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Title: Patreon is adding a discovery feed to help creators avoid social media
platforms

Link: https://www.engadget.com/social-media/patreon...

Patreon has spent the last few years pitching itself as a healthier
alternative to algorithmic social platforms for creators. Now, the membership
service is adding a bunch of new social features for its creators in an
attempt to make its platform more of a viable alternative to mainstream
social media.

The updates include a new post format, called Quips, that allows creators to
share non-paywalled updates that can include text, photos or video. Patreon
users can browse quips from creators via the app's redesigned "home" feed,
which now includes recommended posts. (Patreon says users can opt to only see
posts from creators they're already following if they wish.) The company is
also working on a saved posts feature and a tagging feature so creators can @-
mention each other in their posts.

All that may sound a lot like social media, but Patreon CEO Jack Conte says
the updates are meant to give creators a way to grow their audience without
relying on platforms that aren't as invested in their success. "I don't think
of it as competing with Instagram … I feel like we're competing with what
Instagram should have and could have become, but did not," he said in an
update shared on his Patreon.

Patreon's "Quips" will make the service feel more like social media.Patreon

With the updates, the company is also walking a fine line between offering
creators an alternative to social media and becoming the type of algorithmic
platform it has railed against. Conte seems aware of this tension, noting
that the membership-only tab will still deliver updates only from creators
people are already following. "If we pivot too much to discovery and you
don't see the creators that you're subscribed to and love, then we're not
doing our job of helping you cultivate long-term relationships, and we have
to fix that," he said.

At the same time, he says there are early signs that the changes will be
positive for creators. According to Conte, creators who have tried a beta
version of Quips have already seen a significant rise in new free memberships
from the feature. So far, there's been a much smaller rise in paid
subscribers, with "somewhere in the 5 to 10 percent" range of new paid
memberships coming from Quips, though Conte says he's "optimistic" about its
potential to drive paid growth,

Patreon plans to roll out these updates slowly, with full availability coming
sometime next year. In the meantime, creators who want access to Quips sooner
can join a waitlist to be added to the beta.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/social-media/patreon...
help-creators-avoid-social-media-platforms-173000049.html?src=rss

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