First of all, thank you so much to every one of you who has been supporting me and this blog via Paypal and Patreon, it really helps me out. I am deeply grateful that you enjoy my work enough, and believe in me enough, to support the blog financially. I feel the love, truly. ❤️
For those of you who might not know this, the pandemic has put my work on hold indefinitely, and I’m now blogging full time and trying to make this into a viable income source, if possible. Ad revenue works out to be not very much, so your support via Paypal and Patreon plays a huge part in helping to keep this blog going.
This is my 9th month now, on Patreon, and today I realized that I needed to make a key change to my Patreon settings, which is why I’m writing this post, so that I can tell you about it.
The Situation and The Key Change
Before
When I started out on Patreon, I had my settings such that patrons would be charged only on the first of the month, meaning, if you signed up on the 15th of the month, you wouldn’t pay anything until the 1st of the following month. This was my way of showing trust in and appreciation for all my patrons; I wanted you all to feel like you already knew and enjoyed the benefits that your pledges entitled you to, at the point when your account first got charged.
The problem
However, in the last several weeks and months, I’ve noticed that certain individuals – or perhaps a certain individual – would sign up on Patreon, and then almost immediately delete the pledge, within a day.
This means that the loophole, that you wouldn’t get charged until the 1st of the following month, was being taken advantage of, because these people – or this person – would gain access to the Early Access posts, and not get charged anything, before deleting their pledge. Not gonna lie; this pattern of behavior made me feel taken advantage of, and I didn’t like that very much. 😔
Each sign-up has been with a different email address, so if this is being done by a serial ghoster, there is no way I can block this person, since each time, a different email address is used. 🙁
The solution
I’ve realized that the only way to protect myself, is to change my Patreon settings, such that new patrons are charged upfront, at the point of signing up.
What this means
What this means is that it will no longer be possible for someone to take advantage of my Patreon posts by signing up and then immediately deleting the pledge.
What this also means, is that if you were to sign up on, say, the 15th of the month, you’d be charged on the 15th, and then charged again on the 1st of the following month. I am hoping that the many existing Early Access posts that you will gain instant access to upon signing up, will make this feel worthwhile to you. As I type this, there are a total of 289 Early Access posts available on my Patreon page.
To be clear, this change does not affect existing patrons. (Edit! As it turns out, this does have some implications for existing patrons, and the details of that are in this Patreon post here. I’m sorry for the incomplete information earlier! 😝)
The Patreon benefits
In case you didn’t know, the main benefits I offer on Patreon, are Early Access episode notes to selected dramas that I’m watching. To get an idea of what episode notes might look like, they are very similar to what I post on my group watch open threads (example here), just without the screenshots.
Eventually, a good chunk of the episode notes will go towards a review for the drama in question, which would be complete with screenshots and all the usual trappings, but the Early Access posts will give you a glimpse into my thoughts on the drama while I’m watching it. You can also choose to watch a drama “with” me, ie, you can pace yourself so that we are watching the episodes at around the same time. We’ll also have the chance to exchange thoughts on the episodes as we go, since Patreon posts also have a comment feature, similar to this blog. 😃
There are different tiers, and each tier offers Early Access to a specific group of shows, with each higher tier’s benefit progressively building on the previous tier’s.
This month on Patreon
$5 Early Access: She Would Never Know
$10 Early Access Plus: +Mr. Queen
$15 VIP: +Sisyphus: The Myth
$20 VVIP: +Run On
$25 Ultimate: +River Where The Moon Rises
This means that the Ultimate tier receives episode notes for all 5 dramas on this list.
I’ve also added the benefit of making all Episode 1 notes available to all tiers (including the $1 Adblocker Tier), with Ultimate patrons also receiving Episode 1 notes for shows that I am not covering on Patreon, in the hope that these will help you get a sense for whether a drama might be for you. 😊
If you’d like to support the blog and join me on this journey, you can find my Patreon page here. You can also read more about all the whats, whys, and hows of helping this blog here. Thanks for all of your love and support, it really means a lot to me. ❤️
I’m glad you’ve found a solution to the problem. I’ve actually had the exact same thing happen on my site’s Patreon page several times. No idea if it was one person or multiples. Like you, I’ve been hesitant to change the settings since I like people to have that bonus immediate access and waiting until the 1st to be charged. I haven’t pulled the trigger yet since I believe once you make the change you can never go back (I hate never, lol), but it’s something I’m still considering since it does seem to be the only way to solve the problem of people wanting to take advantage of that loophole.
Dang. Sorry to hear that you’ve had the same experience, Kay! 🙁 I feel your pain. 😭 Yes, this really is the only solution, since someone could just create a new account if they wanted to take advantage of your Patreon settings multiple times. And you’re right, it is permanent once you make the change, and there are also some implications for existing patrons. If it helps, I’m told by one of my patrons that every other Patreon page she’s seen personally, has their settings on the charge upfront mode. So if you make the change, you’d be in good company. 😅 And it would finally close that loophole so that you won’t be taken advantage of. I feel decidedly better now that I’ve made the change.
That’s such a mean thing to do!
I’m glad you have identified the problem and changed the settings now 🙂
Yeah it was a downer alright, but the loophole’s been fixed now, and everyone has been very supportive, which helps a lot. 😊 Thanks snow. ❤️
And you’re still the bomb!
🤣🤣 Thanks MeriJ! It never hurts to hear it again, heh. 😉❤️
Great change, I totally support this! I actually noticed the loophole myself, good that you’ve closed it =)
Thanks so much, not just for being understanding about the change, but actively supporting it, even! ❤️ I truly appreciate the love, thank you! 😘😘
This isn’t exactly relevant to the post at hand but I just wanted to drop a comment letting you know how much I enjoy, and appreciate, your reviews. I’m currently a student without a fixed source of income so unfortunately I can’t subscribe to your Patreon as of now but, as a fellow writer, I know it can be affirming to hear (well-deserved) praise sometimes.
I got sucked into the k-drama vortex during a pretty low period of my life and being able to escape into dramaland has really helped keep me afloat amidst this seemingly never-ending pandemic. Being back with the family for the past year has meant that I’ve also gotten my mother hooked to k-dramas and she’s now watched even more than I have, thanks to our Netflix subscription!
I genuinely visit your website everyday to see if you’ve posted any new content because of how on-point your reviews are. Dramabeans is great in terms of recapping the minute details I might have missed in a long episode, but I love how analytical and well-researched your content is. More than that, your efforts to create an online community and engage with us readers is truly commendable.
Thank you for everything you’re doing and can’t wait to see your next reviews!
(currently binging through Run On, so I’m excited to read your thoughts about it! Was a bit of a slow start for me but I randomly went back to it after a month away and I’m loving the characters and plot development, probably because I recognize so many people in my life in the characters)
Hope everything else is going alright in life!
PS: I’m not a Singaporean citizen but I was born in Singapore and lived there for the first few years of my life, so nice to see some representation!
Thank you Rush.. your encouragement is very helpful indeed, and I very much appreciate the care and solidarity. ❤️ I’m gratified to know that you enjoy the site as much as you do, and that you check in daily! Aw! Thanks for making me part of your day, everyday! 🥰🥰
Also, hi5, it looks like we might have similar trajectories with Run On! I was slow to warm to it too, but now I do think it’s growing on me quite nicely!
How cool, that you were born here in Singapore! That makes us both Singapore babies! 😉❤️
I find this individual’s behaviour hard to believe (I do think it’s one individual most likely) and I agree with merij1 that it’s a compliment to what you do. The quality of your work is excellent and I’m even more amazed at the volume of work you can manage on a monthly basis. I didn’t realize all the work you do on current shows as I’m still focused on older shows as I’m a late starter to Kdramas so the Patreon structure doesn’t work for me but I value what you do and, hopefully, show my appreciation in different ways.
Just a small note of encouragement as I know how dispiriting that individual’s behavior must have been.
Thank you for the encouragement Geo.. I appreciate it greatly. And yes, you absolutely have been showing your support and appreciation in other ways – thank you for that! ❤️
Aw, that’s seriously uncool behavior.
On the other hand, for a (very minor, admittedly) silver lining, I’ve been thinking for awhile that I really need to sign up to to your Patreon to show some tangible appreciation for the work you put in, and this news pushed me off the fence to sign up for real.
Aw, thank you Trent!! I really appreciate the support! ❤️ This is a very comforting silver lining indeed. 🥰 I sincerely hope you will enjoy it the posts over on Patreon as well! 😃
That’s crummy, kfangirl. You’re already so generous with your reviews, content, and reader engagement on the blog that it’s hard to fathom someone(s) would want to unethically wring that last ounce of good stuff from your considerable efforts. I love experiencing new shows with you on Patreon – not surprisingly, your episode summaries offer food for thought, clarity, and more than one chuckle. But even without those bennies, it’s worth it to support your hours of effort on the blog. I think of it as I do supporting public radio or public TV! It’s that much of a service to the kdrama-loving community. 😉 Thanks for the update and… 💪🏼.
Thanks so much for your affirmation and support, Leslie.. It really makes a girl feel valued. 🥰🥰 I’m so reassured to know that you enjoy the Patreon posts and the blog so much. ❤️ Thank you for being here!! 😘
I’m so sorry to hear this happened. But, at the risk of sounding Pollyannish, may I note what this implies about the quality of your work?
Serial fraud takes effort. Even an experienced con artist doesn’t do it for something of little value. And they don’t do it to save pennies. (Thrill-seeking can be another motivation, but there’s not much potential for that in this case.)
So this person greatly values your work. I considered that it might be a competitor who doesn’t want you to know they’re reading your earliest thoughts, but a single made-up email would serve that purpose and would attract less scrutiny. So this person values your work but probably doesn’t have much money, this year at least.
Regardless, they think you’re the bomb!
I’m puzzled that you can’t see their payment method. The throwaway email addresses might change, but do you not even see their payment method until the first transaction?
Hahaha, thanks MeriJ, your comment made me laugh – thank you! I’m greatly valued and at least one person thinks I’m the bomb! 🤣 To answer your question, the payment information is opaque to me, as it’s Patreon that handles all the payment logistics.
I’m willing to commit to at least two!
D’aw, thank you MeriJ.. So comforting, truly! 🥰
Oh, I think it’s a lot more than two!
Well, you might have to look them up, but Raspberry Bombe Day (google Raspberry Bombe images) in the US is 8/11; however, dian xia, you are not merely the bomb, but rather THE Raspberry Bombe! Bells and whistles.
Being the curious person that I am BE, I had to look this up and all I can say is “Oh my, I want some Raspberry Bombe now”.
I looked it up too! OOOoohh, so pretty and, I imagine, so delicious!! 😋😋 I’ll take that as a compliment of the highest order! 😆❤️
Beautiful and delicious. THE Bombe!
@merij1 – you’re right but also wrong! If they really, truly valued it… I’m so grumped about it that I can’t even say more😠😡👹
Yep Beez – that is a pretty stinky thing to do. Fangurl deserves better.
Thanks for the moral support, dear Beez & phl.. I feel the love. 🥰🥰 Love ya both! ❤️❤️
Oh no, what a miserable person – and probably for your sanity, assume it was just one idiot. I will think seriously about joining you on Patreon as I love sharing the viewing of kdrama and your brilliant insights. Xx
Aw, thank you so much for your kind words, Ele!! ❤️❤️ I’m really happy that you enjoy the group watch notes enough to want to consider signing up to support the blog on Patreon! That’s very affirming indeed. 🥰 I do hope you’ll be able to join me on Patreon, but if you decide that you can’t, I perfectly understand as well. ❤️😘
Think I just signed up! Hope it worked – and really thank you for all your hard work 😘
Thank you for signing up to support the blog, Ele! I truly appreciate it! ❤️❤️
I am so sorry to hear that somebody would take advantage like that and think it was acceptable. I love your episode notes on Patreon as you well know😍
Yes, it’s been a repeating pattern, and it was getting to me, in the sense that I found myself feeling suspicious of each new sign-up – like, is this going to be deleted soon? 😭 So unhealthy for me, seriously. That’s when I knew I had to bite the bullet and make this change, even though it isn’t what I originally wanted.. I’m always grateful to know that you enjoy the episode notes! Thanks so much for your support and your company on Patreon, it’s been so great chatting dramas with ya! ❤️😘
Good idea! What an a**hole. I hope this solves your issue and teaches that dude a lesson 👍🏻
Yes, I hope this solves the problem once and for all! Honestly, it’d gotten to the point where I became suspicious of every new sign-up on Patreon – that’s when I knew I had to do something about it! 😝 I feel a lot better now – and by that I mean more protected? – that I’ve made the change. 😅