Flattr – Small animals make messes too

The situation commonly referred to as the "media crisis" and the declining revenues of traditional journalistic products - or newspapers for short - is on many lips. The advertising and advertising business is declining and readership is also decreasing. It is clear that fewer and fewer images are being printed - or fewer and fewer images are being printed that have to be paid for (extra). Many newspapers work with flat rates and, when in doubt, use the poorer image just to save money. I have heard from editors that they would have preferred to use my image, but unfortunately do not have the necessary budget - the amount of the fee to be paid per image depends on the size of the circulation. Actually a fair thing, but the donors understandably have their shirt closer to their pants.

But while traditional media is still crying, new media is adapting Nobel Prize-winning ideas and try out new payment models. Flattr means the easy way to value content with small amounts of money.

Here's how it works: You pay a certain amount every month - for example 2 euros - and if you like a post online and you see the Flattr button, then you simply click on the corresponding button. Complete! Yes, honestly: it's that simple. Every time you press a Flattr button, the creator receives a corresponding share of your monthly contribution.

A short video explains the rest.

I think the idea is great because the "costs" are low and manageable. Of course, the principle can only work if a lot of people participate. That's a bit of a problem at the moment because the system is still in beta status and registrations are currently only possible via invitations, which are limited. I was lucky last night and got one, which is why I now have a Flattr button at the end of every article.

I like the idea because it revives an old idea of ​​the network: whoever gives, will receive. Because only those who are prepared to pay a monthly premium can benefit from the system. So here's a tip on payment: the transaction is processed via PayPal, but you don't need a PayPal account. But of course PayPal charges fees. That's why it's better to transfer a larger amount - Flattr will then take the desired monthly fee from the balance. For example, if you want to pay 2 euros a month, you can pay 24 euros once and then "flattr" for almost a year without any worries. Flattr also recommends this approach.

I think the idea is good, because I don't want to have flashing, attention-grabbing ads displayed on a blog that is mainly about images and their impact. Nevertheless, I am of course happy if my articles and images generate a few cents this way. And let's be honest: Google Ads only involve cents, but the system behind it is simply more transparent with Flattr. I also like the fact that payments are completely anonymous. Nobody knows what you think is worth paying for and what isn't. So there is no "data octopus" a la Google.

And this is what a Flattr payment button looks like: in this case, 6 other Flattr users would have already liked this post and paid for it. To log in to Flattr, all you need to do is click on the "Flattr" logo. By the way, you can only pay for each post once.

I was also lucky enough to have contact with support and I can say that it was quick and helpful. And there is already a plugin for WordPress. I found out about Flattr through its presentation at re:publica 2010.

I am curious to see how this implementation of the “culture flat rate” idea will spread on the Internet.