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2 cont.) and because ads are noisy, invasive, garish, and distracting. Let's not solve this by figuring out how to circumvent ad blockers. One idea I've been

2 cont.) and because ads are noisy, invasive, garish, and distracting. Let's not solve this by figuring out how to circumvent ad blockers. One idea I've been toying with is a system where I can pay the content creator directly. Good article? Have a nickel. Funny YT video? Here is a dime. Skip the middle man. Patreon does something like this, but we need a system that is anonymous, scalable to the whole internet, and above all, easy to use.

jdsin 10y ago
Absolutely! Some websites I can't even scroll properly without disabling ads. I like the Patreon idea, because of not middleman, so it certainly appeals to an audience. But I don't think its scalable. With ad networks like Google, I do not have to create an account anywhere, or link my credit card. Google takes care of compensating both content creaters and advertisers.
Mz 10y ago
This can already be done, but the micropayments start at $1 and the content creator gets about 67¢ of it. The sweet spot is a $5 tip, where the vast majority goes to the content creator: http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2015/11/how-to-make-paypal-tip-jar.html http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2015/11/how-to-make-...
- tbirrell 10y ago
  That's still an awful lot of money. I would be much less likely to tip if I was shelling out $1+ each time. Nickles and dimes are pocket change to me, but they add up.
  - Mz 10y ago
    You do not have to tip every single time. But it allows a means to tip, without setting a monthly obligation, like Patreon. I still plan to set up a Patreon account, but I intend to keep this option open for folks who want to casually support my work without having to make a long term commitment. I have done some reading and thinking on the subject. There are inherent problems with micropayments that I don't think will ever be resolved with regards to paying the cost of moving the money. I don't think that surcharge will ever get so low that it is viable to leave a nickel or a dime. At best, it might be possible to arrange a prefunded wallet with a service and leave a nickel, but I am not sure if that is viable or even what the point is. If you feel (for example) that my writing is worth a nickel a page, leave a dollar for every 20th article. It isn't a big thing. Paying the content creator directly is a much more efficient means of supporting content creation than ads or product sales. While I do have ads on some of my sites (but not on all of them) and while I am still exploring products, like t-shirts and what not, if you spend $20 on a t-shirt, the content creator gets a small cut of that. It puts much more money into their pocket to just tip them $5. So, unless you seriously value that t-shirt and want it in specific, it just makes a lot more sense to tip than to expect content creators to also put time and energy into figuring out product design on top of writing/comicking/whatever. Frankly, if they are good at creating t-shirts, they can make money at that without necessarily writing. They can do a Zazzle shop or an Etsy shop or whatever. Those folks aren't really in the business of content creation. And it is fine if they like making t-shirts and stuff, but if you really want good content online, it just makes more sense to me for people to tip and pay for the content directly.

jdsin 10y ago

Absolutely! Some websites I can't even scroll properly without disabling ads. I like the Patreon idea, because of not middleman, so it certainly appeals to an audience. But I don't think its scalable. With ad networks like Google, I do not have to create an account anywhere, or link my credit card. Google takes care of compensating both content creaters and advertisers.

Mz 10y ago

This can already be done, but the micropayments start at $1 and the content creator gets about 67¢ of it. The sweet spot is a $5 tip, where the vast majority goes to the content creator: http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2015/11/how-to-make-paypal-tip-jar.html http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2015/11/how-to-make-...

tbirrell 10y ago
That's still an awful lot of money. I would be much less likely to tip if I was shelling out $1+ each time. Nickles and dimes are pocket change to me, but they add up.
- Mz 10y ago
  You do not have to tip every single time. But it allows a means to tip, without setting a monthly obligation, like Patreon. I still plan to set up a Patreon account, but I intend to keep this option open for folks who want to casually support my work without having to make a long term commitment. I have done some reading and thinking on the subject. There are inherent problems with micropayments that I don't think will ever be resolved with regards to paying the cost of moving the money. I don't think that surcharge will ever get so low that it is viable to leave a nickel or a dime. At best, it might be possible to arrange a prefunded wallet with a service and leave a nickel, but I am not sure if that is viable or even what the point is. If you feel (for example) that my writing is worth a nickel a page, leave a dollar for every 20th article. It isn't a big thing. Paying the content creator directly is a much more efficient means of supporting content creation than ads or product sales. While I do have ads on some of my sites (but not on all of them) and while I am still exploring products, like t-shirts and what not, if you spend $20 on a t-shirt, the content creator gets a small cut of that. It puts much more money into their pocket to just tip them $5. So, unless you seriously value that t-shirt and want it in specific, it just makes a lot more sense to tip than to expect content creators to also put time and energy into figuring out product design on top of writing/comicking/whatever. Frankly, if they are good at creating t-shirts, they can make money at that without necessarily writing. They can do a Zazzle shop or an Etsy shop or whatever. Those folks aren't really in the business of content creation. And it is fine if they like making t-shirts and stuff, but if you really want good content online, it just makes more sense to me for people to tip and pay for the content directly.