The Limitations of Patreon
Hey all.
So, back in 2021 (ish?) Patreon added search to Creator's Pages. I was very excited about this because a super common complaint I get from people who leave is that they had a hard time finding what they need here.
My Patreon was never meant to be a searchable archive; it was from the start a 'tip jar' style system where you give me a few bucks and I give you some pose rewards. As time has gone on though the expectation from artists has been they can and should be able to use the archive to find specific things.
I've tried to address this by making the Master Post which I've heard is helpful (yay) but Search was the other really big component for making Patreon viable as an archived resource.
Unfortunately as you can see from this response from Patreon support, the search here is NOT compoundable. You can search for "wings" and get poses and you can search for "perspective" and get poses but if you search for "perspective wings" you get.... nothing. Nada. Absolutely zilch. Even though this post exists!
This is such a massive flaw in how search should function from a user perspective. In essence it's almost completely useless. I've been sinking a lot of time into properly tagging posts to make them searchable and I never once until now thought to check if the search system actually functioned as it should.
I add TONS of keywords to each post hoping to make the content easier to find and now I can see it's all completely useless. It's incredibly disheartening to think of all the effort I've put into solving this problem only to find I've done nearly nothing.
This is reinforcing that I need to gear up on getting my own site up and running and built out as quickly as possible. Patreon is a really nice place for people to throw support cash at me with little desire or expectations of rewards, but it isn't a functional site for locating useful and needed resources.
I am not planning on moving or changing anything with Patreon immediately but I will be working with my team to develop monthly support systems on my new site. At some point in the future, I will be converting Patreon into a tip jar only and moving pose reference rewards to my own fully searchable archive site. Until that time I will continue to tag new pose ref posts but probably only with major keywords and not the extensive lists I've been attempting.
Please make note that you can only search for ONE WORD per search. And as always, if you're having trouble finding something always feel free to reach out to me.
Thank you so much for your support!! Happy drawing. ♥
Comments (10)
I download your photos and pop them into my private Google Photos. I keep an account for art references -- from folks such as yourself and screenshots from "ah ha that is neat, I shall archive this privately." I keep an album based on the name pack, then sort them myself based on character, style, etc. (a photo can be in multiple packs). This has worked exceptionally well. Google Photos has a built-in search function with some sort of backend AI feature because I can search for something not based on file name, or album name, or any other meta data (as is evidenced by above said screenshots on my phone or computer) that sorts things. It isn't perfect but it is free. To end the ramble: your current functionality and work are exactly what I need and I am not expecting a broader tech function.
ahhhh tysm this is very helpful and I hope that people seeing this find some useful info here! 🥰
OMG! 100% agree with what others have said: please do not stress! How can we possibly be frustrated with you??? You've done so much, for SO LONG, to support other artists, largely without any compensation at all! You are such a gift, you make this world a better place. And this -- this isn't even your fault! I'm just gobsmacked that compound keywords don't work. What is even the point of them then?? If there's anything we can do to help, (donations for the new site, second set of hands/eyes, etc.) please let us know! We are happy to help you, just as you have always helped us!
thank you!! i'm working on building up my Patreon right now which I know might seem counterintuitive if I plan to move eventually but if you see posts on my socials about Patreon just interacting with them is a big help 🥰
Agree. Please do not fret too much about this. I always download and have a special folder with subfolders for your work. I also use Adobe Bridge to tag/star my favourite ones or when I need a special pose.
one of my photographer friends taught me that about bridge! So useful
I agree with Crystal, we get that Patreon is what it is. ♥ Over the years it has been a great way to get ahold of your packs when I was too impatient to wait for them to make their way onto Deviantart, and since leaving DA I've been especially grateful to still have a way to keep up with your stock since I'm not on any social media. I too have done my best to organize what I've downloaded so that when I go hunting for a specific type of pose I usually have an idea where I should start looking (making sense of my own system can be a challenge at times, but that of course is on me 🙃). Knowing that we can always reach out to you for stock guidance is really great, too. You're like our stock guardian angel. Thank you for everything you do! We love you!
Yaay!! 😍💕
Thank you for the update. <3 Please don't stress yourself out. Patreon really is like a tip jar and is kind of weird in a lot of ways with the rewards formatting of Patreon itself (not what you do ). Honestly I've just tried to support you for all the free content you posted on DeviantArt with no compensation. You should have way more supporters and always send folks your way. I still purchase your packs from Kofi and download random ones here and add to my collection. I actually have detailed folders on my end for easier browsing but I use your sketch app a lot (which gives random photos). Sorry for the wall of text. I don't think your loyal folks are frustrated. We understand. :)
waaa tysm the supportive love always helps when it feels like this. I'm so optimistic about the new site even though I know it's going to take time and money to build the way I want it. I'll get there!! ♥