Thanksgiving is coming and so is an opportunity to spread the word about #SciFund projects. If you are looking to get extra traction for a project, here is an idea. Why not talk up the project with the friends and family that you will soon be seeing?
And instead of asking them for contributions, ask them to help spread the word about the project with their own networks and organizations. This spreading of the word is really the most valuable thing that your friends and family can do. The evidence from the projects that have hit their funding targets is extremely clear: spreading awareness of a project over multiple networks is very important for success (evidence here, here, and here).
Happy travels everyone!
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What would work best for me would be a site where I could make automatic payments of some sum every month. Once in a while I would go to that site, look over the projects, and make donations.
It would be best if the projects were packaged Kickstarter style, with fund-by dates and increasing incentives for higher funding levels. I should be able to set up tags that would connect with projects of special interest and describe projects that I wish someone would take on. And rate outcomes.
Also the platform should support some kind of interaction with other funders and the principals of the projects being funded.
Great ideas fhapgood. You may not be aware, but much of the functionality that you suggested already exists for SciFund projects on RocketHub (scifund.rockethub.com). Projects are already packaged Kickstarter-style (RocketHub and Kickstarter are similar). There is lots of space for interaction on the individual SciFund pages on RocketHub. As for automatic monthly payments, I don’t think that would quite work in this case as all SciFund projects are 45 days in length (start Nov. 1, end Dec. 15).
By Kickstarter style I meant fund-by dates, such that you are only charged if the project gets to a specific level of donations by date X. (I could be persuaded that this is not a good idea but that hasn’t happened yet.) And I do understand that this particular instance of crowdfunding has a 45 day life space. I was looking ahead, trying to imagine a platform that presented science projects on a continuing basis, and that I would be comfortable visiting regularly, maybe for years. Automatic monthly payments would be a way of reducing transaction costs. Perhaps there are other ways of getting there.
tempo
This is test
1: CREATE A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT
Go to Facebook and fill out the “Create a New Account” section. You can change everything later, so feel free to be honest about your name and everything else and if you want to change the account to represent an organization later, you can. Once you’ve submitted that information, you’ll have to verify your identity by entering a code sent from Facebook to your email address or phone. Following the code verification, Facebook will walk you through how to set up your profile. You will definitely want a profile picture (which you can change later), but finding people you know is optional at this point, as is touring privacy settings. Either of these activities can be done later, once your account is set up. I’d recommend taking the privacy tour, though, because it’s only 4 short screens to look through and the first screen is especially useful- it shows you how to set viewing privileges for every post you will make.
And that’s it- you’re ready to go!
Facebook’s frontpage, viewed from a computer’s internet browser.
2. SEND US YOUR USERNAME
A. Computer view: click on your profile picture and your first name at the very top of the screen (the red box in the image below). Then read the address bar in your browser, which should say something like “facebook.com/username”. Please send us the “username” part of that address.
The top of the Facebook profile page for Virginia Schutte, viewed from a computer’s internet browser. There is a red box around the profile icon, which can be used to return to the profile at any time.
B. Mobile view: Your username is currently unavailable to view from a mobile device, so head on over to a computer.
Sign up for our mailing list!
The two kinds of email that we send.
Announcements about upcoming events: mostly about our upcoming classes (sent out every 1-2 months).
SciFund Solutions: 1-minute communication tips for scientists (sent out every 1-2 weeks).
What would work best for me would be a site where I could make automatic payments of some sum every month. Once in a while I would go to that site, look over the projects, and make donations.
It would be best if the projects were packaged Kickstarter style, with fund-by dates and increasing incentives for higher funding levels. I should be able to set up tags that would connect with projects of special interest and describe projects that I wish someone would take on. And rate outcomes.
Also the platform should support some kind of interaction with other funders and the principals of the projects being funded.
Great ideas fhapgood. You may not be aware, but much of the functionality that you suggested already exists for SciFund projects on RocketHub (scifund.rockethub.com). Projects are already packaged Kickstarter-style (RocketHub and Kickstarter are similar). There is lots of space for interaction on the individual SciFund pages on RocketHub. As for automatic monthly payments, I don’t think that would quite work in this case as all SciFund projects are 45 days in length (start Nov. 1, end Dec. 15).
By Kickstarter style I meant fund-by dates, such that you are only charged if the project gets to a specific level of donations by date X. (I could be persuaded that this is not a good idea but that hasn’t happened yet.) And I do understand that this particular instance of crowdfunding has a 45 day life space. I was looking ahead, trying to imagine a platform that presented science projects on a continuing basis, and that I would be comfortable visiting regularly, maybe for years. Automatic monthly payments would be a way of reducing transaction costs. Perhaps there are other ways of getting there.