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The problem with micropayments in this context is that flattr lacks the impulse nature that bitcoin can possibly provide. You have to load the money in an accou

The problem with micropayments in this context is that flattr lacks the impulse nature that bitcoin can possibly provide. You have to load the money in an account beforehand, but with bitcoin you could potentially just donate directly from a hot wallet on your computer. Pre-loading accounts that are designed specifically for donations feels unnatural, I think.

skybrian 11y ago
I don't see Bitcoin as being any more convenient for most people since they don't have any Bitcoin and would need to buy some and figure out where they want to keep them. (It isn't particularly easy to open an account on CoinDesk, for example.)
- hotcool 11y ago
  No account at Coinbase or any other online exchange is required to own bitcoin. In fact, to have someone else hold your money is against the spirit of Bitcoin. Everyone is their own bank. All you need is a Bitcoin wallet and I recommend exactly that app, Bitcoin Wallet: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.schildbach.wallet https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.schildbach.... There are many others as well. BitPay has a user-friendly one called Copay: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bitpay.copay https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bitpay.cop...
  - grahamburger 11y ago
    You still have to get some bitcoin somehow, though, which like GP says may not feel that much different to the average user than pre loading funds into a Flattr account.
  - StavrosK 11y ago
    Recommending Bitcoin wallet over mycelium? How come? Mycelium is fantastic.
FeepingCreature 11y ago
> impulse nature How about reverse-order micropayment for donations? The site lets you start tipping right away, but doesn't actually pay until you load money. So you can start using the service right away, and eventually you'll guilt yourself into actually donating in bulk.
- vonklaus 11y ago
  this is a great idea. maybe even casually prompt you at dollar mark milestones. e.g. you viewed 59 applications. supported by teams totalling 489 people. running 78 servers. you didn't see 4900 adverts. your charity account has reached $5, if you have the time, those teams would appreciate your support.
  - IanCal 11y ago
    Or at the end of the month rather than pre-paying at the beginning. I might be more willing to chuck in $10 once I know what I've received than I am $5 beforehand. Removes a hurdle when first signing up (just like a free trial does). There's nothing stopping you asking people to setup something regular either, just support people putting money in afterwards. This would add complexity to the backend, but I'd be surprised if it had an inherently high cost overall. A user that actively uses flattr but doesn't put any money in each month probably only represents a small overhead in resources. I guess there's a risk that someone who otherwise would have setup a regular payment now doesn't (or contributes less). This feels like one of those ideas that is incredibly obvious in retrospect but until I'd heard someone suggest it I hadn't thought about it.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- jacques_chester 11y ago
  Tipjoy tried this, it didn't pan out at the time.
imron 11y ago
> Pre-loading accounts that are designed specifically for donations feels unnatural, To me, having a bitcoin hot wallet on my computer is what feels unnatural. I'm far more likely to use a service that will let me preload an account balance than I am to use bitcoin and all that entails.
onion2k 11y ago
99% of users don't have any BitCoin, so to use BitCoin they'd have to learn how it works, set up a hot wallet, buy some Bitcoin, and then figure out Brave, and also keep a constant mental note of the exchange rate between Bitcoin and their currency to know how much they're paying. You're suggesting that process is easier than preloading an account from a credit card?
- _yosefk 11y ago
  I, for one, have downloaded and tried Brave, but I am not going to use its payment system until I can pay with a credit card or PayPal. I happen to have a bitcoin (1 BTC), printed on a piece of paper (it was a wedding gift), but I'm not going to bother with wallets and shit just to use Brave.

skybrian 11y ago

I don't see Bitcoin as being any more convenient for most people since they don't have any Bitcoin and would need to buy some and figure out where they want to keep them. (It isn't particularly easy to open an account on CoinDesk, for example.)

hotcool 11y ago
No account at Coinbase or any other online exchange is required to own bitcoin. In fact, to have someone else hold your money is against the spirit of Bitcoin. Everyone is their own bank. All you need is a Bitcoin wallet and I recommend exactly that app, Bitcoin Wallet: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.schildbach.wallet https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.schildbach.... There are many others as well. BitPay has a user-friendly one called Copay: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bitpay.copay https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bitpay.cop...
- grahamburger 11y ago
  You still have to get some bitcoin somehow, though, which like GP says may not feel that much different to the average user than pre loading funds into a Flattr account.
- StavrosK 11y ago
  Recommending Bitcoin wallet over mycelium? How come? Mycelium is fantastic.

FeepingCreature 11y ago

> impulse nature How about reverse-order micropayment for donations? The site lets you start tipping right away, but doesn't actually pay until you load money. So you can start using the service right away, and eventually you'll guilt yourself into actually donating in bulk.

vonklaus 11y ago
this is a great idea. maybe even casually prompt you at dollar mark milestones. e.g. you viewed 59 applications. supported by teams totalling 489 people. running 78 servers. you didn't see 4900 adverts. your charity account has reached $5, if you have the time, those teams would appreciate your support.
- IanCal 11y ago
  Or at the end of the month rather than pre-paying at the beginning. I might be more willing to chuck in $10 once I know what I've received than I am $5 beforehand. Removes a hurdle when first signing up (just like a free trial does). There's nothing stopping you asking people to setup something regular either, just support people putting money in afterwards. This would add complexity to the backend, but I'd be surprised if it had an inherently high cost overall. A user that actively uses flattr but doesn't put any money in each month probably only represents a small overhead in resources. I guess there's a risk that someone who otherwise would have setup a regular payment now doesn't (or contributes less). This feels like one of those ideas that is incredibly obvious in retrospect but until I'd heard someone suggest it I hadn't thought about it.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
jacques_chester 11y ago
Tipjoy tried this, it didn't pan out at the time.

imron 11y ago

> Pre-loading accounts that are designed specifically for donations feels unnatural, To me, having a bitcoin hot wallet on my computer is what feels unnatural. I'm far more likely to use a service that will let me preload an account balance than I am to use bitcoin and all that entails.

onion2k 11y ago

99% of users don't have any BitCoin, so to use BitCoin they'd have to learn how it works, set up a hot wallet, buy some Bitcoin, and then figure out Brave, and also keep a constant mental note of the exchange rate between Bitcoin and their currency to know how much they're paying. You're suggesting that process is easier than preloading an account from a credit card?

_yosefk 11y ago
I, for one, have downloaded and tried Brave, but I am not going to use its payment system until I can pay with a credit card or PayPal. I happen to have a bitcoin (1 BTC), printed on a piece of paper (it was a wedding gift), but I'm not going to bother with wallets and shit just to use Brave.