Author Topic: Escape Artists Metacast  (Read 83727 times)

kcc1982

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Reply #150 on: October 22, 2013, 11:26:01 AM
I started a donation subscription today.  Please do not go.  I could not imagine driving anywhere with out you guys. 



bounceswoosh

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Reply #151 on: October 22, 2013, 12:47:47 PM
It's probably clear from how long we've waited to say anything and by the way that when we finally did, we babbled on and on like a 35-year-old having to ask his parents for money, but this was hard for us. Your response has been heartwarming and reassuring. In fact, now I feel like I can ask you guys for anything. Can each of you come take one thing out of my basement and never bring it back? I want to make some play space down there.

You know ... The staff could possibly hold eBay auctions for token personal items.



matweller

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Reply #152 on: October 22, 2013, 01:23:10 PM
...or you could all just come take something from my basement and leave money in a tip jar by the cellar steps.



bounceswoosh

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Reply #153 on: October 22, 2013, 01:58:20 PM
...or you could all just come take something from my basement and leave money in a tip jar by the cellar steps.

Sure, just post your home address here on the forum!  That's not ... a problem, is it?

Road trip!!

(To be clear: KIDDING!  I have my own basement full of unwanted items, TYVM.  Although ... Hmm ... If I manage to sell some of them, perhaps I will donate the proceeds.)



RKG

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Reply #154 on: October 22, 2013, 03:17:35 PM
As a long long time listener (EP #2? #3?), occasional donator, and <shameless plug> contributor </shameless plug> I am now officially a subscriber.  Do I get a tote bag?

Seriously, have you considered adding "Sustaining Member" to the forums profile?  Maybe we can just add it to our signatures.  

I know, I know - it sounds all immodest and "My Kid is an Honor Student at EscapeArtists High School", but social norming is a great motivator of pro-social behavior:  http://freakonomics.com/2012/06/21/riding-the-herd-mentality-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/

[Edit:   OK, I'm going to try it in my sig for a while and see how much grief I get.]
[Edit 2: If there was a separate page for subscriptions I would link to it in my sig]
« Last Edit: October 22, 2013, 04:39:38 PM by RKG »

rkg  101010


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Reply #155 on: October 22, 2013, 03:54:43 PM
I have listened to the metacast, but haven't yet read through the posts in this thread, so apologies if this has already been answered.

I have made both a one-time donation, and subscription.  Is there anything else I can do to help?  (I sent an email to the three editorial email addresses on Saturday as well, but I wouldn't be surprised if those addresses are swamped with responses right now).

1.  I was thinking of offering some auxilliary incentives for donating to Escape Artists, probably also in the form of audio fiction written and/or read by us over at Diabolical Plots.  Wilson Fowlie did a kickass reading of one of my stories a year or two ago that got split into five parts and mixed in with nonfiction, so I thought a single-package file of that might be appealing.  Maybe some other ones too.
--I'm not sure, though, what the best way to verify donations and give incentives would be from my perspective.  I'd be fine with adding whatever we come up with the Escape Artists official pot, but the one story I had in mind for sure is 9700 words, so would seem out of place in a collection of flash giveaway--mind you I would still be happy to do it, just a matter of whether the editors would consider it appropriate.   Maybe could at least provide some other flash stories, but not sure if it'd be ones that we pick or if they'd have to run past the editors.  I could offer it separately, but then I'm not exactly sure what the best way to verify the donations would be since I would be a third party and the transaction wouldn't be visible to me.  Any ideas?

2.  At the very least, I will make a post about in on Diabolical Plots.  My readership count isn't anywhere near as high as the EA listenership, but it can't hurt anyway.

3.  I'm thinking I will also mention it in the first proto edition of the Submissions Grinder newsletter.  We have thousands of users (though not all of them are signed up for the newsletter).  In the future it'll be a weekly newsletter that'll contain mostly market opening/closing announcements, but will also contain other items of interest like Kickstarter or other fundraising campaigns related to publications.  We feel strongly enough about this one to merit an Issue 0 of the Newsletter to help spread the word, and to mention any incentives we might be kicking in.



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Reply #156 on: October 22, 2013, 03:57:18 PM
Also, a minor note:  the metacast mentioned that you could make one of the 6 pre-set PayPal monthly payment subscription setups, or make a one-time donation.

But I notice now that PayPal has apparently added a feature that if you make a "one-time donation" you can ALSO choose to check a new box for "Make This Recurring (Monthly)".  So you can set up a recurring monthly payment of whatever-you-please as well.



matweller

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Reply #157 on: October 22, 2013, 05:45:18 PM
But I notice now that PayPal has apparently added a feature that if you make a "one-time donation" you can ALSO choose to check a new box for "Make This Recurring (Monthly)".  So you can set up a recurring monthly payment of whatever-you-please as well.
That is VERY helpful, thanks!



P.C. Haring

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Reply #158 on: October 22, 2013, 10:22:03 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...

Also, a minor note:  the metacast mentioned that you could make one of the 6 pre-set PayPal monthly payment subscription setups, or make a one-time donation.

But I notice now that PayPal has apparently added a feature that if you make a "one-time donation" you can ALSO choose to check a new box for "Make This Recurring (Monthly)".  So you can set up a recurring monthly payment of whatever-you-please as well.

Yup.  I just double checked all of the one time donation buttons for all three sites and can confirm this is out there and works.  Here's the detail that you've probably already figured out -

Go to the website of your choice and select the one time donation button.  That'll take you to the paypal portal where you'll be asked to enter the amount you wish to donate.  Put in your preferred amount there.  Then to the right of that you'll see a check box that says "make this recurring (monthly)"  check that box and finish the log in process.  And you'll be set to go.
« Last Edit: October 22, 2013, 10:24:42 PM by P.C. Haring »

Paul Haring
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CamTurner

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Reply #159 on: October 22, 2013, 11:26:04 PM
I'm in. Just subscribed for $10/mo. Should have done it years ago. Happy to also share in some sort of one-time lump if we are still in a crunch at the end of 2013 and need to buy more time to raise subscriptions.

This is my Second post. :)

Cam



TrishEM

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Reply #160 on: October 23, 2013, 04:00:53 AM
I just donated through Escape Pod because that's how I became aware of Escape Artists, but I also listen to Podcastle and Pseudopod. I gave a lump sum ($60) because my MP3 player doesn't do subscriptions, but I delurked and registered here -- obviously! I hope I heard right via the Metacast that I'll still qualify for the premium content.

I really like the Escape Pod T-shirts on PodDisc. If I buy one, will some reasonable portion of the proceeds go to the pods?



JoanQuizzical1

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Reply #161 on: October 23, 2013, 06:39:04 AM
 Hi! I finally figured out how to subscribe, after looking at the different options mentioned here. (Both Dwolla and PayPal have issues it seems, and my electronic billpay wanted a phone number besides an address. Does EA have a phone number?) I'll put the first $2 check in the mail soon.

I've been a listener since Escape Pod #195, "26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss." I don't remember what my first Podcastle episode was, but it was probably as equally amazing. That's where my $2 per month is going. EA makes my favorite podcasts, so I'm glad to give what I can!




Scattercat

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Reply #162 on: October 23, 2013, 07:45:28 AM
I really like the Escape Pod T-shirts on PodDisc. If I buy one, will some reasonable portion of the proceeds go to the pods?

That's a yes.



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Reply #163 on: October 23, 2013, 01:48:45 PM
I just donated through Escape Pod because that's how I became aware of Escape Artists, but I also listen to Podcastle and Pseudopod. I gave a lump sum ($60) because my MP3 player doesn't do subscriptions, but I delurked and registered here -- obviously! I hope I heard right via the Metacast that I'll still qualify for the premium content.

Yes, the metacast said a one-time donation of $50 or more will get you the extra content.



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Reply #164 on: October 23, 2013, 01:59:34 PM
A couple comments about the metacast itself:

I appreciate that not once in the metacast was the $5 a month compared to the cost of buying a cup of coffee, one of the most annoying cliches in fundraising drives.  For me, who doesn't buy coffee, I only think "Damn, someone's paying too much for coffee." For someone who does drink coffee, I expect they think "I'm not giving up a cup of COFFEE for you! And if I don't give up a cup of coffee for you, then what was the point of pointing this out?" In either case, I don't think that argument ever makes anyone think "You know, you're right, Starbucks prices are inflated too high THEREFORE I shall donate to this completely unrelated organization.

Also, I appreciate that the EA metacast made a good choice of tone "We want to do awesome things to share with you, and we need money to do those awesome things. Donate to ensure awesome things can continue to be had. And for those who donate, here is some extra awesome things."

As opposed to some donation calls which seem to aim for a tone of "People who don't donate suck and should be punished.  But we can't selectively punish them, so we'll just punish everyone."
« Last Edit: October 23, 2013, 02:02:38 PM by Unblinking »



Unblinking

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Reply #165 on: October 23, 2013, 02:23:26 PM
Also, another thing that you did right:  Talking about what exactly you need the money for.  This can be important when I am choosing whether to donate.

Duotrope did not do this well when they were doing fundraising drives--they claimed to need a pretty substantial amount of money but never made it clear what they needed it for.  Presumably to pay staff for labor, which is fine, but they always hid the numbers of their staff and their names behind a veil of secrecy that I wasn't sure how far that money was supposed to be spreading.  (They were also the ones who I was thinking of with the "Punish everyone because non-donors suck" tone).

StarShipSofa did not do this well (in my opinion) when Tony said all of these things in the same episode (paraphrased) "If we paid for stories we'd also have to pay for nonfiction and the readers and etc" and "We can't afford to pay all those people, so we don't pay anyone" and "We finally made enough money in donations that I could give some of the money to my wife". He said those things in response to some feedback that I'd given him, and was one of the (admittedly many) reasons why I decided to stop listening to StarShipSofa.
« Last Edit: October 23, 2013, 02:45:46 PM by Unblinking »



matweller

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Reply #166 on: October 23, 2013, 02:54:16 PM
I appreciate that not once in the metacast was the $5 a month compared to the cost of buying a cup of coffee, one of the most annoying cliches in fundraising drives.  For me, who doesn't buy coffee, I only think "Damn, someone's paying too much for coffee." For someone who does drink coffee, I expect they think "I'm not giving up a cup of COFFEE for you! And if I don't give up a cup of coffee for you, then what was the point of pointing this out?" In either case, I don't think that argument ever makes anyone think "You know, you're right, Starbucks prices are inflated too high THEREFORE I shall donate to this completely unrelated organization.
Ha! That's one of my most hated too. Every time I hear it, I think, "What moron daily drops $5 on coffee? We need to find those idiots and straight rob them on principle." And by the time I'm done musing about that, I've long forgotten what started me thinking about it.



Kaa

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Reply #167 on: October 23, 2013, 03:09:06 PM
I quit contributing a while back because Paypal. Now that you have Dwolla (YAY!), I'm reinstating my monthly contributions as of...whenever Dwolla gets around to confirming my bank account information. Shouldn't take more than 3 days, at the outside.

I'll also catch up to what I would have contributed if Paypal weren't throbbing dicks.

Seriously, THANKS, everyone at EA, for your tireless dedication. I look forward to three stories per week from three of my favorite podcasts.

We can't let these go away, folks. We can't.

I invent imaginary people and make them have conversations in my head. I also write.

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suzume234

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Reply #168 on: October 23, 2013, 05:00:55 PM
I know there was a mention of setting up a recurring donation at your own chosen amount.  On PayPal you can set up a Monthly donation just by checking a box.  Would that be the same as subscribing? 

My donation will be my birthday present this year.  I'm so happy that you are here, putting out great stories every week for me to listen to!



caroline99uk

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Reply #169 on: October 23, 2013, 07:40:28 PM
I've donated...these podcasts got me through a lot of animation processing, long walks, commutes and half marathon training.

 For that amount of listening pleasure I don't care if you guys are asking for extra money so you can pile it all in a small room and sit there gently rubbing yourself with five pound notes*. You've earned it as far as I'm concerned.


*Not that I think you are. Though it would be cool.



DKT

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Reply #170 on: October 23, 2013, 08:19:54 PM
I know there was a mention of setting up a recurring donation at your own chosen amount.  On PayPal you can set up a Monthly donation just by checking a box.  Would that be the same as subscribing? 

It would. Thank you so much, and happy birthday :)


Jimmy8085

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Reply #171 on: October 23, 2013, 11:18:50 PM
The metacast has finally brought me to get out of bed at (when I have to be up in 5 hours...) and actually stop finding excuses not to and donate. I'm sorry it has taken me so long. Having listened to every episode of Escapoepod and Podcastle the idea that you guys might no longer be around really scared me.

Thank you all so much for everything you do. I hope enough other people are as motivated as me and everything works out for the best.




Maplesugar

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Reply #172 on: October 24, 2013, 03:40:56 AM
Wow- I, too, kept procrastinating month after month.  I have fixed the situation, subscribing at $5 monthly.

Escape Artists has enriched my life in ways I never could have imagined before their discovery.
They have introduced me to wonderful authors, entrancing music, and personalities that now feel like close friends even though they are strangers.

Thank you for your hard work and commitment!

« Last Edit: October 25, 2013, 12:43:55 AM by Maplesugar »



eightVans

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Reply #173 on: October 24, 2013, 12:01:22 PM
I don't want to imagine what my morning commutes would be like without a dose of quality fiction 2 or three times a week.  That's why I subscribed.  Here's to a bright 2014!



Kaa

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Reply #174 on: October 24, 2013, 12:51:51 PM
Dwolla finally verified my bank account, so expect a substantial lump sum to make up for my lack of contributions over the last two years, and I'm now subscribed at the same level I was under Paypal.

Thanks again, guys, for making a non-Paypal method available. I would have found a way, even if it meant physical checks, but Dwolla is so much easier.

I invent imaginary people and make them have conversations in my head. I also write.

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