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[Sergius]

Note that some projects (such as iPhone apps) by definition (the definition is that Apple sucks balls) CAN'T include the finished product with the kickstart.

[lordcooper]

I don't see the fuss here.  The Kickstarter guys are the only people who can (and should) decide what is eligible to run a Kickstarter.  It's their website/business and as far as I can see nobody else really has a stake in that.  Ignore projects you dislike, chip in for those you like.  Or don't.  It's up to you.

People seem to be getting way too emotionally invested in things wot don't affect them.

[nenjin]

They're opinions LC. I know you're the guy that likes to have the 1-2 sentence solution to everything, but you're free to ignore this conversation if it bothers you. Unless you're too "emotionally invested" in telling people you think they're wrong.

[kaijyuu]

I said this waaaaaaaaaaaay back near the start of the thread, but I don't think Kickstarter can "go wrong." If it's worth funding, people will fund it. If not, they won't. I think that's what lordcooper was saying.

(Well I suppose it could "go wrong" if the person who started the kickstarter is a scam artist. But that's pretty much it.)

[nenjin]

It's why I left a question mark on there. It's an open question and will probably remain one. Although I'm less likely to lean on the side of "Caveat Emptor, gg."

[Servant Corps]

If you want the Kickstarter enterprise to succeed as a whole, then the attitude should never start defaulting to "Cavet Empetor". Because if that happens, then there's going to be a reduction of donations to Kickstarters overall once people get wise, which will harm everyone overall, including the "legitimate" users out there.

But the thing is...Kickstarter is not crowdsourcing, investment, or even a charity. It's a business, and the business is the solicitation of donations. Once a project is successfully funded, Amazon Payments and Kickstarter gets their share of the "donations"* and then cut off all their connections to the project to avoid any liabilities. So if a scam does occur, Amazon and Kickstarter will then point to their TOS so that they aren't seen as accessories to the crime. The 'honor system' is ill-suited to handling real money; the temptation to cheat is just too great and there is no penalty to doing so, since Amazon Payments and Kickstarter has no incentive to crack down on cheaters.

Reform is needed, before donors lose confidence in the entire system. Implementing these reforms without turning Kickstarter into an informal Vulture Capitalist firm...that's going to be a challenge though.

[Sergius]

Or... let the market handle it.

"Moar law" isn't always the solution, and often it's the source of many more problems.

[Neonivek]

Or... let the market handle it.

"Moar law" isn't always the solution, and often it's the source of many more problems.

Yeah you apply law when people simply cannot do otherwise (or rather when the market fails).

For example when people solicited donations in airports. The market didn't decide them to leave so the law stepped in.

[Sergius]

Or... let the market handle it.

"Moar law" isn't always the solution, and often it's the source of many more problems.

Yeah you apply law when people simply cannot do otherwise (or rather when the market fails).

For example when people solicited donations in airports. The market didn't decide them to leave so the law stepped in.

Yes, it bodes well for Kickstarter when the law decides to ban donations to projects. Mark my words, "protecting the children" will be somewhere in that law.

[Servant Corps]

Or... let the market handle it.

"Moar law" isn't always the solution, and often it's the source of many more problems.

I wasn't saying for the law to "step" in, I'm saying for the industry to self-regulate or risk losing their "customers" (the people donating money). Though I wouldn't oppose people suing Kickstarter/Amazon for monetary damages; scams are illegal after all, and Kickstarter/Amazon appear to profit from their existence.

[jester]

I say let the internet hate machine deal with anybody who escapes the law. 

[PTTG??]

Or... let the market handle it.

"Moar law" isn't always the solution, and often it's the source of many more problems.

Which is why Somalia is the safest, most prosperous country on earth.

[Draco18s]

Or... let the market handle it.

"Moar law" isn't always the solution, and often it's the source of many more problems.

Which is why Somalia is the safest, most prosperous country on earth.

Hyperbolic Example.  Also a Black/white Fallacy

[Akhier the Dragon hearted]

I say let the internet hate machine deal with anybody who escapes the law.

   Just going to say I like this answer a lot. Have you seen what the internet has done to some people? My goodness I almost would feel bad about setting that kind of abuse on someone but in this case it may be justified.

[kaijyuu]

The internet latches on to a few very unlucky individuals. Thousands more jerks go about their daily lives unnoticed.


Anywho I support measures to stop actual scams, but not legitimate-if-wacky ideas. This thread seems dedicated to mocking, not pointing out scams, so the scammers seem rather irrelevant to the purpose of the thread. No Cavet Empetor here.

Though if we want to talk about actual scams with kickstarter, that's cool. Any high profile ones out there?