Hey, @LenKendall! I've enjoyed watching CentUp over the past ~year. I write often and am very interested in the publishing space.
IMHO, the hardest part about CentUp and other micro-transaction platforms designed for "free" content, is changing user behavior. There's so much content out there and getting people (especially a large audience) to pay for something they're not used to, is challenging.
What have you seen work and more generally, what are your thoughts about this topic?
Hi everyone. I'm Len, one of the CoFounders of CentUp. More about me here: LenKendall.com - I'm really passionate about exploring new publisher models and spent 7 years in advertising/pr before starting my company.
@rrhoover Great point. CentUp isn't focusing on being a way for people to "pay" for content, but rather being an inconsequential way for people to acknowledge great writing, music, etc. There's a reason paywalls don't work, and you outlined exactly why above.
Asking someone to pitch in 2-3 cents for something they would have otherwise just clicked, "like" on isn't as tough of a battle. Although that small amount may not seem significant, when certain pieces get a lot of shares, it ads up.
We also built social impact into the model so that every donation gets split in half between content creator and a charity. If you look at TOMS Shoes, they're a great example of how a commodity product can outgrow its competition by making a positive impact part of the business model.
You're 100% right about this behavior change being a huge challenge, but every time another newspaper closes down, or "sponsored content" creeps into editorial content, we're getting closer to a point where sustainable content compensation will work. 5 years ago CentUp would have a very tough time gaining traction, but we believe we're at a turning point where "permeable paywalls" are really attractive. More on that here: http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/01...
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