technology
crowdfunding means digital can pay
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Rosie Niven on the latest trends and kit
igital technology has been blamed for undermining the traditional advertisingbased funding model for journalism. But it has also enabled crowdfunding, which is becoming a popular mechanism for journalists to raise money for pet projects. Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Beacon have helped to launch niche publications, fund investigative journalism and have even helped an Italian freelance with the costs of covering the US presidential primaries. Freelance journalist and academic Ian Wylie has been involved in two campaigns to raise funds for start-up publications through Kickstarter. Northern Correspondent, which aims to tell stories from the north of England, raised almost £3,500 for the first issue, breaking its target by £1,000. With the second campaign, to launch alternative comedy magazine Stand & Deliver, Wylie and his team are aiming to raise £2,500. Launching a new publication is a risky and expensive business, but Wylie says that crowdfunding platforms could give more people the confidence to do so. “Kickstarter removes much of that risk,” he explains. “If you don’t raise the
preview freelance digital tools Google Forms https://drive.google.com/ Google Drive allows you to set up a custom designed form to input data straight into a spreadsheet. I have set up a simple form to record expenses when I am on the move, which I can access via a link from my mobile phone desktop. Price: Free Alternatives: You can find expenses trackers on Android Play store and iOS App Store.
20 | theJournalist
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For all crowdfunded journalism, the challenge will be for it to become sustainable
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Freeagent www.freeagent.com/ Freeagent is a browser-based accounts tool offering invoicing, payment tracking, accounts and a facility for recording expenses. It is now possible for sole traders to file self-assessment tax returns directly to HMRC from Freeagent – a fantastic time saving addition. Price: Freeagent currently costs £16.20 per month for sole traders following a free trial period. Alternatives: KashFlow starts at £5 a month while PayMo offers a very basic free package.
money, you just go back to the drawing board – if you do raise the money, you can proceed with confidence in commissioning content, booking printing slots and so on.” Contributoria, a digital platform for journalists to get their work funded and published, offers a different approach to crowdfunding to the likes of Kickstarter. Since its launch in January, Contributoria has funded thousands of pounds worth of stories, with the journalists who have been commissioned setting their own fees. For its July issue, Contributoria community members backed 39 stories worth more than £16,000 in total. Joint founder Sarah Hartley says the emphasis at Contributoria is ‘funding quality work’ with many of those commissioned earning more than standard NUJ rates. She says that she doubts such a platform would have been possible even five years ago. “The whole concept of people who don’t know each other coming together to purchase things was not within our consciousness to the extent that it is now,” she notes. For all crowdfunded journalism, the challenge will be for it to become sustainable. For that to happen the pool of people willing to pay for quality online journalism must grow.
Dropbox www.dropbox.com For the many freelances who have to work from a number of different locations, a decent filing system is essential. Dropbox will allow you to save documents in ‘the cloud’ via your desktop, browser or a mobile phone app. You are allowed up to 2GB storage before you have to pay any fees. Price: Free for the Basic account and US$9.99 per month for a Pro account. Alternatives: Google Drive.