First, I wanted to let you know that I think the premise of this project is great. If you are able to successfully realize your vision, the world of Go will be stronger and better for it. It is something I searched for when I first found Go three years ago, and it is something I could still use now. I have found several teachers online offering their services, but never a service offering to connect me with multiple teachers. I like the idea and am interested in seeing how this develops.
That being said, I wanted to share some feedback with you that I have about your crowdfunding effort. The Campaign page has several errors on it that need to be corrected. If you are crowdfunding you want people to believe in you and your ability to manage a project of this size competently. Linguistic errors can shake a person’s perception that you are capable of effectively presenting an effort like this to an international audience.
I am not sure if your crowdfunding page is available in any languages beyond English, but the English speech could be much better in some places. It is obvious to me the writer for the Campaign page does not speak English natively. As a potential customer who speaks English, this presentation worries me and I am left wondering if language will be a barrier when using your service. There are other errors which really make me hesitant to pledge any money because they are obvious. All it would take is a simple rereading of the text to locate them. It seems that hasn’t been done though and this really worries me.
The crowdfunding presentation could be better. I have seen a lot of crowdfunding efforts for a variety of products, most of which are for board games, tabletop roleplaying games, and even some online platforms and services like Roll20. When trying to raise money it is vital you get potential viewers excited about what you are offering. They expect to first be sold an idea, specifically your vision. They want to see the product through your eyes. It’s purpose, beauty, and above all else the possibilities it holds for those who possess it.
The primary goal of any crowdfunding effort is to get people excited, and the second goal is to present all of the information they will need about your offering. It is possible to get people to pledge while excited, even if they don’t possess all of the information. But it is hard to get people to pledge who have all of the information, but lack sufficient excitement to invest in your enterprise. Basic marketing theory goes a long way when crowdfunding and is easy to locate for free on the internet.
Beyond a viewers financial limitations, the size of a person’s pledge either relates to the reward associated with their pledge or how excited they are by the time they reach the pledge area. I think your rewards are good, but they could be diversified a bit further. Of the rewards you are offering, I felt the best bang for your buck was pledging $150 to earn $250 in site currency. That offering excited me, but the text of the page is rather straightforward and emotionally neutral.
I didn’t feel especially motivated to pledge by the time I was hitting the end of the Campaign page. In my mind crowdfunding relies heavily on impulse buying. It seems most likely that someone will reach the end of the page and purchase right then, or never at all. And if that is true, ensuring they are feeling energized by the end of it is extraordinarily paramount to your crowdfunding success.
Looking at the Campaign page alone I see a lot of missed potential as someone who has read a few marketing books. As a webpage visitor I feel the page is underdeveloped compared to other crowdfunding efforts I have seen before. As a consumer I am worried the state and quality of presentation of the Campaign page is what I can expect from the finished product. Overall, my confidence is low and I find myself deciding not to pledge at this time, choosing instead to wait and see how this project develops further in the future.
And just like that you have lost a potential customer and a much needed pledge during a critical time of your project’s development. If this has been my experience, it is fair to estimate I am not the only visitor who was turned away based on the quality of your presentation. I sympathize with you and imagine what you are trying to do here is both difficult and new to you. And that this project is near and dear to your heart. Which is why I have taken the time to share my thoughts and why I am being so candid with you.
My biggest piece of advice is to learn more about how to crowdfund successfully and how to market effectively. A service like this isn’t the easiest thing to sell a person on. You need to attract two separate types of customers, teachers and students, and have enough of both for your service to thrive. Both types need to be convinced that their time will be well spent if they choose your platform.
Teachers need to believe they can make money and customers want to know their financial investment will pay off. Both will have unique reservations and fears about committing to a marketplace like this. It is vital you try to get into the headspace of both customer types and present your project in a way that addresses potential concerns. After they finish hearing your project pitch you want to leave both feeling confident and excited.
I cannot stress enough how big a barrier language is going to be when you are attempting to reach an international audience. Ensuring it is clear, concise, and effective is a foundational element to future success. As long as it remains questionable, I think your success will remain on shaky ground. Google Translate is free, but a poor substitute for a genuine translator.
I realize that the clock is already ticking on your current crowdfunding effort and that there isn’t much time to change things up. If this particular crowdfunding effort does not reach a level you are happy with, I truly hope that you stick with this and try raising money again. I think your idea is a great one and that with a little polish and improvement, a future crowdfunding effort will be even more successful.
Every person who is reading this forum post already has managed to sign up for an OGS account. Posting a different tutorial would be more effective in showcasing what you have to offer OGS customers. Perhaps covering one or more game tools in the slide out menu of an actual OGS Go match would be more exciting for OGS viewers.
he means well 
