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A Viable System for Micropayments?

KalvinB asks: "According to The Case for Micropayments, Nielson makes the case that subscriptions fence you in because you either pay nothing and get nothing or pay a large fee. I'm curious as to why a large fee is the only option. Perhaps in 1998 bandwidth was as expensive as gold but five years later I propose A Viable System for Micropayments and how to implement it. The cost can easily be calculated either arbitrarily or by determining the amount of bandwidth the average user uses per month or year. I'm curious as to how viable you think this system is and if you have any ideas for improvement. Mainly in calculating cost and accepting payments. I think the biggest obstacle to micropayments is a complete misunderstanding of the term 'micro.' In the article it's talking about paying several dollars per page at some sites. By my calculations that file better be 5GB or more. It's greed, I think more than anything, that's limiting it's acceptance. Sites don't want to charge a reasonable fee and people think their ISP bill is an all access pass to the Internet. The idea of actually paying for products they use and paying more than the product was produced for is suddenly lost when they go online."

3 of 459 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Flawed reasoning... by glesga_kiss · · Score: 3, Funny
    but that's not the same as having your mother find out you like chick-on-chick flicks.

    It could be worse, you could find your mother in chick-on-chick flicks!

  2. I am 31ee7 hax0r by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    And I 0wn the vast majority of the sites on the web I visit!

  3. Why cards cost more than checks: the Truth by HarveyBirdman · · Score: 2, Funny
    The extra fee on the card matches the extra time some old biddy takes to write a check for a $1.39 can of tuna for the cat.

    And don't get me started on these people with bizarre traveller's check from Goddamned-Nowhere, Uganda with the Roswell alien lettering on it that needs to be verified by three managers, four computers and an Act of Congress before I can pay cash for my freaking bag of cheddar flavored Wavy Lays.

    --
    --- Ban humanity.