Karbo
patreon
A new patreon policy ( Important )
🕑 Added 2015-12-11 01:48:19 +0000 UTC This is rather sudden....I just received a newsletter from Patreon where they decided to change the patronage system and make it completely transparent from now on.
This means the number displayed is the exact revenue a creator receive from his patrons based on the last cycle, removing all the fees from paypal, cut from the site and pledges that weren't honored ( especially from fake patrons who were really starting to become a problem - more on that further down )
Here is the bulk of it ( there are some pictures embedded in that make some parts of the newsletter strange without it ) :
Howdy, creator!
Admittedly, I’m all up in your inbox lately. Thanks for sticking around!
I come bearing a very exciting update about the change we made today to the public-facing numbers on your creator page — one that many of you have been asking about for a very long time. For some creators, this announcement might feel like a bit of déjà vu as you were in our AB test for this feature last month. The feedback was incredible and we’re here to release it to all creators, sitewide.
Let me break it down. You know those numbers on your Patreon creator page that looked like this?
Yes, those old things. Until today, those numbers showed your total number of patrons and the amount of patronage in total that is pledged to you.
As many of you know, those numbers don’t accurately reflect the amount of paying patrons you have, or what you’re actually making on Patreon. Unfortunately, it doesn’t reflect what you’re really walking away with after credit card and Paypal fees, Patreon’s 5%, and declined pledges.
This stinks. It gives you an inflated expectation of what you’re earning and shows potential patrons that you’re making more than you really are. This bums you out, and bums us out. Now we’re both bummed. So...
The adjusted dollar amount you’ll see will do just that — this public-facing number will now show an amount much closer to what you’ll be getting on payday because we’ve factored in:
Your estimated transaction fees
Patreon’s 5%
The pledges that declined in the last pay cycle
etc...
I have mixed feelings on this. The strong pro is it make the system entirely transparent and healthier and completely remove that rapidly growing headache I could see many creators -including myself- having from "fake patrons" who are basically bots that kept being created again and again in order to cheat, inflate numbers and push toward the big milestones ( I wrote an entry about that several weeks ago ) The big problem with them is of course you couldn't distinguish a bot from a real patron before a couple months.. and when you would identify and remove one, then three more new names would pop up with you having, again, no idea who is real and who is fake... again big headache...
The con is it's .. brutal. It's going to be a big and sudden size down for every creators on the site. And the numbers can indeed looks quite discouraging ...
Right now In my head I'm trying to weight what Patreon did here but the more I think about it and the more I think it's better for everyone.
Sure it's quite a big and rather painful sizing down ^^; But I believe it will simply be much healthier for the whole site in the long run.
As for me I'm going to continue working on the comic. It's advancing well and I'm going to show you a new, flat-colored version of it tomorrow :) ( for now I'm going to go crash into my bed XD )
Thank you from the bottom of my hearth for your very real support and kindness, everyone. ^__^
Comments
PrinnyDood
Well, overall I think that delivering the most accurate information to creators is the most important thing, even if the ensuing decrease in numbers might be a bit discouraging at first. It's not like anything has actually changed, we just have a more accurate view, and best of all this seems like it will deal with those obnoxious fake pledge cheaters rather elegantly. So yeah: this seems like a pretty positive change, in my far-from-expert opinion.
Hmm, I saw the number going up and down and was wondering what was going on. Glad to see this update. Misinformation doesn't help anybody and what we're really looking to this platform for is a way to support artists and content.
Karbo
Yes I totally agree. It's just much healthier this way :)
Karbo
Oh yes I have browsed some forums and the fake/bot patrons was really plaguing a lot of creators : / The problem is that because it's an automated process you needed only one person intent to cause troubles to mess things up >>
Karbo
Yes I think in the end it's going to be good both for creators and for patrons ^^
Karbo
Thank you ! ;)
Karbo
Well a new patron just made a pledge and it was added to the number. So yes it gets updated ^^
Ehren
Does that mean new patrons won't see the number go up at all? To them that might make it seem like their money will literally not go to the artist AT ALL.
Karbo
I know : / But here what is important to keep in mind is that it's most likely just a very very small number of people doing that across the board. Since it's an automated program, you need just one single person decided to cheat and they can easily take advantage of a system based on good will and generosity like Patreon. Fortunately it's over now and it was by far the biggest crack I could see in the system.
Saint Tail
As a creator myself I prefer this. Just because psychologically I thought I was getting more than what I end up with at the end of each month. I can more accurately set my rewards based on what I will be living off of.
turboman500
Well, regardless of what that number shows. - I got your back!
Enigmatic Jester
I mean, it's only showing what's really there now, right? And if the previous numbers were accurate (or even partially true), it's bound to go up by the end of this month. It kinda sucks to see it go down so much, but now we know what we're actually earning and can expect for the future. I think this will be beneficial in the long run; people with inflated stats were in for a rude awakening one way or another. And we should be proud of how far we've come. We can always bring it back up, slowly but surely. Anyways, I'm super excited for the comic!
Minamoto Terumi
It's going to be a bit disheartening for some people, finding out that they aren't worth as much as they thought, but I think this can only be an improvement. There's another patreon I follow who has huge problems with fake donators/declined ones.
JohnboyX
I find it quite shocking that there were still so many fakes around :( . Seriously what is wrong with some people ???
