What do you do if you have an open source idea you think might get some traction from a Kickstarter campaign but you’re not sure it’s ready?
The Video Screening Room
If you’re an open source enthusiast who thinks you might have a good idea for a Kickstarter campaign, but are not yet ready to launch the campaign, why not launch a draft campaign and request feedback from the public? In doing so, you might be able to rally supporters before your campaign launches — and you might also receive vital cautions that could help you revise (or abandon) the planned campaign. This neat video for an Audio DSP Shield for Arduino reminds us that you can use Kickstarter to test the waters before launching a campaign.
How did I encounter this project in its earliest phase? I saw it listed as one of the newly submitted items to Hacker News. Regardless of whether this news story gets upvoted to the front page of Hacker News, it reached my eyes and the eyes of others who check the new submissions to the site. How many new submissions come in each day? Not all that many — about 200-300 in my experience. Quite manageable to check once or twice a day if you’re curious.
Now go provide some feedback to this inventive soul — if you have some supportive ideas or cautions to share with him.
For the past 10 years, Phil has been working at a public library in the Washington D.C.-area, helping youth and adults use the 28 public Linux stations the library offers seven days a week. He also writes for MAKE magazine, Opensource.com and TechSoup Libraries. Suggest videos by contacting Phil on Twitter or at pshapiro@his.com.
