Friday, September 9, 2016
Official Kicksnarker FAQ (Updated 9/9/2016)
The Official FAQ has seen its long-overdue update, and it has now been split into five parts, all of which are linked below (and to the right).
Monday, February 3, 2014
2013 Hall of Fame Inductees
2013 was a big year for us. We grew from almost nothing to more than 200 Snarkers. And it needs to be said: This is the first thing I check out on the internet every single morning.
We had about a dozen folks nominate posts, people, and comments for the Hall of Fame. From that dozen, 104 votes for the winners were recorded. Not every category had the full 104 votes - most of them were in the 70-80 range.
I'll admit that I was very surprised at a few of the nominees. There were posts I'd forgotten about, comments I'd thought no-one else had appreciated, and projects that ... well ... needed to fail.
What surprised me most when tabulating these was just how many of them were landslides.
I sure hope you guys are taking notes and saving URLs for next year's nominations process. And keep in mind: I will probably shake the categories up a bit more - "Best" is unclear, but "Funniest" isn't. For example.
But, without further ado, here are the winners and the 2013 Inductees into the Kicksnarker Hall of Fame.
The Most Useful Post of 2013:
Nathaniel Cole's List of Do's and Don'ts
This post had more than 70% of the final vote and was a runaway winner. And it's easy to see why - I think there is some solid information in there for first-time Kickstarter Project Creators.
The Funniest Post of 2013:
Eric Franklin Sharing Synnibarr Update #13
It was weird to me seeing three different nominations in this category were my posts. The voting on this one was not as large a landslide as the Most Useful Post voting, but it was still a landslide.
The Funniest Community Member in 2013 Was:
Jason Paul McCartan
It was interesting to watch the voting on this one - Erik Tenkar sprang to an early lead, but it didn't last long. The Badger won this with more than 50% of the total vote. The first runner-up was more than forty votes behind.
The Most Ridiculous Excuse For A Delay in Project Completion Was:
Mike Nystul, "I've Decided to Become a Wandering Wizard."
I was actually disappointed that Hyperdimensional Plasma Attacks didn't win this one. But I'm not surprised to see Nystul take home the Gold, here. Nystul had more than 60% of the total vote, with second place hanging out around 10%.
The Worst Project Creator Snarked in 2013:
Gareth Skarka for Far West.
This was the closest category I've covered so far, but second place still had only half of Skarka's 51 votes. I was actually a bit shocked - I'd expected Nystul to take this one. Maybe everyone has just flat given up on Nystul, making it hard to hang onto any sort of anger or frustration? I wonder if Skarka will win again in 2014 - even if Far West makes it to backers.
The Dumbest Successful Project Snarked in 2013:
Raiders of R'lyeh
Apparently we don't see the need for a clone of Call of Cthulhu that was written in the same core system (with some minor tweaks) and which also features a soundtrack and the involvement of the Pundit. This project had 44 of the votes - second place had 20.
The Project that Most Deserved To Fail (And Did):
Goaster
I'll admit - I was shocked at this outcome. There were some really terrible projects in here. Goaster won by a landslide. Apparently this community doesn't believe the world is ready for pocket coasters.
The Failed Project That Most Deserved To Succeed:
Invulnerable
It's nice to see the community rallying around one of its own. This project dominated the voting in this category, with 44 votes. The other nominees were all about 20 votes behind. This, by the way, was the category with the narrowest margin of victory.
The Fulfilled Project That Was The Biggest Disappointment:
Axes & Anvils
With more than 50% of the vote. The other nominees each averaged about five votes each. Personally, I was unaware that this had even been partially fulfilled ...
The Project With The Dumbest Add-on Items:
Truth & Trolls
The only other nominee in this category had less than a third of the votes. I don't know if it was the drink coozies, the mouse pads, the hoodies, or the very Cafe Press-ness of all of the above, but you guys seemed to really hate the add-on items this project offered.
The Project with the Dumbest Stretch Goals:
Axes & Anvils
This category had two nominees and acquired 78 votes. Six of them were for Ogre. Apparently no-one here wants to go to a dwarf-themed convention while drinking from hand-crafted dwarf-themed beer steins.
The Best Project Shared in 2013:
Tenra Bansho Zero
This category had 90 votes. Fifty of them were for TBZ.Dyson Logos' Patreo was in second place with 15 votes. It's interesting to note here that most of the nominees (and the winner) were done by community members.
The Best Post of 2013 Was:
Eric Franklin talking about Raiders of R'lyeh
This post had 52 of the 79 votes in this category. Also of note: This post was when I realized that I was not alone in my thoughts on the Pundit.
The Best Comment or Comment Thread of 2013:
Caias Ward and Craig Judd
With 79 votes total in the category, Caias and Craig nabbed 60 of 'em. Another blow-out, really.
Thanks to all of you who participated by voting and/or nominating. We'll do this again next year.
We had about a dozen folks nominate posts, people, and comments for the Hall of Fame. From that dozen, 104 votes for the winners were recorded. Not every category had the full 104 votes - most of them were in the 70-80 range.
I'll admit that I was very surprised at a few of the nominees. There were posts I'd forgotten about, comments I'd thought no-one else had appreciated, and projects that ... well ... needed to fail.
What surprised me most when tabulating these was just how many of them were landslides.
I sure hope you guys are taking notes and saving URLs for next year's nominations process. And keep in mind: I will probably shake the categories up a bit more - "Best" is unclear, but "Funniest" isn't. For example.
But, without further ado, here are the winners and the 2013 Inductees into the Kicksnarker Hall of Fame.
The Most Useful Post of 2013:
Nathaniel Cole's List of Do's and Don'ts
This post had more than 70% of the final vote and was a runaway winner. And it's easy to see why - I think there is some solid information in there for first-time Kickstarter Project Creators.
The Funniest Post of 2013:
Eric Franklin Sharing Synnibarr Update #13
It was weird to me seeing three different nominations in this category were my posts. The voting on this one was not as large a landslide as the Most Useful Post voting, but it was still a landslide.
The Funniest Community Member in 2013 Was:
Jason Paul McCartan
It was interesting to watch the voting on this one - Erik Tenkar sprang to an early lead, but it didn't last long. The Badger won this with more than 50% of the total vote. The first runner-up was more than forty votes behind.
The Most Ridiculous Excuse For A Delay in Project Completion Was:
Mike Nystul, "I've Decided to Become a Wandering Wizard."
I was actually disappointed that Hyperdimensional Plasma Attacks didn't win this one. But I'm not surprised to see Nystul take home the Gold, here. Nystul had more than 60% of the total vote, with second place hanging out around 10%.
The Worst Project Creator Snarked in 2013:
Gareth Skarka for Far West.
This was the closest category I've covered so far, but second place still had only half of Skarka's 51 votes. I was actually a bit shocked - I'd expected Nystul to take this one. Maybe everyone has just flat given up on Nystul, making it hard to hang onto any sort of anger or frustration? I wonder if Skarka will win again in 2014 - even if Far West makes it to backers.
The Dumbest Successful Project Snarked in 2013:
Raiders of R'lyeh
Apparently we don't see the need for a clone of Call of Cthulhu that was written in the same core system (with some minor tweaks) and which also features a soundtrack and the involvement of the Pundit. This project had 44 of the votes - second place had 20.
The Project that Most Deserved To Fail (And Did):
Goaster
I'll admit - I was shocked at this outcome. There were some really terrible projects in here. Goaster won by a landslide. Apparently this community doesn't believe the world is ready for pocket coasters.
The Failed Project That Most Deserved To Succeed:
Invulnerable
It's nice to see the community rallying around one of its own. This project dominated the voting in this category, with 44 votes. The other nominees were all about 20 votes behind. This, by the way, was the category with the narrowest margin of victory.
The Fulfilled Project That Was The Biggest Disappointment:
Axes & Anvils
With more than 50% of the vote. The other nominees each averaged about five votes each. Personally, I was unaware that this had even been partially fulfilled ...
The Project With The Dumbest Add-on Items:
Truth & Trolls
The only other nominee in this category had less than a third of the votes. I don't know if it was the drink coozies, the mouse pads, the hoodies, or the very Cafe Press-ness of all of the above, but you guys seemed to really hate the add-on items this project offered.
The Project with the Dumbest Stretch Goals:
Axes & Anvils
This category had two nominees and acquired 78 votes. Six of them were for Ogre. Apparently no-one here wants to go to a dwarf-themed convention while drinking from hand-crafted dwarf-themed beer steins.
The Best Project Shared in 2013:
Tenra Bansho Zero
This category had 90 votes. Fifty of them were for TBZ.Dyson Logos' Patreo was in second place with 15 votes. It's interesting to note here that most of the nominees (and the winner) were done by community members.
The Best Post of 2013 Was:
Eric Franklin talking about Raiders of R'lyeh
This post had 52 of the 79 votes in this category. Also of note: This post was when I realized that I was not alone in my thoughts on the Pundit.
The Best Comment or Comment Thread of 2013:
Caias Ward and Craig Judd
With 79 votes total in the category, Caias and Craig nabbed 60 of 'em. Another blow-out, really.
Thanks to all of you who participated by voting and/or nominating. We'll do this again next year.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
2013 Hall of Fame Survey Post Is Live
It's December 1st, which means it's time to start getting ready for our First Anniversary and getting the Hall of Fame ready.
So if you have a few minutes, go here and take our survey!
We will stop accepting new answers on or about January 15, 2014. At that time, we'll start tabulating responses and will announce our Hall of Fame inductees on or about February 1st, 2014 (time permitting).
I haven't said it enough, lately, but those of you who are members? Thank you for being so awesome.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Welcome To The Community!
This page will serve as a FAQ to the Kicksnarker community on Google Plus, and will be updated periodically as it becomes necessary.
UPDATE: AS OF 3/1/14, THIS PAGE IS NO LONGER BEING UPDATED.
The FAQ is now located here.
What Is Kicksnarker?
It's a community of people on Google Plus who like highlighting absurdities they find on the internet, whether it's a good project with a bad goal or a completely stupid project. And by "project," we mean "product, whether crowdfunded or available through more traditional retail."
So What Is It About?
It's about what the members think it's about. Really. We've mocked plenty of really stupid things, but we've had some fairly in-depth discussion of crowdfunding and what it's for and why it exists.
Sure, we mock stupid things a lot, but I learn something new from the group every day.
So Is This Some Sort Of Official Kickstarter Group?
No. As a group, we are not affiliated with Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, DriveThruRPG, Amazon, or any other site to which we link. It's possible that individual members work for one or more of these companies, but their postings here (unless they specifically state otherwise) are not intended as official public statements for those companies.
How Do I Join?
If you're on Google Plus, you can just go to the community page and click on "Join Community" at the top of the page. One of our moderators will probably approve you fairly quickly.
Are There Any Restrictions On Membership?
You need to have a Google Plus account. But that's a software thing, not a rule we made up. If you apply to join and aren't approved right away, it's possible that our moderators are at work or in a meeting or at a convention or something. Just hold tight.
I'm A Spammer and My Google Plus Profile Highlights This - Can I Still Join?
If your profile makes it clear that you're a spammer, we probably won't let you in. If you have an empty profile, we'll still let you in, but will ban you as soon as you spam us.
Because we don't like you, that's why.
What If I Don't Have A Google Plus Account?
Then you can't join. Not because we don't like you, but because you ... um ... don't have a Google Plus account and so can't join any communities on Plus.
Can I Read Without Joining?
Yes. Kicksnarker is a public community, so everything we post and say there is publicly viewable. Even if you don't have a Google Plus account.
Can I Tell My Friends About This Community?
The first rule of Kicksnarker is that we do not talk about Kicksnarker. In fact, we need to know who told you about the community so we can ban them.
I Want To Leave the Community.
Sorry. Not an option. When we created the community, we clicked the "4Lyfe" option. Once you're in, you're with us forever. Until we ban you.
I Like Being Here, But You Guys Post Too Much!
You can turn notifications off for the community and tell it not to appear in your home stream. I'd tell you how to do this, but G+ keeps updating their software, so any advice or pointers I give you will be invalid in a week.
What Are the Posting Rules?
I'm glad you asked that question. We don't really have any rules. If your post is just a link without any commentary from you, however, it will probably be deleted unless it triggers discussion or is a link to something that is obviously stupid.
We're prefer it if you didn't call the project creators stupid. You can call the project stupid. You can mock the add-ons and stretch goals and concept all you want, however. We also try to respect each other, even when we disagree.
If your commentary is deliberately inflammatory or offensive, we'll kill the post. Mind you - linking to inflammatory or offensive material is okay, but please warn us. If you post a link to something that is not safe for work, please let us know in your commentary (and make sure that the image Google is using for your link is work-safe).
Can I Reshare Community Posts?
Yes. If you want to be banned immediately.
Just kidding.
Again: this is a public community. Nothing said here is hidden. If you see something awesome that needs re-sharing, go right ahead. It's not like you're sharing private information or credit card numbers or anything like that.
I'm A Backer. Can I Share A Backer-Only Post With the Community?
Yes. Just be aware that the project creator made it backer-only for a reason. Please include a link back to the project if you do this, too. We would prefer that you paraphrase or quote portions rather than a full cut-and-paste of the whole update, but it's really up to you.
What we don't want are download links or ways to give non-backers access to backer-only benefits of some sort (unless you have the explicit permission of the project creator). Posts with download links and the like will be deleted.
Do I Have To Post?
Seriously? Is this even a real question? No. You don't have to post.
Can I Post In A Language Other Than English?
I ... I suppose. You won't probably get much interaction from the community, though. And if Google Translate makes your post look like spam, we may delete it.
I Really Like This Project, But [ASPECT] Seems Tacked On Or Stupid. Can I Post About That?
Yep. The tagline for the community is, "Mocking things we might be capable of loving." Since most of us stumble across stupid things while looking for something we actually want, it's entirely likely we'll find things to love even in the dumbest of projects.
I'm A Project Creator And Someone In Your Group Said My Project Was Stupid.
And? We're here to highlight things we think are stupid. If you have a Google Plus account, feel free to chime in or join the community. Just don't expect sympathy because we're being mean to your project. And don't attack the poster or commenters. Seriously.
Spend your time refuting their claims if you must, but we mostly try to be nice to each other. Other than +Eric Franklin. Because fuck that guy.
I'm A Project Creator And Someone In Your Community Reposted A Backer-Only Post.
That's nice. If it gives away trade secrets or gives us a download link or something, let us know and we'll take it down. If it doesn't otherwise break the rules, you can get the direct link to the post and request a DMCA takedown from Google. But our posts are explicitly for criticism, commentary, and/or parody, which is covered under Fair Use in the United States. It's also worth noting that the group contains a number of people who are well familiar with social media, and a takedown here will probably be discussed by the community (and elsewhere). It may not have the end result you want.
I'm A Project Creator - Can I Ask You To Look At My Project?
If you do this, please be sure to use the correct category ("Help Me Snarkerwan Kenobi! You're My Only Hope!") Just be aware that we will give you honest opinions, and we may disagree with each other. And we will probably also spiral off into some sort of RFID-blocking bottle opener tangent. And, if you're obviously just posting it to get more attention, we will report you to Kickstarter for spamming. And then we'll probably delete your post and ban you and salt the earth. Unless the community is already off on an amusing tangent. Then we'll just ban you and leave your post alone.
We'd also prefer that you not join the community for the sole purpose of asking us to check your project out. In fact, if you join and then immediately ask for feedback, your post will probably be deleted, and you may be banned.
I'm A Community Member - Can I Ask You To Look At A Buddy's Project?
Sure. The same applies to you as it does to project creators asking for input, however. If it's obviously just an attempt to get eyes on a project or stir up excitement pre-launch, your post will probably be deleted unless something in the comments amuses the moderators.
I'm A Community Member - Can I Advertise My Project Here?
Sure. Just don't spam us. What's the difference? One post to announce it going live is fine. Another post to remind us your project is near its end is fine, too. But we're not backers - we don't need regular updates on the progress of your project.
If you need advice mid-stream, feel free to ask - but please don't come up with questions just to put your project in front of our eyes again. If we feel like you're doing that, we'll kill the post. Unless someone makes us laugh.
I'm A Project Creator - Can I share Backer-Only Information With You?
Yes. And, unlike the backers sharing backer-only posts, we'll even accept download links and any other free things you want to give us. Because it's your content.
I'm A Project Creator - Can I Bribe You To Say Good Things About My Project?
You can bribe us all you want. We like free swag. Unless your project is stupid. Because free stupid things aren't really much of a bribe. But don't expect free swag to change our opinions. Especially stupid free swag.
What Makes You Guys Experts On Kickstarter?
I can't speak for everyone, but I've never claimed to be an expert. But the community is made of up folks who have backed a significant number of projects - including several notable post-funding failures - and several highly-successful project creators (and some project creators whose projects haven't funded). So we're not just pulling numbers out of our magic hats. We're speaking from experience both as backers and as project creators.
Have You Had Bad Flame Wars?
Not yet, but this is the internet and we are talking about things we find mock-worthy. It's only a matter of time. We've had a few heated discussions, but most of the group is good about cooling down when told to do so by a moderator.
I Don't Like [Community Member]. Can You Ban Him or Her?
We can, but we'd rather not unless they spam us. You really have a few options for dealing with people you don't like here - and they're essentially the same options you have in the real world:
I Have A Problem With Some Of The Moderation. How Do I Complain?
What's the problem? Did we ask you to play nice? Did we smack you down and ignore someone who was disagreeing with you? Either way, if you feel the moderation was unfair, feel free to appeal to another moderator by tagging them into the discussion. Just don't serially tag moderator after moderator after moderator (not that it's an option yet, but if we keep growing like we have been, it may become necessary) until you get the answer you want.
You can also put a post in your personal Plus (instead of in the community) to complain about the community and its moderation. Of course, if you don't tag us, we probably won't see it to respond.
As a last resort, you can send money to me via PayPal. The only thing it's likely to change is our relative economic standing, but I do like receiving money.
Our goal is fair and balanced moderation, but the moderators are human beings, too. We have tempers and bad days and we do make mistakes. And we do occasionally get caught up in the latest drama.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
I Want To Post About This Thing I Found On Amazon. Is That Okay?
Yes. We let you post about just about anything, here. We're not limited exclusively to crowdfunding projects.
There are a number of discussion categories set up to the left, but don't feel like you have to limit yourself to those.
I'm A [WEBSITE] Affiliate. Can I Use Affiliate Links Here?
If you can somehow make money off of your posts here without voiding coupons/discounts or other deals people have, then be our guest. Fair warning: You won't get rich by posting links to stupid things, because most of the people in the community won't spend money on stupid things.
Help! I Posted Something Stupid And Someone Came To Its Defense!
And? What you find stupid, someone else may find reasonable. As long as we're all being nice to each other, disagreement is fine. And you might learn something, too.
What If A Project Creator Sees What I Said?
Then ... um ... they've seen what you said. It's not like you scrawled it on a wall in a disused lavatory or something - as mentioned above, we are a public community. Maybe the creator in question will be able to explain their project so it doesn't seem so stupid. Maybe they'll try and will just end up highlighting how stupid it really is. Either way, project creators are welcome here, too.
Potential future Project Creators (and others) have also dropped by to see what we call stupid so they can avoid it - it's like they are using us. Which we're okay with - in and around the snark, we are rapidly becoming an informal source of best-practices (or, as one community member suggests "best-avoided-practices") information (see the next question).
Help! I Snarked And A Serious Discussion Broke Out!
That happens here. While we were initially pure snark, we've had a few serious (and educational) discussions on the nature of crowdfunding. Discussions about what to do/what not to do/how to do the same thing differently so that it's not stupid are pretty common.
Several Project Creators are members of the community and are paying attention.
What If I Duplicate Someone Else's Post?
You have the option of deleting your own post. Or you can wait and see if discussion takes a different direction from the original post. Or you can just leave it there. We understand that duplication happens, however, and won't delete or ban unless it looks like you are deliberately creating duplicate links.
You Use The Word 'Stupid' A Lot.
Yep.
What's With All The RFID Blocking Comments?
In the early days of the community, one of our members posted a "treasury" of Kickstarter wallet projects that he'd taken the time to assemble. A disproportionate number of the wallets were described as "slim line" or "RFID blocking," or "Open Source." There are several in-jokes that keep popping up.
Why Do You People Think This Project Needs A Bottle Opener?
Because it does.
Really?
Okay, not really. The day after the wallet treasury was posted, another member posted a collection of bottle openers, the majority of which were "tactical" in some way. It's become a running gag in the community. Much like RFID Blocking.
What Is the Community's Ideal Kickstarter Project?
It's an open-source RFID-blocking slimline modular weatherproof wallet with enough room to hold two decks of sleeved Magic Cards and which has a built-in tactical bottle opener and includes a custom deck of Bicycle playing cards. It should also light up or vibrate when there is a notification on your phone. Stretch goals and add-ons should include custom dice, lanyards, t-shirts, and free PDF copies of the plans. And a poster.
Are There Plans For Community Get-Togethers?
Maybe eventually. We have a good core of genuinely awesome people that I do want to meet in person at some point. One member has suggested "KickSnarCon." The geographic disparity of our membership does make a full gathering difficult, however.
We do seem to tend to have a few interest foci, however, so Kicksnarker Gatherings at and around other conventions are very possible.
What About This Blog? Do You Plan to Ever Update It?
I had planned to do weekly updates, but that may not be possible. Instead, I'll just update periodically to highlight good discussion and especially stupid things we've found.
It Seems Like A Lot Of Your Guidelines Are Totally Subjective And Based On Moderator Opinion.
Is there a question in there? Yes, a great deal of it is subjective. And it's true - what one Mod finds amusing may be less-so to another mod. That's why the moderators communicate with one another and don't just randomly kill posts for the sake of killing posts.
Some of the Posts In the Community are Clearly Failed Attempts to be Funny!
Yep. Can't win all the time.
Some of Your FAQ Answers are Clearly Failed Attempts to be Funny!
Yep. Can't win all the time.
You Are Not Completely Consistent With Your Capitalization In This Post.
Nope. If you pay close attention I've spelled out a secret message. Or else this post was written over the course of several months and has been occasionally updated as new questions (and answers) arose.
UPDATE: AS OF 3/1/14, THIS PAGE IS NO LONGER BEING UPDATED.
The FAQ is now located here.
What Is Kicksnarker?
It's a community of people on Google Plus who like highlighting absurdities they find on the internet, whether it's a good project with a bad goal or a completely stupid project. And by "project," we mean "product, whether crowdfunded or available through more traditional retail."
So What Is It About?
It's about what the members think it's about. Really. We've mocked plenty of really stupid things, but we've had some fairly in-depth discussion of crowdfunding and what it's for and why it exists.
Sure, we mock stupid things a lot, but I learn something new from the group every day.
So Is This Some Sort Of Official Kickstarter Group?
No. As a group, we are not affiliated with Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, DriveThruRPG, Amazon, or any other site to which we link. It's possible that individual members work for one or more of these companies, but their postings here (unless they specifically state otherwise) are not intended as official public statements for those companies.
How Do I Join?
If you're on Google Plus, you can just go to the community page and click on "Join Community" at the top of the page. One of our moderators will probably approve you fairly quickly.
Are There Any Restrictions On Membership?
You need to have a Google Plus account. But that's a software thing, not a rule we made up. If you apply to join and aren't approved right away, it's possible that our moderators are at work or in a meeting or at a convention or something. Just hold tight.
I'm A Spammer and My Google Plus Profile Highlights This - Can I Still Join?
If your profile makes it clear that you're a spammer, we probably won't let you in. If you have an empty profile, we'll still let you in, but will ban you as soon as you spam us.
Because we don't like you, that's why.
What If I Don't Have A Google Plus Account?
Then you can't join. Not because we don't like you, but because you ... um ... don't have a Google Plus account and so can't join any communities on Plus.
Can I Read Without Joining?
Yes. Kicksnarker is a public community, so everything we post and say there is publicly viewable. Even if you don't have a Google Plus account.
Can I Tell My Friends About This Community?
The first rule of Kicksnarker is that we do not talk about Kicksnarker. In fact, we need to know who told you about the community so we can ban them.
I Want To Leave the Community.
Sorry. Not an option. When we created the community, we clicked the "4Lyfe" option. Once you're in, you're with us forever. Until we ban you.
I Like Being Here, But You Guys Post Too Much!
You can turn notifications off for the community and tell it not to appear in your home stream. I'd tell you how to do this, but G+ keeps updating their software, so any advice or pointers I give you will be invalid in a week.
What Are the Posting Rules?
I'm glad you asked that question. We don't really have any rules. If your post is just a link without any commentary from you, however, it will probably be deleted unless it triggers discussion or is a link to something that is obviously stupid.
We're prefer it if you didn't call the project creators stupid. You can call the project stupid. You can mock the add-ons and stretch goals and concept all you want, however. We also try to respect each other, even when we disagree.
If your commentary is deliberately inflammatory or offensive, we'll kill the post. Mind you - linking to inflammatory or offensive material is okay, but please warn us. If you post a link to something that is not safe for work, please let us know in your commentary (and make sure that the image Google is using for your link is work-safe).
Can I Reshare Community Posts?
Yes. If you want to be banned immediately.
Just kidding.
Again: this is a public community. Nothing said here is hidden. If you see something awesome that needs re-sharing, go right ahead. It's not like you're sharing private information or credit card numbers or anything like that.
I'm A Backer. Can I Share A Backer-Only Post With the Community?
Yes. Just be aware that the project creator made it backer-only for a reason. Please include a link back to the project if you do this, too. We would prefer that you paraphrase or quote portions rather than a full cut-and-paste of the whole update, but it's really up to you.
What we don't want are download links or ways to give non-backers access to backer-only benefits of some sort (unless you have the explicit permission of the project creator). Posts with download links and the like will be deleted.
Do I Have To Post?
Seriously? Is this even a real question? No. You don't have to post.
Can I Post In A Language Other Than English?
I ... I suppose. You won't probably get much interaction from the community, though. And if Google Translate makes your post look like spam, we may delete it.
I Really Like This Project, But [ASPECT] Seems Tacked On Or Stupid. Can I Post About That?
Yep. The tagline for the community is, "Mocking things we might be capable of loving." Since most of us stumble across stupid things while looking for something we actually want, it's entirely likely we'll find things to love even in the dumbest of projects.
I'm A Project Creator And Someone In Your Group Said My Project Was Stupid.
And? We're here to highlight things we think are stupid. If you have a Google Plus account, feel free to chime in or join the community. Just don't expect sympathy because we're being mean to your project. And don't attack the poster or commenters. Seriously.
Spend your time refuting their claims if you must, but we mostly try to be nice to each other. Other than +Eric Franklin. Because fuck that guy.
I'm A Project Creator And Someone In Your Community Reposted A Backer-Only Post.
That's nice. If it gives away trade secrets or gives us a download link or something, let us know and we'll take it down. If it doesn't otherwise break the rules, you can get the direct link to the post and request a DMCA takedown from Google. But our posts are explicitly for criticism, commentary, and/or parody, which is covered under Fair Use in the United States. It's also worth noting that the group contains a number of people who are well familiar with social media, and a takedown here will probably be discussed by the community (and elsewhere). It may not have the end result you want.
I'm A Project Creator - Can I Ask You To Look At My Project?
If you do this, please be sure to use the correct category ("Help Me Snarkerwan Kenobi! You're My Only Hope!") Just be aware that we will give you honest opinions, and we may disagree with each other. And we will probably also spiral off into some sort of RFID-blocking bottle opener tangent. And, if you're obviously just posting it to get more attention, we will report you to Kickstarter for spamming. And then we'll probably delete your post and ban you and salt the earth. Unless the community is already off on an amusing tangent. Then we'll just ban you and leave your post alone.
We'd also prefer that you not join the community for the sole purpose of asking us to check your project out. In fact, if you join and then immediately ask for feedback, your post will probably be deleted, and you may be banned.
I'm A Community Member - Can I Ask You To Look At A Buddy's Project?
Sure. The same applies to you as it does to project creators asking for input, however. If it's obviously just an attempt to get eyes on a project or stir up excitement pre-launch, your post will probably be deleted unless something in the comments amuses the moderators.
I'm A Community Member - Can I Advertise My Project Here?
Sure. Just don't spam us. What's the difference? One post to announce it going live is fine. Another post to remind us your project is near its end is fine, too. But we're not backers - we don't need regular updates on the progress of your project.
If you need advice mid-stream, feel free to ask - but please don't come up with questions just to put your project in front of our eyes again. If we feel like you're doing that, we'll kill the post. Unless someone makes us laugh.
I'm A Project Creator - Can I share Backer-Only Information With You?
Yes. And, unlike the backers sharing backer-only posts, we'll even accept download links and any other free things you want to give us. Because it's your content.
I'm A Project Creator - Can I Bribe You To Say Good Things About My Project?
You can bribe us all you want. We like free swag. Unless your project is stupid. Because free stupid things aren't really much of a bribe. But don't expect free swag to change our opinions. Especially stupid free swag.
What Makes You Guys Experts On Kickstarter?
I can't speak for everyone, but I've never claimed to be an expert. But the community is made of up folks who have backed a significant number of projects - including several notable post-funding failures - and several highly-successful project creators (and some project creators whose projects haven't funded). So we're not just pulling numbers out of our magic hats. We're speaking from experience both as backers and as project creators.
Have You Had Bad Flame Wars?
Not yet, but this is the internet and we are talking about things we find mock-worthy. It's only a matter of time. We've had a few heated discussions, but most of the group is good about cooling down when told to do so by a moderator.
I Don't Like [Community Member]. Can You Ban Him or Her?
We can, but we'd rather not unless they spam us. You really have a few options for dealing with people you don't like here - and they're essentially the same options you have in the real world:
- Pick a fight with them. Every time you see them post, take the time to respond aggressively to see if you can escalate the situation until we have to ban one or the other or both of you.
- Ignore them. Just ... don't respond to them. Even if they try to pick a fight with you.
- Block them. If you do this, you won't see their posts (or discussion on their posts). Likewise, they won't see your posts and comments. It means potential double-posting, but that happens.
- Act like a grownup and interact with them politely. Be respectful, polite, and don't bait them.
I Have A Problem With Some Of The Moderation. How Do I Complain?
What's the problem? Did we ask you to play nice? Did we smack you down and ignore someone who was disagreeing with you? Either way, if you feel the moderation was unfair, feel free to appeal to another moderator by tagging them into the discussion. Just don't serially tag moderator after moderator after moderator (not that it's an option yet, but if we keep growing like we have been, it may become necessary) until you get the answer you want.
You can also put a post in your personal Plus (instead of in the community) to complain about the community and its moderation. Of course, if you don't tag us, we probably won't see it to respond.
As a last resort, you can send money to me via PayPal. The only thing it's likely to change is our relative economic standing, but I do like receiving money.
Our goal is fair and balanced moderation, but the moderators are human beings, too. We have tempers and bad days and we do make mistakes. And we do occasionally get caught up in the latest drama.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
I Want To Post About This Thing I Found On Amazon. Is That Okay?
Yes. We let you post about just about anything, here. We're not limited exclusively to crowdfunding projects.
There are a number of discussion categories set up to the left, but don't feel like you have to limit yourself to those.
I'm A [WEBSITE] Affiliate. Can I Use Affiliate Links Here?
If you can somehow make money off of your posts here without voiding coupons/discounts or other deals people have, then be our guest. Fair warning: You won't get rich by posting links to stupid things, because most of the people in the community won't spend money on stupid things.
Help! I Posted Something Stupid And Someone Came To Its Defense!
And? What you find stupid, someone else may find reasonable. As long as we're all being nice to each other, disagreement is fine. And you might learn something, too.
What If A Project Creator Sees What I Said?
Then ... um ... they've seen what you said. It's not like you scrawled it on a wall in a disused lavatory or something - as mentioned above, we are a public community. Maybe the creator in question will be able to explain their project so it doesn't seem so stupid. Maybe they'll try and will just end up highlighting how stupid it really is. Either way, project creators are welcome here, too.
Potential future Project Creators (and others) have also dropped by to see what we call stupid so they can avoid it - it's like they are using us. Which we're okay with - in and around the snark, we are rapidly becoming an informal source of best-practices (or, as one community member suggests "best-avoided-practices") information (see the next question).
Help! I Snarked And A Serious Discussion Broke Out!
That happens here. While we were initially pure snark, we've had a few serious (and educational) discussions on the nature of crowdfunding. Discussions about what to do/what not to do/how to do the same thing differently so that it's not stupid are pretty common.
Several Project Creators are members of the community and are paying attention.
What If I Duplicate Someone Else's Post?
You have the option of deleting your own post. Or you can wait and see if discussion takes a different direction from the original post. Or you can just leave it there. We understand that duplication happens, however, and won't delete or ban unless it looks like you are deliberately creating duplicate links.
You Use The Word 'Stupid' A Lot.
Yep.
What's With All The RFID Blocking Comments?
In the early days of the community, one of our members posted a "treasury" of Kickstarter wallet projects that he'd taken the time to assemble. A disproportionate number of the wallets were described as "slim line" or "RFID blocking," or "Open Source." There are several in-jokes that keep popping up.
Why Do You People Think This Project Needs A Bottle Opener?
Because it does.
Really?
Okay, not really. The day after the wallet treasury was posted, another member posted a collection of bottle openers, the majority of which were "tactical" in some way. It's become a running gag in the community. Much like RFID Blocking.
What Is the Community's Ideal Kickstarter Project?
It's an open-source RFID-blocking slimline modular weatherproof wallet with enough room to hold two decks of sleeved Magic Cards and which has a built-in tactical bottle opener and includes a custom deck of Bicycle playing cards. It should also light up or vibrate when there is a notification on your phone. Stretch goals and add-ons should include custom dice, lanyards, t-shirts, and free PDF copies of the plans. And a poster.
Are There Plans For Community Get-Togethers?
Maybe eventually. We have a good core of genuinely awesome people that I do want to meet in person at some point. One member has suggested "KickSnarCon." The geographic disparity of our membership does make a full gathering difficult, however.
We do seem to tend to have a few interest foci, however, so Kicksnarker Gatherings at and around other conventions are very possible.
What About This Blog? Do You Plan to Ever Update It?
I had planned to do weekly updates, but that may not be possible. Instead, I'll just update periodically to highlight good discussion and especially stupid things we've found.
It Seems Like A Lot Of Your Guidelines Are Totally Subjective And Based On Moderator Opinion.
Is there a question in there? Yes, a great deal of it is subjective. And it's true - what one Mod finds amusing may be less-so to another mod. That's why the moderators communicate with one another and don't just randomly kill posts for the sake of killing posts.
Some of the Posts In the Community are Clearly Failed Attempts to be Funny!
Yep. Can't win all the time.
Some of Your FAQ Answers are Clearly Failed Attempts to be Funny!
Yep. Can't win all the time.
You Are Not Completely Consistent With Your Capitalization In This Post.
Nope. If you pay close attention I've spelled out a secret message. Or else this post was written over the course of several months and has been occasionally updated as new questions (and answers) arose.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Welcome To This Blog!
I created this blog at about the same time I created the Kicksnarker community over on Google+. And then I let it sit, because I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it.
After several months of thought, I've decided.
This blog is going to be a periodic update of what is going on over in the community. I'll post notable snark, highlight especially terrible products, and will call out the occasional insight into the Kickstarter model that leaks through from time to time.
We'll also host the community Hall of Fame and FAQ here to help new members figure out just what is going on.
Eventually, I'll give a set of keys to this blog to other community members so that we can have more opinions than just mine, because diversity of opinion leads to more and better humor.
Those of you seeing this who are community members won't find anything new here.
Those of you who aren't in the community will get an idea of what's new and odd and what we find laughable and why.
After several months of thought, I've decided.
This blog is going to be a periodic update of what is going on over in the community. I'll post notable snark, highlight especially terrible products, and will call out the occasional insight into the Kickstarter model that leaks through from time to time.
We'll also host the community Hall of Fame and FAQ here to help new members figure out just what is going on.
Eventually, I'll give a set of keys to this blog to other community members so that we can have more opinions than just mine, because diversity of opinion leads to more and better humor.
Those of you seeing this who are community members won't find anything new here.
Those of you who aren't in the community will get an idea of what's new and odd and what we find laughable and why.
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