Mastodawn

What if Mastodon had this button?

(I am not involved in core development. This isn't an official proposal. I'm just noodling about with ideas. Don't shout at me in the comments or get weird.)

George B Feb 6

Pixelfed has been talking about integrating with the web monetization API for a while now: https://webmonetization.org/

Web Monetization

The Web Monetization API allows websites to automatically and passively receive payments from Web Monetization-enabled visitors.

@gbargoud WebMonitization is impossible to use in the UK.

Frans Feb 6

@Edent As alternative; this could be a browser extension instead :)

@jalict what's more likely - people installing a browser extension or having direct link in the UI?

Frans Feb 6

@Edent 100% direct link :)

My suggestion wasn't to imply a more effective solution.

I am mostly suggesting as having it directly integrated into Mastodon would make Mastodon a viable place for commercial products to live.. And I would argue that that's one of the core issues of other problems in terms of advertisement pollution.

Perhaps that is a completely different conversation though!

Ret Feb 6

@Edent might be desirable to some, but this would be the first part of the Mastodon UI I would have to use uBlock to hide. To me, emblematic of the constant depressing drive to monetise everything.

Petr Ferschmann Feb 6

@ret @Edent there would defenitely be option in UI to disable it. But it could bring more content.

Toby Jaffey Feb 6

@Edent Rather than changing Mastodon, a solution might be to add a link in your webfinger data.
"rel = https://sometipservice.com?id=foo@bar.com", then compatible clients can add the button.

@tobyjaffey do you know of any payment providers which offer a link like that?

Toby Jaffey Feb 6

@Edent Nope, just an idea

aaron Mar 11

@Edent @tobyjaffey
Axate are close to this but not exactly. They do per-article monetisation using a prepaid wallet with an optional cap.

I guess the working example there would be to preview an article in a toot with a link to the micro-paywalled blog post and an upfront notification of the price?

Keith Judge Feb 6

@Edent Maybeee, for people producing art, videos, etc and using Mastodon to promote, though in that case there are existing payment options available (Patreon, etc). Not sure it needs to be built in here too. 🤔

Yer Feff Feb 6

@KeefJudge
@Edent

I actually think a one-off donation method would be nice. Sometimes the monthly defaults for Patreon and the like puts off people, especially in this time of cost of living crises.

Lots of things I'd love to donate to but I can't do subscriptions ATM because I forget about them.

Keith Judge Feb 6

@feff @Edent That's a very good point!

alster Feb 6

@Edent Whould be neat, if the old flattr was around this could be made with something like that.
With Flattr you could have split the monthly flattr-amount between all the Favs you gave.

millennial fulcrum Feb 6

@Edent that is awesome!

𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓯 𝓓𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓽 Feb 6

I like the idea. Might be a good place to use e.g. #GNUTaler

@cdonat literally zero people use that. Anything which requires installing yet another app is a non-starter.

𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓯 𝓓𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓽 Feb 6

If everyone never uses something new, we're stuck for ever with the old ways.

Many people would consider crypto, or PayPal non starters.

https://www.taler.net/en/faq.html

IanTwenty Feb 8

@Edent @cdonat it's too early for taler according to their own faq:

> there are currently no products in the market yet, and we believe this would be premature given the state of the project

GNU Taler - Taxable Anonymous Libre Electronic Resources

A payment system that makes privacy-friendly online transactions fast and easy.

𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓯 𝓓𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓽 Feb 8

@IanTwenty @Edent

There is one exchange active: https://taler-ops.ch/en/index.html

For #WebMonetization I'm aware of only three wallet providers. Only one available in Switzerland.

Actually I'd love to have an open interface with multiple options, so that creators can have multiple options for their supporters to choose from. Then I can have e.g. #Librapay WebMonetization, and #GNUTaler, while @blog might prefer e.g. Paypal, and Bitcoin, etc.

That fits the #fediverse best.

Shopping with eCHF using GNU Taler

This page lists merchants accepting GNU Taler payments in Switzerland.

maexchen1 Feb 6

#PayPal and #crypto work without an app?

#paypal see #diday

Crypto = $3 today, $3,000 tomorrow.

The fluctuations are extreme.

@cdonat

Andreas Tengicki Feb 6

@maexchen1 @Edent @cdonat It more like $3,000 today and $0.3 tomorrow.

@maexchen1 @cdonat
I don't have an app for either PayPal or Crypto - I send payments to people using the web.

Özgür Kesim Feb 6

@Edent @cdonat

Maybe. But then your solution space is empty.

Shlee messed around &Feb 6

@Edent @neil this is “one of those things”… stripe/paypal have 30c+3% per transaction

So if you want to handle microtipping, you need someone to hold onto the tips and then pool them together to have a “payment consolidation” period… or escrow style.

A lot of trust plus dealing with taxes and international currencies and exchange rates etc etc.

And I dislike blockchain….. but as a concept, I’d love the idea of content creators getting paid.. but maybe patreon is a better option for creators.

Nymnympseudonym Feb 6

@shlee @Edent @neil Ghost is a non corporate open source selfhost alternative

DamonHD Feb 5

@Edent Maybe via Ko-Fi or Patreon, but I also wish that I had managed to make better micropayments work when I was doing #fintech!

Terence Eden Feb 5

@DamonHD Kofi is just PayPal on the back end, right? I never quite got what the point of it was.

DamonHD Feb 5

@Edent I think that I have made payments via Ko-Fi other than with PayPal, but I can't pinky swear.

IMHO, a point of Ko-Fi is that it is a meeting place, and that you don't need to exchange eg bank details with all counterparties, though the difference between that and (say) PP is maybe not huge.

Jade Feb 6

@Edent @DamonHD ko-fi (and gh sponsors and liberapay and...) also support (only) using stripe

Jenica Lake เหล็ถเลถ Feb 5

@Edent wise

Terence Eden Feb 5

@MamaLake isn't that just direct bank transfer? Or do they have a specific pay link? I've got an account but haven't played with it.

Derick Rethans Feb 5

@Edent @MamaLake You can make "pay me" links with Wise (i've done it). It does expose your username.

Terence Eden Feb 5

@MamaLake @derickr Ah, found it. Thanks!

Stewart X Addison Feb 5

@Edent @MamaLake @derickr I guess wise has the advantage that it might be easier for non-UK people to pay you if you have USD/EUR etc. accounts in there.

The "pay me" links are quite common these days although I haven't used them on my Wise account. My HBOS current account has them as well (their app can also show a QR code of the link too which is quite cool)

Fazal Majid Feb 5

@Edent Patreon? I also use GitHub sponsorships, and I've used Ko-Fi a couple of times for one-offs.

ppk 🇪🇺Feb 5

@Edent Web Monetization.
Don't know how, though. And It shouldn't be automated - I think.

eva lauren ☂️Feb 5

@Edent Ko-Fi or Liberapay would be my go-to! I particularly appreciate Liberapay for being very nice and simple

Radomír Žemlička Feb 6

@eval @Edent I second Liberapay.

Jess Rose Feb 5

@Edent I would give you fancy little slices of cake

Flaki Feb 5

@jessie @Edent Jess I think you misread the post, it didn't say "nometary tip"

Jess Rose Feb 6

@flaki @Edent the cake is shaped like money

Flaki Feb 5

@Edent I really wish Web Monetization took off, that would be perfect for this sort of thing (either "drip" some fractional cents for favs, or have "super favs" where one could drop some change). These days I do Ko-fi or similar mostly for artists I follow, and the ones I really like I have a monthly subscription for.

David Page 🇪🇺Feb 5

@Edent Wise Account (ex Transferwise) https://wise.com/gb/send-money/

International Money Transfer | Transfer Money Overseas

Find out how much you can save with Wise. The better way to send money internationally. Over 14.8 million customers, 80 countries & 50+ currencies.

Wise

Hugh Feb 5

@Edent Wise 😉

Alternatively Stripe donation links are good for offering essentially every possible option

Luna Dragofelis ΘΔ🏳️‍⚧️🐱Feb 5

@Edent my preferred online payment method is SEPA bank transfer. It's available to pretty much every European with a bank account.

Ivor Hewitt Feb 5

@Edent PayPal's probably the easiest, but I dislike the idea of funding them... Perhaps https://opencollective.com might be an idea? Although I think it might me more designed for "groups and teams" rather than individuals.

Raise, manage and disburse money with full transparency.

Open Collective is a legal and financial toolbox for groups. It’s a fundraising + legal status + money management platform for your community. What do you want to do?

ben Feb 5

@Edent of the three, PayPal seems like the most reliable. I’d be concerned that a direct bank transfer would go wrong if I made a mistake with the details (although on the whole, since it’s a donation and likely a relatively small amount, this isn’t as big a concern as it would be if I were to pay for goods or services that way).

Services like ko-fi or liberapay also come to mind.

If crypto was the only way to pay for something, personally I just wouldn’t bother.

data af Feb 5

@Edent a pulled pint at some point.

matthias 🦭Feb 5

@[email protected] Something GNU Taler based.

Martin Seeger Feb 5

@Edent SEPA followed by PayPal

chrokaki Feb 6

@Edent
If it is within the EU, Wero.

Amin, minor deity of the legume realm Feb 6

Liberapay is what I use, though it is intended primarily for recurring donations/tips.

Ko-fi

@thezenlady what do you like about Ko-Fi compared to plain PayPal?

The Zen Lady Feb 6

Is ko-fi owned by paypal? I use ko-fi to donate to my mastodon instance toot.community. Unlike PayPal, it doesn't bombard me with promotional emails. And it doesn't charge a fee on donations to the recipient unlike PayPal

@thezenlady ah! They've changed. They used to only accept PayPal. Looks like they now accept some credit cards.