Isn't this effectively just monetizing karma? Instead of worthless internet points people get internet pennies. Still, the "see how many pennies I get for this pun" would still exist, right? I'm not sold. Seems cumbersome and I don't want money tied to my Hubski use. I like the idea of being a Hubski "member" $1 a month, a "supporter" at $2 and a "sustainer" at $10 month. Still allowing anyone to use the site free of charge. That's just my two cents. Keep it simple.
I like this. But I wonder how it will work out if Hubski keeps growing. But it shouldn't be obvious for anyone who is a supporter or a sustainer. Many websites give the people then stars next to their names etc. this creates a weird separation... Their user page could state if they are a supporter or sustainer etc. giving the impression that it doesn't make you "cooler" to be a supporter (for the newcomer/outsider) but that people actually support the website for keeping it running."member" $1 a month, a "supporter" at $2 and a "sustainer" at $10 month
Yeah, we are not interested in giving usernames a special color etc, but we could offer special additional features/reporting for the different levels that only the person would know about. I'd be interested in knowing what additional features people would be interested in at a premium. We are not interested in making any of the current features pay-to-play for you all already on site.
Just had the idea of making old posts accessible only to members, 'the vault' and all the fun stuff in the 'chatter' tab for example. the hubski weekly newsletters too. If you really wanted to put up a pay-wall, it wouldn't be hard to do. you just have to decide if you want to take that step.
On the other hand, I like the idea of shares and badges being a finite commodity. Would make you really careful about what you shared, wouldn't it? Which maybe would in turn make people think very carefully about what they posted and how. Can't tell though whether that would encourage more thoughtful exchange or just de-incentivize regular use.
Yes, that's as much the point as raising money is (maybe even more so, given that we're talking about pennies both literally and figuratively). That's why I termed it "Hubski Economy" instead of just an idea to raise money. Donation schemes don't have this interesting element that could evolve in unexpected ways the way a 'living' system can. It's kinda game theory applied to the social network idea. I don't know if it's been tried before, but I don't know too much about the internet in general.