danielbaylis.ca

[preface] For centuries artists have relied upon financially generous donors to fund their creative endeavors. Contemporary technological platforms and monetary exchange systems provide new options for project funding. Hive Patronage presents a democratic form of consumerism, where content consumers are invited to determine the financial value of the content they access.

My name is Daniel Baylis, and I am a blogger. Many people are intrigued when I tell them I am a blogger. Some of them have preconceived notions of what that means. Being a blogger can mean many things: technological suaveness, cutting edge creativity, free tickets to concerts and social media addiction. Unbridled financial wealth, however, is rarely an element of blogging.

For most bloggers, the act of blogging is a labor of love. Payment comes in the form of a retweet or comment or, if we’re lucky, the occasional email that sends a personal anecdote of salutations and support. But monetary support, outside the world of banner ads, is a rare occasion.

This year, as I travel the world and share my adventures on my blog, I thought a bit more about how people, should they be inspired by my content, could reciprocate.

On a recent bus trip from Trujillo to Lima, I was listening to an episode of a CBC podcast called Spark where the host, Nora Young, explores the link between technology and culture. The chatty featured guest used the term “Hive Patronage.”

My ears immediately perked up.

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WHAT IS HIVE PATRONAGE?

Simply put, Hive Patronage is a reciprocity-based system that relies upon micro donations of many patrons/consumers, rather than that of a single large-scale financier –including contemporary forms of artistic funding, such as corporate record labels or book publishers – to support a project or artistic endeavor.

If we picture a beehive, we see thousands of busy bees bringing micro-contributions of nectar back to the nest. The average bee doesn’t contribute a lot. In fact, it is said that it takes twelve bees their entire lifespan to make a single teaspoon of honey. But when each bee brings a little bit of nectar to the hive, at the end of the season the hive is filled with honey.

And so it functions with Hive Patronage. When each consumer of an artist’s creative content gives a bit of financial nectar, the artistic project is able to continue.

Everyone gives a little bit.

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THE CONSUMER NAMES THE PRICE

In our current technically savvy culture, paying for entertainment or media content has become virtually optional. Anyone with a computer and access to the Internet can obtain music, movies, photos, news, pornography and more. We have grown accustomed to having stuff for free.

This current system has its advantages and disadvantages. Great for the consumer (and challenging for the creative sharer. And that’s why people are experimenting with new systems of reciprocation.

With Hive Patronage, rather than placing a blanket price value on content – for example, a Lady Gaga CD might be valued at your local HMV for $9.99 – consumers are encouraged to determine their own value unit based on how they respond to the creative content.  An open-donation-hive-patronage-based system liberates the buyer.

It’s a democratic form of consumerism.

Involving the consumer in determining the value of the art is not a new concept. Artists such as Radiohead (In Rainbows) and Jane Siberry have experimented with new business models, where they have invited listeners in a “pay what you want” model of sharing their creative works. Websites and networks, such as Kickstarter, are developing new ways for consumers to direct dollars to art projects that they deem most meaningful.  These are excellent examples where Hive Patronage is the underlying system.

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CASE STUDY: THE CONVERSATIONALIST

The Conversationalist is my little corner of the Internet. It is not the biggest platform, or the sparkliest for that matter, but it does home the photos, videos and stories from a man traveling the world (plus three years of archives).  It’s a humble, but honest space.  To have a project, such as mine, entirely reliant on Hive Patronage for long-term financial sustainability requires a massive, engaged audience. The Conversationalist is not there yet.

But I sure am honored each time someone reciprocates with a comment, a video share and/or a financial donation.

Ultimately, as I designed my world travel project, I knew that financial acquisition would be a very low priority. Instead, I would be gaining insight into global realities by traveling, while also having the opportunity to develop my photo, video and writing skills. I view my year as a (unofficial) Master’s Degree, and as a post-graduate student might do, I applied for a loan and obtained a $15 000 CDN line of credit to make this dream possible. As such, I was (and still am) prepared to go into debt for this trip.

I have yet to touch this money, and ideally I never would. This may or may not happen, depending on a variety of variables, such as flight costs, volunteer fees and the myriad of hidden expenses that travel presents. But levels of micro-patronage will most certainly be a determining factor of whether or not I incur debt.  As stated, I’m not reliant on donations, but they will help avoid going into the red. Which, in turn, will help me continue to pursue other self-directed, creative projects upon my return to Canada.

I keep good track of how donations are allocated in the SUPPORT section of this blog. For subtly and confidentiality, I don’t disclose how much each person has given. But at the end of the year, I will share how much money has been allocated to The Conversationalist from its readers. So please, stay with this experiment.

It could affect how you fund your next project.

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AND IF I WERE AUDACIOUS ENOUGH TO SHARE SOME ADVICE…

Here are some suggestions for implementing a Hive Patronage system:

Keep your content fresh and interesting. Whether you’re a blogger or musician or one-legged, juggling lesbian ventriloquist, you must keep the act fresh. Consumers don’t want to watch the same jig each time.

Don’t rely entirely on donations to fund a project. If you put all your eggs in one basket, some wart-covered monster will mug you and steal your basket. It is best to have some savings, some credit and some back up plans.

Acknowledge each financial gift, no matter how small. I still get choked up when people give. For everyone that makes a donation to my project, I reciprocate with a personal email.

Remind people to give. But not too often. People have wonderful intentions to support, but perhaps their purse is in the other room, or they have to wait for their next paycheck. Regular reminders are helpful. Just don’t get spammy. No one likes a beggar who talks too much.

I’d love to hear how Hive Patronage is working for you. Feel reach me via one of my various platforms found in my CONTACT section.

Best of luck!

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If you are interested in bringing a bit of honey to this hive, check out the SUPPORT page for details on how to help. No gift is too large or too small.

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