life hacker noun a person who helps people to redefine their lives
In geek speak, he’s a ‘life hacker’, one who has collected both ardent devotees and harsh disparagers.
[New York Times (US broadsheet) 27 March 2011]
crowdfunding noun a method of funding something, e.g. a movie or an album, by asking many people to contribute, often in an online campaign
Crowdfunding is a modern spin on the ancient system of patronage, and the polar opposite of filesharing.
[The Independent (UK broadsheet) 2 February 2011]
fan-funded adjective describes projects such as movies or albums that have been paid for by their fans
British rock band Marillion were unlikely trailblazers, and they have made a number of fan-funded albums at a time when major
record labels have deemed them too unfashionable.
[The Independent (UK broadsheet) 2 February 2011]
“Crowdfunding” is an obvious variant of “crowdsourcing,” a term now in wide use. Journalists and scholars use the term to describe a systematic effort to use the internet (e-mail, blogs, social media) to gather a broad range of anecdotal evidence on specific issues. For instance, New York Public Radio has hired a full-time co-ordinator of crowdsourcing to support its local reporting on issues from food prices to taxi regulations to same-sex marriage.