Introducing: the Knowledge Center

When project creators are more educated and successful, their backers ultimately win. The Knowledge Center will be a sorely needed native forum to make crowdfunding more beneficial for all. #FeatureFriday

Forums are one of the most valuable online repositories of knowledge. Even with the advent of social media platforms, forums remain incredibly popular. A 2015 survey led by Pew Research Centre found that 15% of all internet users read or comment on discussion forums. Unfortunately, when it comes to crowdfunding, no clear market leaders are offering a robust and integrated forum/database solution.

Since one of our goals is to create a Smart Crowd, i.e., a user base that not only actively interacts with the project creators but also shares their ideas and views as well, we found it prudent to create a forum for our ecosystem called “Knowledge Center.” Before we look into how the Knowledge Center works, let’s understand why forums are still so popular and beneficial.

Benefits of Online Forums

Clear and precise communication

Let’s get the most obvious benefit out of the way. Online forums were created to enable discussions. Several forums also have different categories of discussion threads which will help users directly jump on to the category and topic they want to talk about. In the context of crowdfunding, forums are a great way to initiate conversation between backers and creators.

Also, in a forum, you will have the ability to pin important messages on the top of the discussion. This makes sure that you are not going to be losing out on key discussion points.

Encourages Collaboration

A forum also encourages collaborative discussion among different parties. In Pledgecamp’s case, there are three components to the ecosystem; the creator, the vendor, and the smart crowd who are potential backers. For the smooth functioning and creation of a project, it is imperative that all three elements operate cohesively.

• The backers must be able to voice their needs, concerns, and queries.
• The vendors must chime in to show how they can offer their services to better the project.
• The creator must be able to give updates and provide answers to various questions.

Builds a strong community

For a decentralized platform like Pledgecamp, a healthy community is an absolute must. A forum will give the users their own space where they can engage in interaction. They will be able to swap ideas, create meaningful relationships, and increase engagement within the platform. A community that has high engagement and is looking to help each other out will always thrive.

Pledgecamp’s Forum — The Knowledge Center

Pledgecamp’s forum will be called the “Knowledge Center.” It will consist mainly of questions and answers and a searchable database. The information in this section will range from general crowdfunding queries to specific project-level questions. Along with that, the Knowledge Center also serves a critical function in establishing the credibility of various members of the ecosystem.

• Members of the Smart Crowd will have the opportunity to answer and build their reputations, or even be rewarded with tokens if offered.
• Vendors in Pledgecamp’s Market Network have a strong incentive to contribute positively to the forum. Vendors who participate will demonstrate their expertise with a steady flow of informative content and answers to user questions.
• Upvotes and best answers chosen by the community will contribute to a vendor’s increased reputation and status on the platform. The higher their expertise and standing in the ecosystem, the higher their chances of getting hired in top-quality projects.
• Creators will be on the lookout for Vendors with high reputation to have as many credible Smart Crowd members on their side as possible.
• The Knowledge Center will help Pledgecamp in creating a cohesive ecosystem where everyone collaborates organically.

Built for creators, by creators

At Pledgecamp, we have years of experience launching crowdfunding campaigns and raising millions of dollars on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. This experience means we know exactly what elements of crowdfunding work well, and we also know what sorely needs to be improved.

The Knowledge Center is just one piece of the puzzle which, along with other creator-focused features like the Vendor Network, backer management system, and bonuses system, will help and support new creators more than any other platform.

For more details about the Pledgecamp platform, refer to our white paper accessible at https://pledgecamp.com/whitepaper.

This post may contain forward-looking statements about the future functionality of the platform. The platform is currently in development, and we reserve the right to make changes to the design, names, or functionality of features in the interests of making the platform successful. For full risk factors, see white paper.