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MK's post about changing the T's and C's on Hubski made me think about how Hubski is funded.
And I had an idea...
Calculate up all the costs of running the site, and set that monetary goal. Put the number right up there in the top right corner. Then, give me a way to donate with a button. Click it, enter a number, donation received.
Be open about the costs. Show the actual progress towards those costs.
Instead of the orange thermometer, it says "$20k", which slowly fills up (from grey to orange) until it got full, when it turns green.
The green number would then increase, as donations kept coming in. So someone donates $1k, the number would be a green "$21k".
We could have a user-driven push to "turn Hubski green by St. Patrick's Day!", or some shit like that.
Yeah, costs could change if we get a huge influx of users, or whatever. Then you up the number to "$25k" that is mostly orange, indicating the goal has moved.
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While I think this is a great idea for Hubski, I'd do it on almost any web site I wanted to visit. The Guardian. The Economist. People I support on Patreon.
Right now, I just throw my money into a hole. I never hear it hit the bottom. I have no idea how deep the hole is.
It feels good, in a semi-erect penis kind of way... but it doesn't feel as good as it could, and it definitely doesn't feel like I have done much with my peni... donation.
Thoughts?
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I never knew that. I agree with @btcprox that it should always be visible. It's the "anti-Facebook" stance: The product is Hubski, not the users. It costs the community $x.xx to use this product. I see it as validation/proof/promise that I am not being monetized, and that there is an Adult Understanding that this thing costs money.
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thenewgreen · 206 days ago · link ·
Me too. I see a trip to Portland in my future within the next 3 months. I'm gonna stop by your coffee shop. Without question.
Aside from the green part, I think our wee phallic thing going on up there in the upper right is pretty close to what you describe. This is our third year in with donations, and we've been hitting our modest goals thus far. That said, I am ruminating on a thing that makes it feel a bit more rewarding. However, it's really not important to me whether or not a user has donated, so I'd kind of like it to be a shared reward. If you are contributing, then you make Hubski worthwhile for someone that is in a place that can donate. It's worth thinking on.
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It may be for you, but it isn't for me; The Giver. Facebook sneakily makes me into the product, and hides this every way they can, in order to monetize my activity and sell access to my eyeballs. Hubski doesn't. I want to participate differently with Hubski. I want to be reminded that this is A Different Place. It doesn't operate like other places. It has different expectations. I would like Hubski to be honest and up front, and - most importantly - not bashful about the fact that running a thing like this costs money. Let's be straight with each other, and put it right up there at the top of the page, in an unambiguous way. ---- The spirit is best expressed by a story that Amanda Palmer tells. Thoreau has been lionized as this man who went off into the woods alone and led this ascetic existence away from man, in nature, and blah blah blah. The truth is that, every weekend, his wife and sister would visit and bring him pastries. Donuts. She says that the simple fact is that art and communities rely on patrons for support. And they should both be unflinching about that fact, and be up front about it. Amanda Palmer says, "Take the fucking donuts!" It's not honorable or diminishing or inappropriate to accept other people's generosity. ---- The penile-thermometer is passive, and requires discovery. I want it to be honest and forthright, rather than shy and subtle. ...just like the Hubski community itself... ... up there in the upper right is pretty close to what you describe ...
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There is some kind of cryptocurrency focusing on this... it's like you have a basket of coins that you can use micropayments for viewing content, etc. I should probably google that and put a link here...While I think this is a great idea for Hubski, I'd do it on almost any web site I wanted to visit. The Guardian. The Economist. People I support on Patreon.