They are another facebook. They will turn cancerous very soon, if they haven't already.
For (a), they've already banned a lot of adult content (thus the rise of OnlyFans, until they follow suit), and they'll probably ban more if they get enough attention from either media, angry card processors, or both.
For (b), they've already narrowly avoided fucking this up once back in 2017 (https://blog.patreon.com/updating-patreons-fee-structure). They increased fees in 2019 (https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/360024952552-P...) but at least grandfathered in past users, preventing their existing userbase from being too much of a flight risk.
All links are NSFW, but not graphic unless you open the embedded tweets.
0: https://www.dailydot.com/irl/patreon-yaoi-deepthroat/
1: https://www.dailydot.com/irl/patreon-anime-porn-ban/
2: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/vbqwwj/patreon-suspension...
If you're at all familiar with the issues of building a public-facing business on adult content, you know that there are entire industries (hint: VISA credit card processing) that will categorically refuse to let you be in that business at all, or to deal with you if you're facilitating it. Patreon must maintain working relationships with VISA.
There are countries in which it is a criminal act to expose the belly. Patreon attempts to operate internationally, which means the content creators they enable become part of a negotiation where countries like that are at risk of demanding Patreon get rid of ALL 'criminal' creators or be refused permission to operate in the country.
Adult content is a hell of a can of worms. To facilitate it at ALL at this scale is impressive. And the issues we run into are not coming from inside the Patreon-like company: if anything, their scale helps them negotiate terms. It's the credit card companies, the restrictive countries, which are setting the terms, and what Patreon facilitates is already an impressive feat within the context of what you can get away with anywhere else.
Seriously, if you're casting aspersions at Patreon over handling of adult-content creators, first try to make a dildo company and then negotiate being able to accept direct payments through VISA :)
(disclaimer: I have not actually made a dildo company and then tried to negotiate being able to accept direct payments through VISA)
How would OnlyFans follow suit on that? Isn't their entire thing adult content?
It's 30 mins but you can flick through or 2x it if you are genuinely interested why some people are anti-Patreon
Goodbye to Patreon - Dave Rubin and Jordan B Peterson - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8_OrrvaVVw
Its how I read it, just a simple, large tech organisation (Facebook) controlling people.
And a lot of people use to say Patreon was finally a healthy way to do Youtube without having to worry about de-monetisation.
Then Patreon also started restricting content more and more (cancer)
They are already cancer. So not sure where this "very soon" comes from.
This extra money to Patreon is just another example of morality and trying to work towards a common good can't beat evil incumbents (Without becoming the evil incumbent perhaps)
Neutral platforms just don't seem possible, maybe Bitcoin might change that, but it's place seems like a solid alternative to mainstream, never mainstream.