Tinypass is trying to simplify the whole ‘charging for content with small payments’ issue from the publisher’s end, and from the user end.
Publishers have a flexible range of customised options for charging for their content, through plugins (Drupal, Joomla, or WordPress) or customised code:
- A La Carte Access and Bundles: Charge for an article, a video, an issue, an area of your site, a subscription, or a downloadable file
- Time-based Access: Create hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly premium, access passes
- Metered Browsing: Specify a certain amount of access that is allowed before visitors are prompted to pay
- Auto-Expire: Move from pay to free (to charge for your newest content) or free to pay (to charge for archives) automatically
- Upgrades: Charge for an enhanced version of your content, or for an ad-free version
- Split Pay: Let TinyPass automatically handle splitting the revenue between you and another party, such as a contributor or affiliate
- Actions: Charge to enable user actions, such as posting questions, comments, tasks, resumes, or job listings
Visitors can buy credits for their Tinypass wallet using PayPal, Google, Amazon or credit cards, and login through those accounts.
Tinypass’ first four publishers are using the system in a variety of ways. Hedge Tracker sells investment reports; Accent Pro is a language training site selling videos; Seattleite is a firewalled local news site; and DJ Booth is a music site using TinyPass to sell music.
Would you use a system like this to charge for content on your travel blog?
Image: Eek the cat
Post Revisions:
- 17 December, 2011 @ 0:28 [Current Revision] by Alastair McKenzie
- 16 December, 2011 @ 21:15 by John O'Nolan
Unless you’ve got something that people desperately need and can’t easily get somewhere else, why would you expect people to pay for reading it? History isn’t on your side.
Reminds me of one of my local paper’s paywall that precludes me from reading their articles online unless I anty up. I just go to another rag then to get the local news. ;)
The only time I’ve ever paid for content wasn’t for content really, but to access a community, such as a forum.
Yeah, I agree. I’m not a fan of paywalls either, but in the time it has taken me to type this w-o-r-d I’ve thought of 5 travel bloggers who sell e-magazines, books, and… no, 6…..7… photos, from their blogs.
Yes, Alastair, but if those bloggers had paywalls, they wouldn’t be selling as many e-magazines, books, and photos. They’d also be limiting their ability to sell advertising or profit from affiliate programs. That’s a problem that newspapers have faced, and most newspapers have decided that the revenue from a paywall won’t offset the loss of revenue from other sources.
What’s more, the newspapers that *have* implemented paywalls (such as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Financial Times) have left plenty of holes–e.g., by allowing readers to access content via links from other sites (such as Google News) or by allowing readers to view a certain number of pages each day without paying.
I’d guess that travel bloggers who provide useful or essential information or “community” built around s handful of specific topics (say, the Paris expat scene or English-teaching opportunities in foreign countries) might be able to charge for access. But it’s unlikely that the more typical travel blogger will be able to extract subscription fees or micropayments to view a travel diary and photos. There are just too many free alternatives on the Web.
One more thought: When The New York Times implemented its second attempt at a paywall this year, it didn’t just leave loopholes–it also made a deal with Lincoln, the American car brand, to sponsor free access for readers who weren’t New York Times subscribers. It’s possible that a savvy, well-established travel blogger with the right audience and good industry contacts could work out a similar deal: e.g., “Save $25 on a yearly subscription: Read Sam Schuss’s Ski Blog free by signing up for the XYZ Ski Tours newsletter.”