Vimcasts adopts Flattr for micropayments
A number of people have contacted me to say that they would love to leave a tip, but object to using PayPal - the only method I provided for making donations. I had never heard of Flattr until recently, but a few people have requested that I integrate it into Vimcasts.org. I’ve always liked the idea of micro payments, so I thought I would give it a shot.
This video summarizes the concept behind Flattr:
Flattr allows you to reward content creators with small sums of real money. When you create a Flattr account, you will be asked to add monthly funds of anything between €2 and €100, you choose the amount. When your account has the means, you can flatter content creators by clicking on the ‘Flattr’ buttons on their website. Each time you click a Flattr button, your funds are split and a portion is allocated to the person who you just ‘flattred’. At the end of the month your funds are divided by the number of ‘Flattr’ buttons that you clicked, and each person you ‘flattred’ receives a slice.
For example, say you add €10 to your Flattr account. If you were to click 5 Flattr buttons, then €2 would be distributed to the owner of each Flattr button. If you clicked 20 buttons, then every button would receive just €0.50. These may seem like small sums, but when many people join in it could add up to a more substantial sum. As they say in Sweden:
Many small streams will form a large river.
Flattr is still in beta - you need an invitation to join. I have a few that I can distribute on a first come first served basis. If you have any invitations that you don’t know what to do with, give me a shout. I’m sure I can put you in touch with another Vimcast subscriber who will be happy to receive it.
