4 ms·

I think all authors and other content producers should have sort of a tip jar where we can send them money without someone else taking a big cut. A lot of super

I think all authors and other content producers should have sort of a tip jar where we can send them money without someone else taking a big cut. A lot of superfluous charges are put still put for money transfer today so even something like patreon can cost 8-10% of what they recieve. How can they charge such a large percentage on money transfer that is mostly bits.

Moru 3y ago
I believe Ko-fi is not taking a cut but has it's own tip-jar.
lxgr 3y ago
> How can they charge such a large percentage on money transfer that is mostly bits. Because they provide a platform (making content more visible), payment processing (which can be 3% or more for some payment methods), customer support etc. If content producers don't need any of that, they can always have a self-hosted website with their own donation button (or physical mailing address for checks and banknotes, cryptocurrency address etc). > I think all authors and other content producers should have sort of a tip jar That tip jar would cut out everybody else involved in the production of a book and in getting you to even find out about it existing. Every author has the option to self-publish and set their own price (including a "pay-as-you-wish" option), but on the other hand, if they prefer the (relatively) lower risk of going with a traditional publisher, you should also respect that decision and not sidestep that by unilaterally deciding that "oh, I'd prefer you would have made this DRM-free and pay-as-you-wish, here's a check for $20!".
- __MatrixMan__ 3y ago
  The way to solve that is to have the "tip jar" be a smart contract which redistributes inbound money transparently. I don't have a problem with funding the supporting parties, I just don't want the pie to be divvied up behind closed doors where my decision to contribute might end up working against my interests. If somebody puts together a different tip jar which supports and even wider variety of people, or does so in a more equitable way, I want to be free to choose that one instead. Let content compete for legitimacy based on how integrated into the wider community it's associated tip jar is.
  - lxgr 3y ago
    But what if that’s the way the author has decided to do things? Not everybody wants a tip jar. Why should you get to impose your views over that of the author who’s book you want to read?
    - __MatrixMan__ 3y ago
      Because I'm the one reading it. I don't care if they think I should read it in a couch or a hammock or a bathtub, why should I care whether they think I should print it on a page or project it on my ceiling or peer at it through a cloud of malware? There are people who want to turn the world into a skinner box. I'm not going to fund their project just because I appreciate an author who has made a deal with them at some point. The author did not make that deal on my behalf. If I can't pay an author without also paying my enemies, then I'm not going to pay the author. But I'd really rather pay the author.
- xbmcuser 3y ago
  I think many people are stuck in the cash mindset so it seems okay to them that they pay 2-3% in fees for an electric transfer. Where transporting $100 million and $1 would cost the same I don't understand the percentage fees. This includes credit card processor fees etc. A lot of you I feel sort of have Stockholm syndrome when it comes to stuff like this specially in the US. A lot of this stuff requires government intervention I think as it is impossible for any startup to bring about disruption. In Asian countries where credit cards were not that prevalent new processing systems have brought down the prices to 0.5%-1% which I still think is too high.

Moru 3y ago

I believe Ko-fi is not taking a cut but has it's own tip-jar.

lxgr 3y ago

> How can they charge such a large percentage on money transfer that is mostly bits. Because they provide a platform (making content more visible), payment processing (which can be 3% or more for some payment methods), customer support etc. If content producers don't need any of that, they can always have a self-hosted website with their own donation button (or physical mailing address for checks and banknotes, cryptocurrency address etc). > I think all authors and other content producers should have sort of a tip jar That tip jar would cut out everybody else involved in the production of a book and in getting you to even find out about it existing. Every author has the option to self-publish and set their own price (including a "pay-as-you-wish" option), but on the other hand, if they prefer the (relatively) lower risk of going with a traditional publisher, you should also respect that decision and not sidestep that by unilaterally deciding that "oh, I'd prefer you would have made this DRM-free and pay-as-you-wish, here's a check for $20!".

__MatrixMan__ 3y ago
The way to solve that is to have the "tip jar" be a smart contract which redistributes inbound money transparently. I don't have a problem with funding the supporting parties, I just don't want the pie to be divvied up behind closed doors where my decision to contribute might end up working against my interests. If somebody puts together a different tip jar which supports and even wider variety of people, or does so in a more equitable way, I want to be free to choose that one instead. Let content compete for legitimacy based on how integrated into the wider community it's associated tip jar is.
- lxgr 3y ago
  But what if that’s the way the author has decided to do things? Not everybody wants a tip jar. Why should you get to impose your views over that of the author who’s book you want to read?
  - __MatrixMan__ 3y ago
    Because I'm the one reading it. I don't care if they think I should read it in a couch or a hammock or a bathtub, why should I care whether they think I should print it on a page or project it on my ceiling or peer at it through a cloud of malware? There are people who want to turn the world into a skinner box. I'm not going to fund their project just because I appreciate an author who has made a deal with them at some point. The author did not make that deal on my behalf. If I can't pay an author without also paying my enemies, then I'm not going to pay the author. But I'd really rather pay the author.
xbmcuser 3y ago
I think many people are stuck in the cash mindset so it seems okay to them that they pay 2-3% in fees for an electric transfer. Where transporting $100 million and $1 would cost the same I don't understand the percentage fees. This includes credit card processor fees etc. A lot of you I feel sort of have Stockholm syndrome when it comes to stuff like this specially in the US. A lot of this stuff requires government intervention I think as it is impossible for any startup to bring about disruption. In Asian countries where credit cards were not that prevalent new processing systems have brought down the prices to 0.5%-1% which I still think is too high.