Author Topic: Escape Artists Metacast  (Read 83745 times)

Varda

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Reply #125 on: October 18, 2013, 08:18:00 PM
Ergo, progress bars (while I think most of us agree they would be helpful for giving folks basic info about our status and concretizing goals) are a bit misleading.  Think in terms of getting to 700-800 subscribers rather than $42K for the year, if that makes sense.  ;-)

And that is why anyone who can provide even $1 or $2 per month is great and should be pleased with themselves for helping. 

that's exactly the thing my local public radio station pushes for when it's doing their drives, subscribers they want to get, not the number of dollars they want to get. Seeing the reasons why you guys like the subscribers over the one time donations makes their reasoning a lot clearer to me as well, so thanks!



I still think it would be cool to see a progress bar for # of subscribers, though, mainly for the warm fuzzies of seeing everyone banding together to support the 'casts.

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DKT

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Reply #126 on: October 18, 2013, 08:25:14 PM
There will be some kind of progress bar soon - we just have to find the one that will work for us, but it's going to happen. We've been discussing it, and we agree it would be helpful.

Thanks again, all :)

GROUP HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


chaoservices

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Reply #127 on: October 18, 2013, 09:50:56 PM
There will be some kind of progress bar soon - we just have to find the one that will work for us, but it's going to happen. We've been discussing it, and we agree it would be helpful.

Thanks again, all :)

GROUP HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Clarkesworld calls their $10 subscribers Citizens and that has always made me feel glee, even though I'm not one yet. Maybe EA does the same? I for one would feel proud to see my name engraved on a list on the Escapepodies/Cultists/Nobility (pick your social class).



Robosnail

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Reply #128 on: October 19, 2013, 04:25:32 AM
I subscribed and made a one-off donation.  If not for your great podcasts, I may have gone mad from boredom at work ages ago.  Seriously, thanks for being awesome.



Gorbash

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Reply #129 on: October 19, 2013, 12:29:53 PM
Paypal lets you adjust your recurring payments manually.  Or I guess you could subscribe to all three podcasts; the money all goes to the same place, since it's one company financially-speaking.  (Editorial control is obviously a separate issue.)

I do not believe this is correct. There is no way to adjust the size of your donation from within paypal.

You can either cancel your existing subscription and start a higher one (I just did this; note that this will mean that a payment comes out right away, regardless of when your last payment was), or you may be able to have multiple subscriptions at once - I don't know if the latter works, I haven't tried.

You can indeed. I've spent far more on far stupider things, so upping my subscription here is a bit of a no brainer.  Long may the Pod fly! (or float, or slither, as the case may be).




WeesaMass

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Reply #130 on: October 19, 2013, 01:26:18 PM
For long hours in the data analysis lab ... a story and a familiar voice are priceless. I'll be submitting my subscription this afternoon.
Okay, I scraped together 65.00 - I wish I could do more than the 2-dollar a month plan, but maybe this boost at the beginning and a little every month will help.

Thanks guys- for everything you do.
 
Weesa
« Last Edit: October 19, 2013, 04:25:41 PM by WeesaMass »

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acyawn

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Reply #131 on: October 19, 2013, 04:16:42 PM
out of curiosity does that 1% of listeners donating account for the amount of people that listen to all three shows? (e.g. would it count them as a listener three times, but only count as one subscriber?)



Sgarre1

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Reply #132 on: October 19, 2013, 05:30:33 PM
I believe Paul accounted for that, yes.



acyawn

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Reply #133 on: October 19, 2013, 07:36:26 PM
Thanks - even if not a max of 3% still too low.

Another way to help: rate and review the shows on itunes

(i dont use to listen but helps with rankings etc never thought about doing before)



Scattercat

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Reply #134 on: October 19, 2013, 08:37:37 PM
Thanks - even if not a max of 3% still too low.

Another way to help: rate and review the shows on itunes

(i dont use to listen but helps with rankings etc never thought about doing before)

Even just posting about it on Facebook, Twitter, or blogs helps.  The more activity there is around a particular website, the higher it climbs in the various search engines and the more likely it is to come to others' attention.  For the truly strapped, this is something that at least helps intangibly.  The more listeners we have, the more subscriptions we get, even at our one percent rate. 



Sgarre1

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Reply #135 on: October 19, 2013, 09:48:31 PM
We had Al do a blurb about rating and reviewing us on ITunes and got 2 pages of new reviews - the blurb is now on rotation and should be showing up again soon.



Gary

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Reply #136 on: October 20, 2013, 04:01:45 AM

As Escape Artists' major expense seems to be paying for a stories (a story a week x 3 podcasts!) ... before throwing in the towel I would hope EA would consider cutting back to just 1 story a month from each of the 3 podcasts. While it would be a VERY disappointing reduction in content, it would still be 36 pieces of audio fiction a year and keep each of the three podcasts (all of which I love) alive and viable.

So now that I have thrown this out there please don't respond to it. As someone who has been donating (for 3 years now) more then the requested $2 a month, I just needed to know that the brain trust at EA has this idea in their list of "catastrophic back-up plans".

As someone who has been listening to Escape Pod since Ep 7 (then I immediately went back and listened to the earlier ones), I really appreciate everyone who is working to find ways around their technical difficulties to donate to EA.
You guys who are donating (and have been donating) are just as responsible for bringing me my audio fiction as the guys slaving away at EA.
Thanks to all of you.
 



Moritz

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Reply #137 on: October 20, 2013, 03:16:07 PM
OK, I am going to post this again because it hasn't been answered:
is it possible to subscribe with an amount outside the given options? I tried to unsubscribe, then give a one time donation and clicked the "monthly" box, but it seems to not have worked apart from giving you the one time donation. Also I got annoyed because the one time donation took money from my paypal account and I only had money in there which wasn't 100% mine...

I could resubscribe of course, if nothing else works...



eytanz

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Reply #138 on: October 20, 2013, 03:20:17 PM
OK, I am going to post this again because it hasn't been answered:
is it possible to subscribe with an amount outside the given options? I tried to unsubscribe, then give a one time donation and clicked the "monthly" box, but it seems to not have worked apart from giving you the one time donation. Also I got annoyed because the one time donation took money from my paypal account and I only had money in there which wasn't 100% mine...

I could resubscribe of course, if nothing else works...

I believe it is only possible to subscribe in the amounts given. Though I think it is possible to create multiple subscriptions, which, while a hassle, allows you to add up to any whole dollar value per month except $1 and $3.



Moritz

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Reply #139 on: October 20, 2013, 03:59:56 PM
OK, I am going to post this again because it hasn't been answered:
is it possible to subscribe with an amount outside the given options? I tried to unsubscribe, then give a one time donation and clicked the "monthly" box, but it seems to not have worked apart from giving you the one time donation. Also I got annoyed because the one time donation took money from my paypal account and I only had money in there which wasn't 100% mine...

I could resubscribe of course, if nothing else works...

I believe it is only possible to subscribe in the amounts given. Though I think it is possible to create multiple subscriptions, which, while a hassle, allows you to add up to any whole dollar value per month except $1 and $3.

You know what I just realized? I am always talking about being willing to give 7.50.

7.50 Euros is 10 Dollars, so I just set that straight in my subscription  ;D



P.C. Haring

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Reply #140 on: October 20, 2013, 04:16:27 PM
OK, I am going to post this again because it hasn't been answered:
is it possible to subscribe with an amount outside the given options? I tried to unsubscribe, then give a one time donation and clicked the "monthly" box, but it seems to not have worked apart from giving you the one time donation. Also I got annoyed because the one time donation took money from my paypal account and I only had money in there which wasn't 100% mine...

I could resubscribe of course, if nothing else works...


I apologize for the delay in getting back to you.  I've been trying to dig into your question while bouncing around my job search and CPA exam prep (Test day is tuesday).  Unfortunately I don't think it's possible to create a subscription at a level other than what we offered.  I looked into the idea of creating a blank subscription button with Paypal that would allow you to enter in whatever amount you'd like, but it doesn't look like that's an option.  So unfortunately... no.... due to the limitations of Paypal that is not an option.  I believe you could do something like that over at Dwolla.  There they allow you to create your own subscriptions, and while I confess I haven't played with it too much yet (see the afore mentioned CPA Exam prep and job hunt) I suspect there's a little more flexibility there. 

Lets discuss a little more if you'd like.  Feel free to send me a PM or E-mail me Paul at escapeartists dot net and we can look into a few options.  Just don't be surprised if I don't respond until Wednesday or Thursday. 

Paul Haring
Publisher and Treasurer, Escape Artists Inc.


Moritz

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Reply #141 on: October 20, 2013, 04:20:27 PM
OK, I am going to post this again because it hasn't been answered:
is it possible to subscribe with an amount outside the given options? I tried to unsubscribe, then give a one time donation and clicked the "monthly" box, but it seems to not have worked apart from giving you the one time donation. Also I got annoyed because the one time donation took money from my paypal account and I only had money in there which wasn't 100% mine...

I could resubscribe of course, if nothing else works...


I apologize for the delay in getting back to you.  I've been trying to dig into your question while bouncing around my job search and CPA exam prep (Test day is tuesday).  Unfortunately I don't think it's possible to create a subscription at a level other than what we offered.  I looked into the idea of creating a blank subscription button with Paypal that would allow you to enter in whatever amount you'd like, but it doesn't look like that's an option.  So unfortunately... no.... due to the limitations of Paypal that is not an option.  I believe you could do something like that over at Dwolla.  There they allow you to create your own subscriptions, and while I confess I haven't played with it too much yet (see the afore mentioned CPA Exam prep and job hunt) I suspect there's a little more flexibility there. 

Lets discuss a little more if you'd like.  Feel free to send me a PM or E-mail me Paul at escapeartists dot net and we can look into a few options.  Just don't be surprised if I don't respond until Wednesday or Thursday. 

Thanks for the info, but I think I already solved the problem with the existing options... (see two posts ago)



EarlyBird100

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Reply #142 on: October 21, 2013, 03:42:53 AM
You can send donations in via Dwolla.com.  Our number is 812-527-2340

I've just created a Dwolla.com account; it will be two or three business days before my credit union account is verified and I can actually use it to begin sending $. Once it has, I will be setting up a $5 per month recurring payment.

The lot of you at EscapePod and Pod Castle do amazing work (sorry, I'm not familiar with PseudoPod; I'm sure you guys are equally amazing). Thanks for putting the call out.

PS - Will there be a way to connect my Dwolla-delivered donation to me so that I'll be eligible for that premium content?



EarlyBird100

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Reply #143 on: October 21, 2013, 04:01:13 AM
Coincidence ? This was the next podcast that came up in my playlist !

Freakonomics.
Episode: How to Raise Money Without Killing a Kitten
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/freakonomicsradio/~5/h-r3eK0tAVY/freakonomics_podcast101013.mp3

This actually occurred in reverse order for me; too funny!

The Freakonomics podcast had one idea in particular the Escape Artists should consider. The guest expert suggested offering up a dinner with Steve Levit and Steven Dubner to anyone making a really big donation. You guys could do a variation of that: For "extra big donations" (however you want to define that), offer up an invitation to a Google Hangout with some two or three Escape Artists editors / hosts. I would be sorely tempted to raid my son's college fund if I thought it might get me a chance to hang out (virtually) for a couple of hours with Allistair, Norm, Dave, and Anna. (Going out to dinner with them would be much, much better of course, but I'd have to wipe out the college fund and the retirement fund to be able to pay for that much value ...)



InfiniteMonkey

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Reply #144 on: October 21, 2013, 06:23:55 AM
I too do not listen to Pseudopod, but could you let the rest of us know if and when you mange to bag Anson Mount?



Fenrix

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Reply #145 on: October 21, 2013, 11:53:28 AM
It might be time to dust off these old threads and see if we have anything to update them with:

PseudoPod stories for EscapePod listeners

PseudoPod stories for PodCastle listeners

All cat stories start with this statement: “My mother, who was the first cat, told me this...”


Sgarre1

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Reply #146 on: October 21, 2013, 05:01:49 PM
Quote
The guest expert suggested offering up a dinner with Steve Levit and Steven Dubner to anyone making a really big donation. You guys could do a variation of that: For "extra big donations" (however you want to define that), offer up an invitation to a Google Hangout with some two or three Escape Artists editors / hosts. I would be sorely tempted to raid my son's college fund if I thought it might get me a chance to hang out (virtually) for a couple of hours with Allistair, Norm, Dave, and Anna. (Going out to dinner with them would be much, much better of course, but I'd have to wipe out the college fund and the retirement fund to be able to pay for that much value ...)

This is being considered as a Kickstarter goal for next year...



EarlyBird100

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Reply #147 on: October 21, 2013, 09:46:10 PM
By any chance, has Escape Artists, Inc. set up a Google Wallet account? I ask because I ended up with one as a side effect of buying my tablet, and it looks like I could remit a payment immediately using that service ... but only if the recipient has or sets up an account.

Not knowing much about such things, there may be good reasons to not set up Google Wallet in addition to Paypal and Dwolla (high fees, channel conflict, ??) but maybe it's better to have as many ways for people to pay you as possible?

According to the Wallet app, I can send money to anyone with an email address, so I could just try donating $$ to editor@escapepod.org. In fact, I was all set to do so when it occurred to me ... that Norm guy, he's got an awesome story-telling voice and make pretty good jokes and all, but I'm pretty sure the evidence shows he suffers from multiple personality disorder. What if I send my ten bucks to that email address expecting to make a small contribution to the noble cause that is keeping the pods alive, but it's the recipient on the other end of editor@escapepod.org ends up being one Norm's less attractive versions - the one they don't let record intros because he belches into the microphone, or the one that composes pornographic sonnets, or the one that cuts every tuit he can find into a square until finally no one in the damn building can get a round tuit to save their soul and pretty soon the whole place falls apart ...

No, I can't risk it. If you can take a payment via Google Wallet, you'll have to tell me what email address to use, cause the thought of editor@escapepod.org scares me.




jk_jackel

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Reply #148 on: October 21, 2013, 11:13:30 PM
Subscription is all set up. Not have I found some amazing authors and books through these podcasts but they've taken me through the entire range of human emotions... Definitely don't want to see them die.

I was wondering if you guys had considered advertising to bring in revenue? I know lots of other podcasts advertise Audible and get paid for their time and if Audible makes sense on any podcasts its these. I also know of some podcasts using an Amazon link on their pages to bring in extra cash. I'm sure you guys have considered these options, but I'd still love to hear your opinions on them.

All my fingers are crossed in unimaginable ways for you guys!




suzume234

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Reply #149 on: October 22, 2013, 12:26:22 AM
I listened to this metacast yesterday.  I just realized I have been listening to your podcasts for SIX years.  I always thought, "Oh, I'll donate when I am financially stable.". Well, that hasn't happened yet.  So... I'm gonna donate anyway.   This will be my birthday present to me this year. 

It was wonderful to hear from all of the members of the EA Podcasts.  The surprise flash piece was great, broke the mood, and turned my week around.  I have not laughed that hard in a while.  Thank you.  Thank all of you for all of your hard work