

Tipjoy: Rethinking Micropayments - sopu
http://www.sexywidget.com/my_weblog/2008/05/tipjoy-rethinki.html

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stcredzero
Scott McCloud started a micropayments furor awhile back.

[http://www.scottmccloud.com/home/essays/2003-09-micros/micro...](http://www.scottmccloud.com/home/essays/2003-09-micros/micros.html)

I think it's time for micropayments. Web advertising is not turning out to be
some all-wonderful thing. Rather, it seems to reach the less affluent web
populace. If people can directly reward good content, we will eventually see
more content people will like.

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truebosko
tipjoy is pretty neat. I have it on one of my smaller blogs that I own and
it's got me a few payments. Biggest problem is the fact that someone tips the
minimum 10 cents but 90% of people do not actually follow through. Of course,
it's just in its early stages so good job so far

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ivankirigin
About 30% of pledged tips have been paid - but these numbers are really early.
We haven't prodded tippers too much yet, but we're about to start subtly
pushing them towards payment.

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axod
Interesting. Then I got to the line "RateItAll, is the only consumer review
site that shares revenue with its contributors"

What about the other million consumer review sites? Get paid for your
opinions?

TipJoy could be pretty big though. Tough problem to solve, but fun :)

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maxklein
How many times will this be tried and continue to fail!? This "tipping" thing
has been done since eternity - it's called begging, and the people who do it
are regarded as pretty low on the social ladder.

I read a great article, and I do NOT want to tip. I maybe want to read more
about the person, or buy a book or something, but just randomly giving money
is not financially clever.

If I tip in a restaurant, it's because I want to be remembered. If I
anonymously tip some blogger, what do I get? Nothing!

TipJoy is an unnatural phenomena, and it's an uphill battle type of business.
I will never tip a blogger. I will buy from him maybe, but never ever tip him.

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neilc

      If I tip in a restaurant, it's because I want to be remembered.
    

So you never tip at a restaurant to which you're not going to return? (Suppose
you're dining at a restaurant while traveling.) Besides, the chance that
you're going to be "remembered" for leaving 15% (or 20%) at a typical
restaurant is minuscule. The same goes for leaving $1 in the tipjar at a
coffee shop.

I think you completely misunderstand the purpose of tipping. People tip
because: (1) it is a social convention; they feel they are expected to, and
the wages of people in service industries are structured to assume tipping
occurs (2) they want to show appreciation for having a service performed. The
first is not (yet) a factor for online tipjars, but the latter is still
applicable.

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maxklein
Me not American, so your tipping culture does not apply to me.

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neilc
Neither am I -- but I am from a culture where tipping is a social convention.

