I wanted to let everyone know that there are some new things coming to my blogging tool box. I have two different projects that I’m working on. The first is a Patreon and the second is some merchandise.
Patreon
The first, the Patreon is going to be the first one to be finished and is the first I’d like to talk about. If you are unsure what that I’ll tell you! It’s a platform that allows people to give creators money for their efforts. Many people use a tier system where different pledges give different bonus. I would like to make it clear I will not be gating any of my normal blog posts, or articles, behind a paywall.
The models I plan to emulate are a cross between the Fan Relationship Model and the Community Model (you can read a break down of the models HERE). The goal is to allow people who pledge money to get extra access to the creator and you build a community around them and their content.
Things members will get access to is updates of my days and random thoughts. Insight into me writing as well as the chance to give me some input on future articles. I will start doing monthly AMA sessions for my supporters. Once there are enough supporters I may create a supporter only Discord server to further facilitate conversations.
What will I do with pledges I receive? Firstly it would go to paying for the website each month. Ad support hasn’t came close. The second goal would be to allow me to travel more so I can give more varied content on my weekly blog. Those are the first big mile stones I’d like to achieve. If I gain more support that go beyond those two goals I’ll come up with some fun further goals.
I have not decided how many pledge tiers I will have. I know I will have at least a $1 pledge which will give you most of the content and then maybe a 2nd tier for the AMA, perhaps at $5. I may have a third tier that will give people recognition on my website. I’d have a dedicated page for supporters and each person on this tier will get a mention and they can have a small paragraph they can post talking about themselves. Maybe even a link to their Amtwiki if they are an Amtgarder.
I’d like to hear your ideas and here if you’d be up to being a supporter.
Merchandise
The second update is that I plan on getting into merch game. I’m currently working with my friend Myka to get some art work for pins. At first we’ll be doing three pins. One will just be my logo. which we are creating, the second will be a pin in support of role-play and the third will be in support of fighting.
I’m playing on my most popular article, Is Amtgard a LARP. It generated a lot of conversation on Facebook, some people said no, it’s a combat sport, while other said it was a LARP. Now you’ll be able to show your support for the two different sides.
We are still working on concepts for the pins but one idea is to make them gnome themed. I’m mildly obsessed with gnomes so it seems fitting. Plus they are cute.
There are some upfront costs with ordering pins that I can’t personally cover. To make the pins a reality I plan on doing a small Kickstarter to make sure there is enough interest in the pins to make it worth it. This will probably be in a few months.
So those are my two updates. I’d really appropriate some feedback and would like to hear you interest in the two ideas.