We now have a Patreon!

Today, we are launching a Patreon for 17th Shard and our content creation efforts. We have long had a well-hidden donate button on our About page, and it was hidden for a reason: we don't want to beg for money. However, people have asked for an effective way to donate to 17th Shard, and so this is a good way to do that. Nothing with us is changing with our content release schedule. We will not timegate content or paywall content. This will just be a tip jar if you happen to really like the site, or want to support our content. If you're willing to put some of your hard-earned money into this venture, that is extremely humbling and we are insanely grateful for it, but make sure your financial situation is solid before you do. Don't feel obligated to do this; only do this if you really like what we do here and feel in your heart you want to support us.

On our Patreon page, we have a quick explanation for what we do, our goals, and your cosmetic rewards for being a Patron, but if you're wondering why we are doing a Patreon, look no further than our Why Patreon section, which I have also put below.

Why Patreon?

We are coming to Patreon because, since 2010, all the funding for this site has come out of the pockets of a select few of our staff members (with some occasional, but much appreciated, support from other donors). To give users an excellent experience, we use some paid software, like what we use for the main 17th Shard site (Invision Power Suite). Not to mention, hosting all these projects is not cheap.

Doing content creation right has also not been cheap, as we've purchased quality equipment for each of our large roster of casters, and maintain a subscription to premium video editing software,as we are dedicated to crafting a top-notch product. In addition, we pay for a Soundcloud subscription so that the entirety of our back catalog of Shardcast remains publicly available.

Our hope with this Patreon is to begin paying back our staff members for all the money they have put into the site, as well as lend support to the production of Shardcast (and other video content) which requires a large investment of time, particularly when it comes to editing. We would like to begin compensating our panelists and editors for the time they give to these projects, invest in ways to improve the quality of our shows, and of course, expand our content offerings! 

We intend this Patreon to be a tip jar for you, if you would like to support what we do. As with all donations, please make sure you only donate if your financial situation is okay. You come first. 

We do not intend for this to change any accessibility to the content we have created thus far or plan to create going forward, that is we will never put Shardcast or access to any of our sites behind a paywall. Though we may periodically post some special bonus content just for our Patrons.

We are new to Patreon so please bear with us as we start small. To begin our rewards will be:

-A special role on our Discord server, saying that you are Patron, with a special Patron chat channel
-A special designation on the forums, saying you are a Patron, with a special Patron discussion forum 

As we grow and get more established we may expand our rewards, but we don't want to get ahead of ourselves right now! 

Thanks for reading, and if you choose to support us, thank you so much. Seriously.

Check out our Patreon at patreon.com/17thshard