What this blog is all about...

Hi there,

My name is MiddlemanOne and I am the author of this blog, which I will be dedicating towards crowdfunded projects which I have backed over the last 2 years and the Atari ST computer.

About myself, I am an early technology advocate (having been involved with computing for almost 25 years) and run my own business.

I first started doing Kickstarter projects around the last quarter of 2013. Before I backed any crowdfund projects, I hardly knew what the concept of 'crowdfunding' meant. I kept hearing the words 'Indiegogo' and 'Kickstarter' pop up at the time then, and was just interested in what this whole thing was about.

What got me into the idea of crowdfunding in the first place?

One of the initial projects that I saw and backed on Kickstarter was for a sequel of a videogame I had played in my earlier years called 'The 7 Guest', which was a classic puzzle adventure game that came out in the early 90s on the PC. The original game itself was a pioneer of the use of CD-ROM and multimedia sound/vision in its heyday. The creators Trilobyte needed the cash, and their campaign and project appealed to me (since I was a fan of such works). Since it was so rare that I saw these guys ever come to market, I guess I was kind of interested to get involved with it...

But it was at a price (my credit card took a pounding that month). For some reason in that same month the 7th Guest campaign came out, a whole dozen other games campaigns also came out such as Obduction, Stasis, Paradise Lost, The Mandate and Ever Jane (games which I am still waiting to be finished delivered). I ended up backing like 6-7 different games that single time - it was to date, the single biggest event of spending I had ever made online on one site till then!

How many projects have you backed and what kinds of projects have you backed so far?

To date I have backed over 70 projects personally on both Kickstarter and Indiegogo (and other crowdfunding platforms) excluding failed campaigns. Including failed campaigns it is about 81 so far.

I have backed all kinds of projects from all kinds of project creators based worldwide. Most have been on new games/sequels to old games that I knew; products not on the market etc. But some have also been for games music (Wing Commander Orchestral Music/Jarre style music); a computer case; home appliance products (Sense/Parce Idea)); small electronics (CHIP, UDOO, Lupo), an AI emotional computer (EmoSpark); a robot arm (uArm); ceramic and plastic cups (Corsica and Stojo); a pinhole camera; a music player (Pono) and levitating Bluetooth speakers (Marsbaby). I had even backed a company that was trying to make lingerie for women (despite being a guy myself - and no I didn't pick any lingerie rewards just a thank you note). I do this as I believe money should go where it is needed, and there are a lot of good projects out there.

What's the least and most money you spent on a project so far?

The most I had spent on a single campaign was over USD$1,000 supporting a friend's film project on Indiegogo. The least amount I spent was like $1 for a project contribution thank you. I also did this for a family member's project which featured on Kickstarter.

What prompts you to back certain projects?

All kinds of reasons. Most of the time because I like them and can afford to do it. But other times because I feel it is necessary. I recently did this for a campaign on an animal rescue shelter documentary called The Passion Project, which focused on things that went wrong with it. Because if it is not done (in my view), more animals could get hurt and abused (if people don't know about it).

What differs between projects on Kickstarter and Indiegogo, the two biggest crowdfund platforms?

Projects presented between Kickstarter and Indiegogo are essentially the same in the sense that by pledging you are actually making a pre-purchase on goods. Both still needs a creator and backers, though in my view Kickstarter projects tends to attract big names, be more slicker-looking and higher-profile, whilst Indiegogo tends to focus on smaller indie-based projects. The essential difference between them is that Kickstarter will only allow funds to be received by the project creator once it has reached its target. If it doesn't, all pledges are cancelled and the project creator receives nothing. Whilst all funds with Indiegogo are passed to its project creators however much it is despite it not reaching its funding target.

What is the benefit for project creators to be on Kickstarter and Indiegogo?

Most projects featured so far on Kickstarter & Indiegogo have essentially been projects which have had a certain amount of time in development and prototyping, but needed one last push before production; while others have been things such as games or movie projects. For independent developers there is a huge benefit with crowdfunding, in that creators essentially already have a market for their goods and don't need to approach a bank for a loan as with traditional funding. The other great thing is that if your product/project is good from the onset, it is exposed to a huge audience and you can gauge who is potentially interested in your product right away. Potential backers also have another plus, in that they can give feedback early on and help shape how your product is expected to work (which has happened to some projects).

Have you been happy with your pledges so far, or not?

Generally speaking yes, I have been happy with most of my pledges. Most projects I had pledged in managed to reach their goals and ship out the goods to me on time. A few that I know still haven't and are way behind schedule (like a whole year behind their original intended shipping date). These I am not happy about and will consider backing again in future (because of how they have been handled and delayed).

Any failed campaigns?

Yes, plenty. And for many kinds of reasons. Sometimes projects were cancelled because the project creators had no confidence due to a low backer turnout from the start (open more than 3 weeks but  reaching less than half the fund target) or were impatient to wait till the end the campaign finished (which often sees a massive increase in backer numbers). Other times, simply because of changes they experienced. A number of campaigns failed because the key people left or did not have the money or time to continue their stated projects (ie. had stated commitments/contracts in their current jobs which meant they couldn't contribute to a project). This is very common with indie games developers and graphics designers for example, who are working freelance. They need a stable regular income but depending on what they do, sometimes it comes, sometimes it doesn't. So they hope funds can come through via the project and having a large pool of 'backers' who can help support them is to their benefit.

Any worst campaigns?

The worst campaigns I supported so far have been the Mansion Lord and Confederate Express games on Kickstarter. Since pledging on Kickstarter for both of them none of the backers I know have heard from anyone who created these two campaigns...especially the folks from Confederate Express (Maksym Pashinin). I was notified before they were involved with an Airbnb fraud issue a year earlier, where they had squatted on a landlady's house they had checked into via Airbnb after overstaying and failing to pay their dues to her. They were planning to use her house to start production on the game. They eventually left the house, but so did their presence on Kickstarter (vanished into thin air). It goes to show that despite its popularity, there is still a certain amount of risk pledging on crowdfund platforms.


So, what happens next?

Over the next few weeks and months, I will be putting products out that I had backed through Kickstarter and Indiegogo on this blog, and will be running through some reviews on them if at all possible. I intend to share as much as I can about my experience of backing on crowdfund projects in the hope that folks would be more informed about them.

And the Atari ST?

The ST was my first 16-bit computer nearly 30 years ago, and something I deeply cherish. It was one of the most advanced computers of its day and had features which did not appear in mainstream computers until almost 10 years later. I hope to share my experiences as an Atari ST user, and will be reporting on how to use one today.