My 2 Cents About Patreon

There really isn't a good alternative -- at least one that takes care of all the details. If you decide to not go Patreon, you have to DIY. Some music vloggers have done that (I think Rick Beato gave Patreon a pass) but few people want to manage the whole equivalent of a web site, chat, micropayments, content server, authentication and authorization. Anyway, I'm not going anywhere.

John Verne

I won't quitcha - here for the duration!

Hi Fran, thank you for your decent work. You are very inspiring :-) Roland

I loved Dave's video, it pulls the curtain back on the magic of the system, but I am staying until you tell me where the better place is to support you!

Wouldn't have occurred to me to freak out and leave. I be stickin' round. No worries. 😊

Michael Aichlmayr

The problem with Patreon is not corporate. The problem is really with Jack Conte's urge to be a social media platform with a specific political agenda. I began to reevaluate its value when Patreon cut off support for the Chinese maker Naomi Wu. She is now having to scramble, just as you describe you would have to, using YouTube and the "other funding platforms." If I have to go to Tipeee to support her, <a href="https://en.tipeee.com/naomiwu" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://en.tipeee.com/naomiwu</a> I may as well support you on other platforms too and let the community live in YouTube, not Jack's house.

Thanks for all the great support everybody!

Fran Blanche

I'm here to stay Fran. ❤️️

I'm surprised that video spurred contributors to leave. If anything it seems it might inspire some content creators to go, but as you point out, go where?

Bill Kerr

There are always some patrons who want to leave, that's normal. And after a video like from Dave, they just get the excuse they need to do this step. The question, if Patreon is sustainable or not, cannot be the reason. If Patreon really screws up the business model sometimes, it is still enough time to leave and look for a better possibility. As you said, at the moment - with 90% transfer - it is just the best deal in town. So don't worry :)

I just got here hehehehe ..... Dave is right but it will be some time before YouTube buy it up ... or Google ... or Elon Musk ... :)

I'm not leaving ,no way Fran im here for the long haul x

Matthew Beddow

I'm not going anywhere Fran.

I don't understand why people would leave because of this BS. This just talks about the future, it doesn't say they are changing or will take all the money. I'm here to support creators I like and will stay with them.

Jessica McIntosh

Is Patreon sustainable.....who cares. Will they fold someday....who cares. As long as they keep paying the creators they same % I will stay with them. If they fold in a year or two then I will change how I pay the creators. Until that day why make a big deal out of it (as Dave did), I did not invest in the company.

Add a tip jar to your website.

I find people are hyper reactionary sometimes and I don't mind to keep supporting you because I like what you do and want to show my appreciation but that could be done in whatever way you feel comfortable with.

veritanuda

No worries. I'm here for the long haul

DaisyAmanda

Nay worries Fran, we're with you all the way!

Zygmunt Dean

Dave I support your channel as well on Patreon, mate you have taught me so much more about electronics than any other source. If not for your truthful, outspoken character I would lack a clear outline about what is happening Doubled what Fran gets to help make up for those leaving.

Inventor Pardue

I'm only a 1bit patron at the moment,so I certainly hang on in and increase my patronage when I can.

Dr Andy Hill

I’ll hang on! -I’ll send you som vintage electronics soon. The stuff is from the seventies... Best regards. Björn Dimming, Göteborg, Seeden

I will double my monthly to you Fran.

Christopher Leech

Interestingly, I put our software on Patreon and got virtually nothing from it. We do get donations via PayPal. I guess some products work better some ways than others. Maybe I should make some videos on using the software, it's something that I have considered. Other than videos there aren't really many patronage rewards you can offer on open source software - The patron already has the full product after all, and I'm not desperate enough for cash to resort to offering crippleware - That sucks anyway.

I'm sticking around! I love your videos and projects!

Martel DuVigneaud

I agree, they are not going to go bust. Even if they did, no point for a creator to bail out because they think they are going to go bust. But they are ripe for a competitor (even Youtube itself) to wipe them out in a very short time frame. I expect layoffs in 6-9 months though, they can't sustain the headcount and expansion without changing something as the CEO said. Sorry you lost patrons as a result of my video, I didn't expect that.

EEVblog

I've no problem with Patreon sofar :)

Patreon is smart, quality people - the platform is amazing - and none of us your supporters that are here are leaving. You are doing great with the moving, and you will be making videos for fun before long. Lost a Patreon supporter? here is a replacement for one of them, I am doubling my monthly support. You are doing great.

Inventor Pardue

Here in the UK, the prices stated in retail outlets have to be the prices you pay. It is an offence to advertise an item at a price for which no form or version of that product can be bought. USA ought to do likewise.

Wow. Thanks for the update. Thanks for your directness. I'm hanging in here. I look forward to stuff in the new space. Take care!

Craig P Steffen

I am a small player, a retired research chemist, and I have used paypal for many, many years - since year one, and I have in the past years started donating to Patreon in a small way. It is very important that the fee structure for these micro-payments be overhauled so that people who donate $1 per month are not subjected to an onerous % fee bite. The traditional Visa/Amex/MC is a huge parasite on mankind. True, they need fees for their work, but they now live like Kings (and Queens to be balanced) on these fees. We all see these 'points' transactions and 'air miles' all variants of these affinity fees. What few reaslize is these affinity fees are the bulk of the cost of these card transactions. The collective time wasted at the checkout to say 'no points', 'no donations' etc., is a huge collective waste of time and $$. So what is needed is legislation to outlaw this and to get rid of the card empire rules that have evolved to perpetuate their hegemony.. As for Patreon - it is a ray of sunlight in these dark days. Patreon needs to encouraged and grown as the work it does is the best kind of work - works that helps mankind and in particular helps women. I am a man, and I have seen the subtle bias against women in operation, so I send $$ only towards women as they have the need and my funds are scant. Thus we need to reform the micropayments world to allow Patreon to flourish and we need to hobble the likes of the cards (VISA/AMEX/MC) who grab too much of the shared pie.

bill jackson

Sorry, I have been in the middle of a move of my house - where I have lived for the past 50 years, so the situation involving Fran and Pateron and others was not noticed until now.

bill jackson

I am with you Fran, I am not going away.

I'm here to stay, wherever 'here' happens to be.

David Peaker

I must be missing something... I didn't see anything in Dave's video that made me even consider leaving Patreon. Fundamentally, its a monthly payment processor. As long as the creators I support are happy with their service, I'll gladly use Patreon as the vehicle to support them.

Howard Simons

Thank you for the update. It's good to hear. Please don't give up.

John N Nelson

Even though money is a hardship for me, I continue supporting you because it is the right thing to do. I only started a month or two ago. Your contribution of technical skills and experience are invaluable to me. Thank you so kindly for the opportunity to support your cause!

I'll move to another platform when you say it suits you better. For now My buck and me are going nowhere xx

Paypal has been a horribly difficult company to do business with if there is a problem. My wife had money taken from her account (because of a virus on her computer) and paypal was a bastard about it.

Hi Fran, I won't be leaving Patreon.

Nuts 'n' Proud

Great to hear from you. I see no reason why people should leave Patron. It's not like we have a huge investment of they go down. The PayPal is fine for just giving you some extra money. Good luck with the work!

Simon Mikkelsen