You may notice a new icon at the end of this post for Flattr. What is Flattr, you ask? Have you ever experienced web content that was really great? A piece of writing, a photo, a video, whatever, that made you want to thank the creator in a more meaningful way than clicking “like”? Well, now you can! Sign up with Flattr, decide how much you want to allocate every month to Web content, and Flattr away! At the end of the month, the people at Flattr will divide up your monthly budget among all of the content providers you liked throughout the month. Maybe each one will get a couple of cents from you, which is not much, but if I got a couple of cents every month from every blog reader, that would be kind of cool.
Flattr has been around since 2010. I think it’s bigger in Europe than in the US, but I’m hoping it catches on here. There are several blogs that I read where the author really goes above and beyond to write interesting posts. I’m looking at you, Carolyn and Peter. Of course, since I know Carolyn and Peter, I could just buy them a cup of coffee or something, but what about bloggers that I may never meet, like Blair or Zoe? Maybe I would like to contribute to them, but not enough to actually send them money via Paypal? That’s where Flattr can come in.
So, if you are so inclined, I would love it if you would join Flattr and click on the Flattr icon at the end of my posts. I would also love it if you would sign up as a content creator on Flattr so I, and others, and show our appreciation for your efforts to entertain us.
There’s a speech that Courtney Love made way back in 2000 about the music industry, but it could apply to other creative industries, as well. No matter what you think of her as a person or as an artist, the speech is well worth reading if you have any interest in producing or consuming creative work. This is my favorite quote:
- “I’m looking for people to help connect me to more fans, because I believe fans will leave a tip based on the enjoyment and service I provide. I’m not scared of them getting a preview. It really is going to be a global village where a billion people have access to one artist and a billion people can leave a tip if they want to.”
I read this speech ages ago, and obviously it resonated with me because it’s the first thing I thought of when I heard about Flattr. Here’s everyone’s chance to leave a tip that goes straight to the creator of the work you appreciate.
Rolling in Cloth 
2 Comments
Interesting concept…but wouldn’t a lot of people have to sign up for it to be a “meaningful” tip for the blogger, the website owner or the owner of the video?
Yes. I’m doing my bit to get more people involved.
From what I’ve read, Flattr is popular with musicians and music fans in Europe, and there are a handful of musicians who manage to make their living mostly from their Flattr earnings.