maggots hip 'n' shouldered: crowd funding academic research anu 2014
DESCRIPTION
This presentation was delivered as part of the NECTAR at ANU crowd funding workshop 26th August 2014. It is the story of my journey from Feb 2013 to August 2014, covering my evolution as an online academic, developing a crowd funding track record and some of my insights into what the University learned along the way.TRANSCRIPT
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CROWD FUNDING RESEARCH: MAGGOTS HIP ‘N’ SHOULDERED.
Dr Melanie Thomson – Deakin Medical [email protected]
@Dr_Mel_Thomson (Twitter)www.facebook.com/drmel.thomson
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Evolution of an Online Academic: NetPrax Project Feb 2013
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Deakin Faculty of Health: NetPrax project
Joyce Seitzinger@catspyjamasnz on Twitter
Colin Warren@colwar on Twitter
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NetPrax project: ARRRRGGGHH!!!
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NetPrax project: Learn to Filter
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There’s an App for that!
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NetPrax for Teaching: Digital Literacy
• Facebook Page• Twitter Hash tag
(#UnitCode)
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Evolution of a Crowd Funding University: ‘Research my World’ Deakin-Poziblepartnership April 2013
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Crowd Funding for Research
Prof Deb Verhoeven
Chair in Media and CommunicationFaculty of Arts & EducationSchool of Communication & Creative Arts
[email protected]@bestqualitycrab on Twitter
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• Deakin-Pozible.com partnership
• Pozible founder Rick Chen, me & Dr Michelle Harvey
Crowd Funding for Research
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Evolution of a Crowd Funding Academic: ‘Mighty Maggots’ Campaign April 2013
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Maggots…can we make them glamorous?
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Mighty Maggots Campaign video 1
Melanie Thomson and Michelle Harvey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRGnbWlJdLM
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Pozible-ly, an exercise in marketing
Second Maggot Video: Maggot Art
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1WJZiflxi8
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Getting $10K for Maggots? It’s !
• 45 days to convince people to give us $$
• No existing ‘audience’• Target Market not as
tech savvy• Ran ‘physical’
outreach campaign as well as online
• Apps used: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Storify
• Diverse Donors
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Pozible-ly, rewarding for donors?
Rewards turned out to be an important part of the process
Best rewards are priceless and worthless!
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Mighty Maggots on Social media
• Facebook Page – Friday Arvo Maggot Racing
• Twitter ‘parody’ accounts
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Twitter Parody Accounts: Panto Villians!
• Used Storify to ‘record’ Twitter arguments b/w the protagonists
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A real life Crowd : Community Engagement
Cons: Can get hostility from punters
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A real life Crowd : Community Engagement
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‘Mighty Maggots’ Campaign
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Crowd Funding for Community Engagement
• ‘Research my World’ Pozible Campaign Tweets and Re-Tweets network by Stuart Palmer (@s_palm)
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Crowd Funding Tips for University Admin
• Requires support from the highest level (VC/DVCR)• Requires support of financial officers in Research Office
and at local Departmental level• Consideration for admin burden of tax receipts ->
Philanthropy office?
• Practicalities: • WHICH PLATFORM? External or Internal?• Official You Tube account• Pay Pal account needed• Multi Media/Comms support?• ‘Coalition of the willing’ team of Social Media Mentors
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Evolution of a Crowd Funding Track record: ‘Hips 4 Hipsters’ April 2014
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‘Hips 4 Hipsters’ - Bought Pro Help
Logo: Cat Donaldson, Faster Pussycat Productions @catherineLdAnimation: James Hutson, Bridge8 @jameshutson
Professional Animation by James Hutson of Bridge8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-OD2gB0Ewg
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‘Hips 4 Hipsters’-Secondary Video (free!)
Mel Thomson – ‘Face of Campaign’ video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebg8i3AJyoI
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‘Hips 4 Hipsters’ Twitter only strategy
• One week on @realscientist rotation account to amplify signal
• Important relationship with science ‘supertweeter’ @upulie -> @colvinius
• Interviewed by @carolduncan on ABC radio• ‘Herd Mentality’ Podcast @adamreakes
• Most donors came from these interactions
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Crowd Funding: Not for the faint of heart!
Cost • Pricey on Time!! (10-20 hrs on top of Academic job!)• $$ return per hour….less than minimum wage• Seen as ‘zany’ = non credible by science establishment??*Benefit• Raised profile in local and national communities• ‘Ripple Effect’ still in action…several further donations• Obtain network of random ‘cheerleaders’
for your science
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‘Ripple Effect’ of community engagement
• Approx $5,000 extra donations (so far!)
• Plus $37,000 Grants
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Crowd Funding for you? The Overworked academic?
• First steps: If you are not on social media professionally…Mak account today!
• Big Three are Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn• Use ‘down time’ while travelling to post stories of interest• Crowd funding is good for raising profile and gaining seed
funds and kudos, but labour intensive & sometimes stressful• Do you have an research idea you can ‘sell’? • Are you comfortable with the ‘hard sell’?• Make sure you do ‘Real Life’ engagement too!
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Social Media for Research Community
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Social Media for Research Community
• @realscientists• #onsci• #emcr or #emcrforum• #microtwjc• #phdchat• #womeninSTEM
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http://www.slideshare.net/debver/crowdfunding-university-research
http://www.slideshare.net/debver/report-evauatinresearch-myworld
http://www.slideshare.net/debver/checklists-crowdfunding-research
http://www.pozible.com/research
My Blog: www.drmelthomson.wordpress.com
1st Campaign www.pozible.com/mightymaggots
2nd Campaign www.pozible.com/hips4hipsters
‘Research my World’ Crowd Funding Links
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
SPONSORS: 129 + 180 individuals @pozible.com +
Jane den HollanderLee AstheimerDeb VerhoevenMichelle HarveyJoyce SeitzingerColin WarrenStuart PalmerRebecca PlantRyan RaybouldWarwick Hadfield
PozibleRick ChenMatt Benetti
Gillian TurnerCatherine DonaldsonJames HutsonKim FoaleMichelle Banks