Comments on: Viticulture Pre-Orders and Lessons Learned from My Kickstarter Backers

By: Game on!: The Best Board Games of 2012 | Janean Super Store

Game on!: The Best Board Games of 2012 | Janean Super Store — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 13:03:25 +0000

[...] Kickstarter-funded Game: Viticulture (preorder) — great after-dinner game with a glass of vino. [...]

By: Best of 2012: Readers’ Choices – jameystegmaier.com

Best of 2012: Readers’ Choices – jameystegmaier.com — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 02:55:07 +0000

[...] What I Learned from My Kickstarter Backers [...]

By: I’m a Backer: The Wardenclyffe Horror « Caffeineforge

I’m a Backer: The Wardenclyffe Horror « Caffeineforge — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 16:17:29 +0000

[...] would that be?!) I’m Jamey Stegmaier, the creator of a completed Kickstarter project called Viticulture. I don’t read graphic novels and I don’t know David or Chris in real life. So why am I [...]

By: Jamey Stegmaier

Jamey Stegmaier — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 19:13:01 +0000

Thanks for your thoughts, Jacob. Hopefully you’ll get a chance to play the game in the future!

By: Jacob

Jacob — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 22:28:29 +0000

Interesting to read these two points. I did not back Viticulture in the end due to lack of funds, but when I almost did it I was swayed by your prompt, personal responses to any of my messages. I realize how much of a difference connecting with the designer makes for these sorts of projects. Viticulture is still on my radar and I enjoy reading people’s reviews of it, but unfortunately, I will have to wait for its arrival in my local game shop.

By: Jamey Stegmaier

Jamey Stegmaier — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:23:49 +0000

Gayvin–Thanks for your comment. I agree that the personal touch is SO important, even if it’s just a little touch. Kickstarter makes it easy to see what other projects a backer has supported and their location (if the backer has shared it), so project creators might as well use that to better connect with them. Good luck with that as you continue to work towards your project’s goal!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1146847075/julia-fae-ya-novel

By: Jamey Stegmaier

Jamey Stegmaier — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:21:02 +0000

Neil–I checked out that link, and although the creator’s response was surprising to me, the dollar amount they raised was not. If their mentality was to sit back and let the funds roll in, then that’s indicative of the passion they feel for that project. It’s unfortunate, especially since you connected with the project, but hopefully they and other project creators will learn from unsuccessful projects like that.

By: Jamey Stegmaier

Jamey Stegmaier — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:19:25 +0000

Katie–Thanks for your insights into what worked in my campaign. I think even I am surprised by how connected I feel to my backers–thanking each of them and hearing back from many of them humanized them and made them much more than a few dollars in my inbox. I have a relationship with them as people, as individuals, and that relationship is really important to me to maintain and develop.

By: Gayvin

Gayvin — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 13:23:44 +0000

I completely agree with Katie. I think that Jamey has a lot of valuable information and he conveyed it in a very personal and caring manner to people that pledged to his project. I’ve seen other projects where I’ve gotten long winded emails that are impersonal. I’d rather have a personal, shorter email that speaks to me than an impersonal one, especially while doing a kickstarter campaign.

By: Neil Roberts

Neil Roberts — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 23:57:22 +0000

“I have the feeling that many of these backers had been scarred by some negative experiences where they didn’t hear from a creator for long stretches of time”

But it’s not just from delayed projects. I got very invested in a documentary project turning an overweight average guy into a super-hero only to see the project sit around without even a visit from the project owner. You can see how I reacted in the comments:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/illuminatitv/a-real-life-superhero-movie-starring-jeeves/comments