It was just a matter of time, really. Facebook, Twitter and their ilk have been pushing live streaming in a big way of late, and certainly that brand of interactivity makes sense in the context of a service like Twitter.
While it’s not technically a social network in the purest sense, Kickstarter could benefit a lot from that sort of prolonged customer engagement, both as campaigns look to draw in new backers and keep them in the loop throughout the process of delivering a product.
After a few months of beta testing, the crowdfunding platform is finally ready to launch Kickstarter Live, a livestreaming feature launched with help from Vancouver-based video software startup, Huzza. The feature will be integrated into the existing Kickstarter platform, designed around intimate rooms that let campaign organizers interact directly with potential backers.
“No doubt there’s a lot of ‘live’ out there and the last thing we want to do is fuel the hype,” CEO Yancey Strickler told TechCrunch. “But this is a very good product — you can select a reward and back the project right from in the stream. There are important innovations here. We hope people check it out.”
Similar to platforms like Facebook Live, viewers can ask questions of the hosts, with the added bonus of a few very Kickstartery features, like the ability to select rewards and back projects, should they feel compelled to do so during the conversation.
“It feels like the early days of Kickstarter to me,” Strickler again. “Proudly amateur. These are not slick broadcasts with fancy graphics. It’s very direct: here I am, here’s what I’m making. It’s extremely transparent, very honest.”
Live is now, live, through Kickstarter’s landing page. There users can find a schedule of upcoming streams. The service also plans to roll out additional features in the coming months.