My guess is something like STEEM will eventually become mainstream, and people will be able to upvote/like posts on the internet with real money.
Flattr 2.0 launches to the public
31–40 of 147 posts
Re: Flattr 2.0 launches to the public
#32Re: Flattr 2.0 launches to the public
#33I was big fan of original Flattr, that's why i was excited for 2.0 too. However that "extension" setup is something that still keeps me in evaluation phase, rather than 100% in. I inspected extension (not 100% of it, but a bit of code, storage, xhr calls). Some findings:
* They use whitelist (visible in source) of sites, thus they do not record activity on all sites, but just the ones in whitelist.
* You can individually block sites from being tracked even if they are in whitelist (by click on the icon). This gets respected.
* They store a lot of data "locally". Things like timestamps, cursor activity, time spent on the page etc. This does not get sent to flattr, but sits in local storage.
* Once "site/page" qualifies for a flattr, path with title is sent to flattr. No other information (i.e. - no query string, no mouse activity etc.).
* They record things, that they should blacklist. For example - common cms paths (wp-admin/) is reported, but should not be. In some sites they report paths that should be blacklisted (like in twitter they report /settings/ ).
* In youtube.com icon for extension looks disabled (like nothing is being recorded), however they still store data in local db (browsing history, videos viewed). Nothing is sent to flattr though. This should be updated. Either show in icon that you record data, or do not record anything.
All in all extension does not look malicious at the moment. But it's not perfect either. And i'm not sure that there will be a point where i will feel 100% confident with it. Most likely i will try to use it, but will continue to inspect regularly to see if its still solid.
Edited: fixed some typos.
Re: Flattr 2.0 launches to the public
#34I would like to point out two things about Flattr: - Whenever other people send you money, Flattr keeps 10% from that money. - When you make money with Flattr, Flattr expects you to give this money back to other authors you like. And they will send them back to other authors. As the money are sent back and forth, and 10% are removed at each step, Flattr is the only one actually making any money.
"When you make money with Flattr, Flattr expects you to give this money back to other authors you like." Not true, from the FAQ: How do I withdraw money I have received? You need to have a valid bank account associated with your profile. You can then request a withdrawal. This works worldwide as long as your bank accepts international bank transfers.
Of course you can withdraw your money. But when you just want to make money, both Creator and Contributor profiles are crated (to make contributions super easy).
It is quite hard to make money with Flattr (you need to be really popular to get enough micropayments), and I guess that 95 % of Creators never reach the 10€ limit to actually withdraw their money. So giving money back to others is the "obvious" thing to do.
Re: Flattr 2.0 launches to the public
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
A lot of people have issue with the fact they allow certain ads through if the publisher pays them enough. They claim that these ads are not aggressive or distracting, but the optics are pretty bad. A for profit ad-blocking company that makes money from ads.
They are a company so they have to make money (Most of HN readers should relate to that). Some of this money is also used to fight law-suits, keeping ad blocking legal (at least in germany [1]), something a free solution like ublock origin can not do. [1] https://www.golem.de/news/adblock-plus-olg-muenchen-erklaert... (german)
If you're not a company, legality is less important.
Re: Flattr 2.0 launches to the public
#36They now charge a massive 16.5% fee.
Re: Flattr 2.0 launches to the public
#37I was big fan of original Flattr, that's why i was excited for 2.0 too. However that "extension" setup is something that still keeps me in evaluation phase, rather than 100% in. I inspected extension (not 100% of it, but a bit of code, storage, xhr calls). Some findings: * They use whitelist (visible in source) of sites, thus they do not record activity on all sites, but just the ones in whitelist. * You can individu…
I never understood why they decided to coorperate with the AdBlock Plus creators.
From a technology point of view, that might have been a gain for them.
But does this outweigh the loss of the "trust in advance" that they would otherwise receive?
Also, what's about the risk of being dragged into bad reputation? (Which might happen as soon as AdBlock Plus gets bad media coverage, once again.)
Re: Flattr 2.0 launches to the public
#38I used to be quite excited about Flattr. The ideology they stand for is what makes them exciting, so I don't want to judge them by their brand, but still I can't help but feel that their communication and product design is honestly terrible.
They communicated almost nothing for around 3 years, and now they're back to relaunch. I just don't feel very confident about their organization.
Re: Flattr 2.0 launches to the public
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think this is the main reason basically everyone has switched to uBlock Origin. Which, by the way, works quite well.
And ghostery
Ghostery also has some tracking built-in. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostery#Criticism
Re: Flattr 2.0 launches to the public
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think this is the main reason basically everyone has switched to uBlock Origin. Which, by the way, works quite well.
And ghostery
I tried to switch to the open source Disconnect when I heard Ghostery was acquired by an ad company, but it wasn't on Ghostery's level.
The redirect / social button blocker with the "allow once" option is really pleasant.