Their latest book is Work at Home Now, a guide to finding home-based jobs. They offer additional guidance on finding home-based work at www.RatRaceRebellion.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2012 BY STAFFCENTRIX, DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The
contents of this site are the property of Staffcentrix, LLC © 1999-2011. Staffcentrix, LLC. All rights reserved. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
