Jonathan's Card • Hacker News Board

Re: Jonathan's Card

#51

Post by jonathanstark » Sun, Aug 07, 2011, 9:45 PM UTC

wallflower wrote: post #47

> Plus, it’s actually kinda fun to see those rewards stars drop into my in-app coffee cup. Well, Jonathan may get the Rewards so it is not completely altruistic. A real-time map of where transactions have been made ala http://twittervision.com might be interesting if this card goes viral https://www.starbucks.com/card/rewards

Jonathan here:

Yes, unfortunately I do get the rewards. I get a free coffee for every 15 purchased. I figured that the free coffees would accrue to the card itself and therefore every 16th person would get a free coffee. As it turns out, sbux mails free coffee coupons to me:

http://yfrog.com/keup3hxj

I'm not sure how to redistribute them fairly, but I was thinking that I could at least pass them out at my local store. However, doing so is expressly forbidden and my name is on the postcards.

Thoughts? j

Re: Jonathan's Card

#52

Post by gabrielroth » Sun, Aug 07, 2011, 9:48 PM UTC

jonathanstark wrote: post #48

gabrielroth wrote: post #27

I'm kind of playing devil's advocate here and kind of not: How can you justify spending $n to buy coffee for someone with a smartphone instead of donating $n to someone with fewer resources and greater needs?

Jonathan here: Fair point. My goal is to figure out the dynamics of social giving in this fashion and create a similar sustainable model around items that are less "luxury" than coffee. For example, I can imaging people paying for other people's groceries or medicine in a similar manner. Maybe I'm crazy, but it seems worth trying. Best, j

Thanks for the response. My question wasn't really directed at you—I can see all kinds of ways you could justify the project, including just curiosity. My question was for the people who are putting money on the card.

I hope one of your other ideas works! Good luck! But I suspect a big part of the impetus behind the contributions is a feeling of reciprocity, which is a different impulse from charity.

Re: Jonathan's Card

#53

Post by jason_slack » Sun, Aug 07, 2011, 9:56 PM UTC

jonathanstark wrote: post #51

wallflower wrote: post #47

> Plus, it’s actually kinda fun to see those rewards stars drop into my in-app coffee cup. Well, Jonathan may get the Rewards so it is not completely altruistic. A real-time map of where transactions have been made ala http://twittervision.com might be interesting if this card goes viral https://www.starbucks.com/card/rewards

Jonathan here: Yes, unfortunately I do get the rewards. I get a free coffee for every 15 purchased. I figured that the free coffees would accrue to the card itself and therefore every 16th person would get a free coffee. As it turns out, sbux mails free coffee coupons to me: http://yfrog.com/keup3hxj I'm not sure how to redistribute them fairly, but I was thinking that I could at least pass them out at my local store…

Keep the coupons? Seriously. I mean, you set this up, you have funded it, etc.

Also, Maybe a good idea to ensure auto-reload is not setup on the card! I dont know that it is, but if it is you could be out a significant amount of money. Looking at your API calls I dont see where it has been auto-reloaded.

This is a neat idea.

Re: Jonathan's Card

#54

Post by jonathanstark » Sun, Aug 07, 2011, 10:00 PM UTC

Cushman wrote: post #49

jonathanstark wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Jonathan here: Fair point. My goal is to figure out the dynamics of social giving in this fashion and create a similar sustainable model around items that are less "luxury" than coffee. For example, I can imaging people paying for other people's groceries or medicine in a similar manner. Maybe I'm crazy, but it seems worth trying. Best, j

I don't go to Starbucks, but I just loaded up $10 because I'd really like to see this "succeed", whatever that means. It's gone already, so I guess the experiment is working? :P

Thanks! If you have a Twitter account PLMK your username so I can give you credit :)

Re: Jonathan's Card

#55

Post by mkorfmann » Sun, Aug 07, 2011, 10:00 PM UTC

jonathanstark wrote: post #51

wallflower wrote: post #47

> Plus, it’s actually kinda fun to see those rewards stars drop into my in-app coffee cup. Well, Jonathan may get the Rewards so it is not completely altruistic. A real-time map of where transactions have been made ala http://twittervision.com might be interesting if this card goes viral https://www.starbucks.com/card/rewards

Jonathan here: Yes, unfortunately I do get the rewards. I get a free coffee for every 15 purchased. I figured that the free coffees would accrue to the card itself and therefore every 16th person would get a free coffee. As it turns out, sbux mails free coffee coupons to me: http://yfrog.com/keup3hxj I'm not sure how to redistribute them fairly, but I was thinking that I could at least pass them out at my local store…

Think of them as a reward for the work you put into this project. You deserve it.

Re: Jonathan's Card

#56

Post by mkorfmann » Sun, Aug 07, 2011, 10:01 PM UTC

Cushman wrote: post #49

jonathanstark wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Jonathan here: Fair point. My goal is to figure out the dynamics of social giving in this fashion and create a similar sustainable model around items that are less "luxury" than coffee. For example, I can imaging people paying for other people's groceries or medicine in a similar manner. Maybe I'm crazy, but it seems worth trying. Best, j

I don't go to Starbucks, but I just loaded up $10 because I'd really like to see this "succeed", whatever that means. It's gone already, so I guess the experiment is working? :P

Same for me. Not even living in the US but I want to see where this thing goes...

Re: Jonathan's Card

#57

Post by Peaker » Sun, Aug 07, 2011, 10:01 PM UTC

brk wrote: post #45

startupfounder wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

what about buying a coffee and then loading the exact amount back on the card?

Seems to kind of defeat the point? Use it when you can't afford coffee, refill it when you can afford a coffee plus a little more...

I don't understand: Do people really alternate between being able to afford a coffee and not being able to, more than a couple of times in a lifetime?

Re: Jonathan's Card

#58

Post by snprbob86 » Sun, Aug 07, 2011, 10:04 PM UTC

pangram wrote: post #4

Whenever I go through a toll bridge, I frequently pay the toll of the person behind me. I've sometimes wondered if it propagates backward at all. For the Starbucks card, I would love to live in a society where this could work. Unfortunately it's one of those things where one anonymous bad egg will ruin (i.e., drain the account) for everyone else. Some way to restrict it to a community with less anonymity would help (…

> I frequently pay the toll of the person behind me

In what country/state/city? Is that legal? In most (all?) US cities, it is illegal to fill other peoples' parking meters because that robs the city of fines. But maybe it's not a concern for tolls?

> I've sometimes wondered if it propagates backward at all.

At most, it would only reach exactly the car behind you. If that driver decides to pay the toll anyway (or the attendant secretly pockets the additional payment), the extra payment would be surely be swallowed.

Re: Jonathan's Card

#59

Post by lucianof » Sun, Aug 07, 2011, 10:06 PM UTC

I tried to load it, but all I got was: "This recipient does not accept payments from non-U.S. PayPal accounts." (I'm Swiss) Why would Starbucks restrict from where they get their money?

Re: Jonathan's Card

#60

Post by gabrielroth » Sun, Aug 07, 2011, 10:07 PM UTC

Daniel14 wrote: post #50

gabrielroth wrote: post #27

I'm kind of playing devil's advocate here and kind of not: How can you justify spending $n to buy coffee for someone with a smartphone instead of donating $n to someone with fewer resources and greater needs?

You could say that about almost anything. "How can you justify commenting on HN, when the money earned in the equivalent amount of time wasted here could save n Nigerians from starvation?" You can't, not really. But Jonathan's card still is one of the more ethical ways of spending money, so I'm all for it.

I comment on HN because I enjoy it. But I suspect that some people add money to Jonathan's Card because it gives them a feeling of virtue. I'd like to interfere with that feeling.