Menage a 3 - Vol 6 : Discussion

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MonCappy
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Re: Menage a 3 - Vol 6 : Discussion

Post by MonCappy »

Spidrift wrote:
MonCappy wrote:You should really dump Facebook. All you are to them is a product whose information is to be sold to their customers.
Ditto Google, and every other big-name Internet phenomenon with .com at the end of their name. Those people aren't charities, and they're usually making money by making you available to advertisers in a fine-tuned way. What you think of as their business (searches, supporting your social life, whatever), isn't. It's bait.

You just have to decide whether what you get out of them is worth the hassle and whatever privacy hit is involved.
Agreed. You can mitigate the damage, but not eliminate it completely. The only way I would ever actively join or participate in a social network was if I was charged for it. In that case, I know the provider of the network has my payments as part of their business model. Since I would be paying for the service, they would know that angering me to the point of cancelling it is a real risk.
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Spidrift
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Re: Menage a 3 - Vol 6 : Discussion

Post by Spidrift »

Anyhooo - buried in the notes on the Kickstarter page - having passed the $33K stretch mark means that those of us who've ordered books will be getting a free DiDi sticker. Okay, I'm cool with that.

(Just so long as UK customs don't notice a package containing so many postcards and stickers that they decide it's not just "books" anymore, and start charging me duty.)

But that's two stretch goals in a row fetishising DIDi. Can we vote for a Ruby- or Peggy-oriented stretch goal next?
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Zippy
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Re: Menage a 3 - Vol 6 : Discussion

Post by Zippy »

Well, getting anything through UK customs is always a game of russian roulette. I would definitely opt out of the keyring though.

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Spidrift
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Re: Menage a 3 - Vol 6 : Discussion

Post by Spidrift »

I have one or two shippers well trained to mark books as Books, and not anything else, which indeed becomes a crapshoot. But I've avoided the posters-based deals here for various reasons, not least because it'd be tempting fate with Customs.

Which makes it hard for me to think of cool stretch goals I'd like, unless they're either trivial, electronic, or book-based. Umm, leather-bound gold-embossed limited editions of every volume?

(I joke, I joke. Though I'm geek enough that I'd probably be tempted.)
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Spidrift
"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
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Zippy
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Re: Menage a 3 - Vol 6 : Discussion

Post by Zippy »

Well, they could always just start stretching for the *C-verse books - although, granted, Chloe v1's probably a couple of months away and EC/MC v4 a couple of months beyond that.
(And depending on how KS' cut works, it might be more profitable to do those separately anyhow).

It's muchly A Thing with successful Kickstarters though - the need for further goals starts to mean stuff gets added that's neither profitable for those running it nor particularly interesting for backers (although, granted, it might just be me who *really* doesn't like the Didi keychain!).

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Spidrift
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Re: Menage a 3 - Vol 6 : Discussion

Post by Spidrift »

Throwing in stuff related to the *C universe would doubtless get them some more money - though not from me. (I'm much more interested in the Ma3 universe.) It'd potentially send their workload sky high, though, unless it was very vaguely worded. ("We'll publish these books sometime...") And yes, I get the impression that unwisely-chosen high-end stretch goals are the cause of many a Kickstarter disaster.

Basically, a decent stretch goal has to be something that just needs, you know, money - not time and effort from the creators. Because hitting the stretch goal gets you more of the former, but not more of the latter. And honestly, the only thing I can think of that would even faintly tempt me here is limited-run hardbacks of the books. Maybe in slipcases, if someone wanted to be really crazy.

Frankly, in Pixietrix's shoes, and assuming that they got their original budgeting about right, I'd be sore tempted to smile, cancel the hints of future stretch goals, stop posting much to the Kickstarter comments section, and go away and get on with the production work on the books. I mean, why not? They're three and a half times over basic budget already, and nobody would be able to say that they weren't going to get anything they'd been promised. Terribly un-geeky of me to think that way, I know, but really, why not?

And just to show how much influence I have over Pixietrix - there are now three fresh stretch goals. Some cute badges, more commission spots, and a tote bag design.

Double post merged. The DAMNed
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"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
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Zippy
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Re: Menage a 3 - Vol 6 : Discussion

Post by Zippy »

It is funny how the next ($40k) stretch goal is so precisely the opposite of what you said! :)) ("a decent stretch goal has to be something that just needs, you know, money - not time and effort from the creators" - more digital commissions have a monetary cost to them of near-zero, a fraction of a percent off the life of a Wacom nib, but a significant time and effort cost)

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Spidrift
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Re: Menage a 3 - Vol 6 : Discussion

Post by Spidrift »

Yeah, like I said, my influence is clearly overwhelming. I know what I'd do if I was running a Kickstarter, which I'm not; other people know what they think will work for them.

Which said, that one does at least imply some extra money for them. It's not just the returns associated with hitting the stretch goal; each commission itself then gets them another $500 (less the cost of the books and stuff they throw in). Which may be some compensation for any late nights spent doing the work required.
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Spidrift
"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
Avatar misappropriated from the wonderful XKCD.

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Zippy
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Re: Menage a 3 - Vol 6 : Discussion

Post by Zippy »

Only the $35 rewards and the commission itself are included in the $500 (albeit with worldwide shipping, rather than just Canadian shipping included). Which places the commission cost at $459 or $465 CND depending on where you live!

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TheEighth
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Re: Menage a 3 - Vol 6 : Discussion

Post by TheEighth »

I don't get it.

I've just joined Kickstarter, and I've pledged four different times, but it won't accept my card?

What's the deal, I know there's more than enough money on it?
What's the big deal?~Misery from Ruby Gloom
Dakara Korosu/So I'll Kill You~Kei Munakata from Medaka Box
I Floop the Pig~ Finn from Adventure Time
Dangerously Cheesy!~ Chester Cheetah from Cheetos
What the Juice? ~Randy Cunningham from Randy Cunningham: Ninth Grade Ninja.
Groovy. ~ Ashley J. Williams from Evil Dead
Just let yourself go floppy.
For now this is your chance.
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'J'
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Re: Menage a 3 - Vol 6 : Discussion

Post by 'J' »

kickstarter doesn't collect payment until the funding drive ends, and that only if the funding is successful.
Yet still, I live...

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Spidrift
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Re: Menage a 3 - Vol 6 : Discussion

Post by Spidrift »

Which wouldn't explain why if the problem is Kickstarter actively rejecting the card, though. Unless the card is due to expire very, very soon now.

Is it simply an account that can't be charged in foreign currency or something?
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Spidrift
"Brevior vita est quam pro futumentibus negotium agendo."
-- Motto of Hogshead Publishing of fond memory, and wise words to set your Foes List by.
Avatar misappropriated from the wonderful XKCD.

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TheEighth
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Re: Menage a 3 - Vol 6 : Discussion

Post by TheEighth »

Spidrift wrote:Which wouldn't explain why if the problem is Kickstarter actively rejecting the card, though. Unless the card is due to expire very, very soon now.

Is it simply an account that can't be charged in foreign currency or something?
I don't think so.
And my card isn't due to expire until February of 2016.
I'm thinking I'll give it another shot on a computer at the Public Library next week.

If not, then I bought volumes from the store before, so at this rate it looks like I might have to wait until the volumes come into the store.

How differently does the store work?
What's the big deal?~Misery from Ruby Gloom
Dakara Korosu/So I'll Kill You~Kei Munakata from Medaka Box
I Floop the Pig~ Finn from Adventure Time
Dangerously Cheesy!~ Chester Cheetah from Cheetos
What the Juice? ~Randy Cunningham from Randy Cunningham: Ninth Grade Ninja.
Groovy. ~ Ashley J. Williams from Evil Dead
Just let yourself go floppy.
For now this is your chance.
Pretend you have no bones
And do the Rubber Chicken Dance~ Cheese Sandwich from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
I'm Appuhjack! Mowe appuh fwittuh?~ Baby Applejack from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
It's Taco Tuesday!~Sonata Dusk from Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks

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Don Alexander
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Re: Menage a 3 - Vol 6 : Discussion

Post by Don Alexander »

Well, this all seems to have escalated quickly. :P

Too bad I'm totally broke(n) right now. :(

Alex
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Re: Menage a 3 - Vol 6 : Discussion

Post by Artemisia »

Don,

They should give you complementary copies of the books (signed with cards) for all that you do on the forums. Without you, these forums would be a total bloody disaster.
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