Right, by way of ˇJournalista!, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Scott McCloud:
12/15: On the micropayments front, Bay Area station KMEL and Alicia Keys(!) are trying out some bitpassed concert pix and video clips. Meanwhile, the earners list continues to grow and as of now, if you'd like to try selling some stuff on your own site, go ahead, the door is now open. I'm not making a big splash with the info, cause they're still putting the finishing touches on the documentation as we speak (i.e., it might still be a bit confusing at first for non geeks) but for all intents and purposes, BitPass is now open to anyone with a website.
Hmm. BitPass, eh?
What is BitPass?BitPass is a service that enables providers to profitably charge for access to their online content and services.What are your fees?
There are no setup or monthly fees.
For items priced $0.01-$5.00, the transaction fee is 15%.
For items priced $5.00 and higher, the transaction fee is 5% + $0.50.
How are you different from PayPal?
PayPal handles only the transfer of money and does not securely manage access to online content. For example, PayPal provides you the option of directing a buyer to a URL after a purchase is made. However, that destination URL is not secure and can be accessed directly without paying. To protect that URL, you would have to roll your own access control system or use a third party solution. In contrast, BitPass combines money transfer and access control services into a single solution that is flexible, affordable, and easy to use.
Nah, I'd have better luck selling sex toys than getting people to pay to read this monstrosity. . .
i used to think the same thing about the poetry chapbooks i used to make, until i started getting checks from people. put up a paypal link with some sort of witty remark underneath it and see what happens over the course of a month. you might be surprised. never underestimate the willingness of fans with disposable income to throw coins into your guitar case. as any busker will tell you, on an average day in any city you'll get at least $5 simply for leaving it open and tuning up.
Heck, I'd pony-up to read this. Seriously.
I'm gonna mess with BitPASS only 'cuz Scott McCloud was banging on my virtual door the moment Encounter Her ended asking me to have it be a BP-accessable strip. Whenever I get around to it, I'll do so. No big hurry, though, since I have all of that Girlamatic money I'm drowning in...
Yeesh.
Interesting idea - not sure how useful as far as blogs are concerned. I'll keep my eyes open.
r@d@r, I did get a few bucks tossed my way when I had the big, obnoxious Paypal and Amazon donation buttons, but I found them big and obnoxious. There's gotta be a middle ground.
kris, thanks. Of course, any money you give me will be going right back to you by way of Girlamatic and R**d T* H*ll, which I'm not nagging you about.
I'll nag McDuffie about it instead.
And come to think of it, you're highly representative of my target demographic.
Or at least what's ended up my target demographic.
This puzzles me, too.
j, figure the idea here is to make it convenient and economical to do very tiny transactions without much hassle -- the rigamarole involved in giving even fiddy cents via Paypal or Amazon might put some people off. Or I'm babbling, and should shut up now.