I've been thinking about this over the day.

There are two main ways to help the site sustain itself: a recurring fundraiser (Wikipedia, Subbable) or an implemented system (Flattr). The first is easy to do but rather unpredictable how much you'll actually get, the latter is its exact opposite.

I think any sort of implemented monetization effort should be a thin layer over one of hubski's current systems, and not a separate system, as that makes the barrier for entry so much higher. If you can't explain the whole idea in a sentence or two, it's too complicated. So I don't like the idea of a whole micro economy where you get or give points for this & that, but I do like the idea of giving pennies to posts that you like.

It should be opt-in, I think. Hubski is inherently about the preferences of individuals, and just like there's a difference in how everyone uses the site, there should be an option to change the amount you want to give or to not give something at all.

Having said that, here's some ideas that might be interesting to try:

- Hubwheel Donation. Whenever I fill up my hubwheel, amount X is withdrawn. If you don't post or interact with the site for a while, you don't pay for it, which seems more than fair to me. Since you can determine the amount, power users who are wheelin' at top speed can set it as low as they feel comfortable with. Maybe even put a maximum amount in it.

- Silver Badge. When I give someone a Silver Badge, I not only think that post is amazeballs but also support hubski by withdrawing X money. Or you could make it so that every, say, $5 you donate turns one of your badges into a Silver Badge, and the next badge you give will be differently colored. (I chose silver because in Dutch, when you cash a check, you 'silver' it. I like the historical connotation).

- Community Post. I think the Community page could be really useful here. Maybe you can upgrade a post to Community Status / Pick of the Day or something like that, and have it appear on top of the Community page? It will then be replaced by whomever next gives a post that status, or after a day or two. Sort of like a promoted post.

- Custom Theme. I think kleinbl00 talked about this earlier. Give us the option to customize the site's css! You could charge a small fee to create a new theme or to edit one.

I'll edit more ideas in when I think of them. Taggin' mk.