Kickstarter is cracking down on how gadget creators look for funding on the site by enforcing new rules that address the common risks and challenges that come with their projects. The crowd-funding site posted a message to its blog on Friday that prohibits product renderings and simulations, and requires creators to showcase products in their current stage of development. This aims to cut back on “over-promising.” “It’s hard to know how many people feel like they’re shopping at a store when they’re backing projects on Kickstarter, but we want to make sure that it’s no one. Today we’re introducing a number of changes to reinforce that Kickstarter isn’t a store — it’s a new way for creators and audiences to work together to make things.” The company added a new section called “Risks and Challenges,” which forces project creators to answer a key question during development: “What are the risks and challenges this project faces, and what qualifies you to overcome them?” Their answers will be included on the project page. “Before backing a project, people can judge both the creator’s ability to complete their project as promised and whether they feel the creator is being open and honest about the risks and challenges they face,” Kickstarter said. Creators are also banned from offering mass quantities of their products to backers. Projects can only be offered in single quantities or a set — “only make sense as a pair or as a kit of several items.” “The development of new products can be especially complex for creators and offering multiple quantities feels premature, and can imply that products are shrink-wrapped and ready to ship,” Kickstarter said.
September 21, 2012
