Shaunella Ferns’ Post

What am I working on? Jack Conte of Patreon explains what we need next on the internet, what we need as creators and builders. He describes the early days of Web 2.0, when the volume of content was small enough to have a reasonable chance of breaking through the noise, and when monolithic algorithms hadn’t yet risen to address information overload (inadvertently ruining the connection between creators, what motivated their work, and their community). Notably, he doesn’t mention “Web3”. Instead, he described in words that still have meaning what we need now: new ways to build deep and lasting connections with people of shared intent. The superfans. The groups of shared support, solving problems for each other and providing high-signal insights to help each other find and achieve their hopes and dreams. The champions. The stakeholders. The people who show up. But…the problem remains how to scale a way to find and attract the people who will become part of our inner circle of mutual support. And for those lucky enough to break through to wide appeal, how to scale the triaging of new supporters who want to enter our orbit…ensuring that the folks who enter the circle will be a good fit. That’s the problem I’m working on.

"Don't forget what gives you a sense of meaning, as a creative person!" Just one of the endless great insights by Patreon CEO Jack Conte speech at SXSW '24. A simple yet powerful sum up of the last decades #web evolution around the concept of the #follower. From early stage YouTube, passing through the TikTok revolution, trying to trace the years to come. What will be the future for #contentcreators? Can the next steps Patreon is trying to achieve be the answer? #innovation #creatoreconomy #creativity #future

This is genuinely phenomenal & inspiring… a true clarion call. EVERYTHING that algorithms are not. Jack Conte, founder of Patreon, demolishes the gatekeeping, creative censorship and active strangulation of artistic discovery/reach by many platforms, especially Meta. Platforms that proactively hinder grass roots innovation/inspiration, the stuff that feeds, fuels and nurtures societies. It’s why funding for arts is always one of the first things to be cut by governments. Given the countless future trend reports that I’ve read of creator/user lead output leading the way in brand birth, loyalty, growth, and innovation (i.e. success), it’s in stark contrast to what the behemoth platform overlords are seemingly aiming for. There are elements of staggeringly ingenious individual guerrilla marketing in this presentation, that blow creative agencies out of the water. Every single supporter, effectively becomes an active mobile brand ambassador for you, possibly for life. That is nirvana for any brand. With the emergence of AI, and the infinite growth of creative applications that are enabling the democratisation of the creative process and distribution, a process that is ultimately used to connect with others, showing what unifies us all - a desire to share our stories. Everywhere I’ve been fortunate enough to work, I got to see, read about, and meet the people we were creating for. We were purely a vehicle/platform/world for their sincere LOVE of something to be shared. The life changing awe I saw in their eyes at a gig, screening or event, was no different to mine, and we would go on to tell anyone who would listen about it. https://lnkd.in/e_vBNgRF

What's the future of sharing creativity and ideas within Web 3.0? It's something I learned about in Jack Conte's latest conference at SXSW. What's really important is investing in the depth of connections and communities, taking care of them because there's so much value from connecting with people. In the virtual world, I feel like it's harder and harder to maintain these connections, getting to see what my friends are making, sharing. But at least, in the real world, I'm happy to say it's something I maintain and nourish. Listening to this conference, I also felt nostalgic about what the web was 12-15 years ago, as a young adult starting my career. It was simply more... raw. Slower. Less immersed in the attention economy. I used to work on TV openings that would last... 90 seconds! Now forget about this length, because it's 6-second gigs: perfect for YouTube pre-roll. I know it's kind of ironic to post about the attention economy while hoping to gain reach, but hey, maybe it resonates with someone else here! And also, has anyone been to SXSW before? Curious to know if it's worth it!

I've been rewatching Jack Conte's SXSW 2024 keynote, "Death of the Follower and the Future of Creativity on the Web," all week. Anyone working in social media knows the difference between a follower, a community, and a fan. The keynote is an incredibly solid, passionate argument for how to best use the web, navigate the "creator economy," and consider the value of "true fans," all of which are more crucial than ever in 2024. It's a must-watch. https://lnkd.in/e5_8FHZX #SocialMediaMarketing #CreatorEconomy #Creators #SXSW #Marketing

Great speech on Web 3.0! The next phase of Patreon is intriguing, though the model's ability to recapture the true fan remains uncertain. It's a unique crowdsourced production company led by creators, and there's still a tremendous opportunity to create human-centered experiences. The age of bespoke community experiences is coming, where smaller groups unite to create digital worlds for true engagement. Let's hope Web 3.0 delivers on that promise! #Web3 #Patreon #DigitalWorlds #TrueEngagement https://lnkd.in/d6P7BPtc

Jack Conte, CEO of Patreon (and the genius musician behind Pomplamoose/Magaziine), recently took to the stage at SXSW. He criticises current internet algorithms for stifling creators' creative freedom and livelihoods. While the internet initially democratised creative distribution, algorithm-driven platforms like YouTube, Facebook and TikTok hinder creators' ability to reach and monetise their true fans. Conte advocates for spaces like Patreon to empower creators and regain control over their destinies. If you have 90 seconds listen to a section of his speech (25:40) and let it sink in. In a recent discussion I highlighted this very issue, the tension between the synthetic and the authentic. What does it mean for brands and their connection to their communities in a highly controlled media environment? #CreativeFreedom #DigitalMarketing #CommunityDevelopment #BrandConnection #BoldResponse

Death to the Follower , Hail to the True Fans I watched yesterday this inspiring keynote from Jack Conte, the CEO and founder of Patreon. He explained his journey as a creator and all the experiences he had sharing his endeavours and connecting with people. I love the passion he showed and summarized it perfectly: "What can we do as creators?: - Know what you want - Make beautiful things - Invest in your true fans" We can not be slaves of the like algorythms and post content just to be “viral”. As an entrepreneur myself with a recently founded brand new architecture office, often I’ve faced the dilemma: “how can we get clients and be more visible?” “Should I follow what everybody is doing to get likes?” I know all the tricks in the book but likes are not what we aim for really. As Conte beautifully said in his keynote, we strive for real, meaningful, genuine interaction. Ingenuity, discovering new feelings, ideas and being amazed, like a newborn exploring the world for the first time. So f**k it. From now on we are going to just publish randomly what we do, like or find interesting and useful for people to know. No weekly plans with automated posts that sound generic and artificial. Just our thoughts, works and positive information for the people that want to enjoy this amazing journey that is life on earth. Love you all, see you around!! 🙂

This is a super inspiring presentation by Jack Conte of Patreon discussing the different ages of the internet and delving into the 'death of the follower'. It's absolutely worth some of your time if you're a curious creative who's as frustrated as I am with the deeply ingrained state of content gatekeeping that's left artists anaemic when it comes to their reach in 2024. I think that one of the most insidious developments over the past 10 years or so has been the algorithmic 'evaluation' of a social post's reach and the subsequent ranking of posts. Let's face it, the huge corporate companies that control our social networks want nothing other than your attention for as long as possible for their advertising dollars, and as a result they have created an entire generation of willing content-creator automatons who willingly do the job of bots to create the fodder that they rely on to keep the user in rapture. Jack makes a GREAT point when he says "Know what YOU want as a creative person - don’t look OUTSIDE of yourself for this." So many of us are now routinely guilty of looking outside ourselves for cheat codes to 'crack the algorithm' and find that Holy Grail recipe for viral success that we've lost sight of looking within and truly know what it is that we want from our art. As a result, the art is the first thing to suffer as we slavishly bowl headlong towards creative oblivion. So, remember what it is that you WANT as a creative. Then figure out how to reach people.

📣💥 Today's #techtuesday nod is done with some new understandings and very little experience (yet) because of my digital cynicism of platforms promising to be a "good place for artists, creatives and content creators to share their work". Have you guessed it, yet? Yup, it's Patreon. Any of my clients will tell you - I'm old school. I'm the resident elder millennial in many of my crowds because I know a whole lot about technology, design and media but I have a healthy distrust of social media, community websites and seller platforms. So, I have pushed against joining Patreon. Until yesterday. Yesterday, I watched Jack Conte's talk this years' SXSW, called "Death of the Follower & the Future of Creativity" which you can watch in full here - https://lnkd.in/dzvcBBCT - and for about 47 minutes I nearly didn't breathe or blink because this man had just broken down a major train of thought and dissonance I've been having for the last 16 years, on my own. I've never felt so affirmed in my decision to delete my Instagram & Facebook and resist joining Tik Tok, Snapchat, Twitch and all these other platforms. Or to focus on building up my websites and mailing list instead. And giving clients the advice to develop more direct lines between their brand and their audience. Not to say that everyone needs to leave those social media. No. Just be authentic to what platforms ARE for you. For me, social media became more about the algorithm than the people having a "social" space. And I've been yearning to find the best way to directly connect with my customers and supporters. And honestly, LinkedIN has always been one my favorite places to connect with people. But, what else is there to really build a community? Website? Mailing list? Build my own social network? Launch a course? Start a Telegram group? Host a mastermind circle? I've thought of and nearly tried all of these routes, but it still hasn't been clicking for me, fully. I want to be building and supporting authentic community. Not lining the pockets of advertisers or feeding imposter syndrome on social media. Or paying major bucks in distribution and commission fees of my creations. And I want to create spaces where people can share their things, and talk and we can distribute resources, etc. After tuning into this talk, it seems that that is what Patreon was/is built for. And I may have been too quick to judge it without trying it, thinking it was like every other social media or e-commerce platform. Glad to be wrong! Check out Jack Conte's talk and let me know what you think down in the comments. Curious if others have tried or will give Patreon a go? #techtuesdays #technology #software #community #engagement #communityengagement #communitybuilding #sxsw #conference #publicspeaking #jackconte #patreon #pomplamoose