Hey everyone,
I was curious on whether anyone has ever thought about potentially introducing a Fediverse equivalent to platforms like:
- Ko-fi
- Patreon
- Gumroad
- LiberaPay
- Buy Me a Coffee
- Web Monetization (e.g., Coil)
etc.
What I’m imagining is a decentralized platform that allows users across the Fediverse to directly tip or support creators, all without relying on plugins or third-party integrations.
For instance, I know that creators on platforms like PeerTube can add plugins for cryptocurrency or payment solutions, but these require additional configuration or technical know-how.
What I’m suggesting is a straightforward tipping platform built directly into the Fediverse ecosystem, one that doesn’t depend on plugins—just a seamless way to support creators on ALL Fediverse platforms.
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To clarify upfront:
- I am NOT a “crypto bro.” I’m not here to promote any cryptocurrency or blockchain agenda—I’m just thinking about user-friendly, decentralized solutions.
- While I AM open-minded about crypto-based approaches, I feel there’s potential for a non-crypto, user-first Fediverse tipping system.
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What do you all think?
- Has this idea been explored?
- Are there any projects in the works that aim to address this?
- Do you think it’s feasible or even a good fit for the Fediverse ethos?
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I’d love to attempt something like this myself, but sadly I personally lack the time, technical knowledge, and energy to make it happen.
Still, I’d be really curious to hear the community’s thoughts.
Thanks in advance for sharing your insights.
I think we all know micropayment, donation are nice things to have. But it’s really hard to become a payment provider. When handling money for other people, you’ll face fraud, disputes. You need to do proper accounting. you’re liable. You need to register a company, do taxes, handle international things, you need a legal department, customer service etc. That’s why we rely on Liberapay, KoFi, Patreon and all the predecessors and sucessors. They’re companies / legal entities who can handle that.
(And I’m not sure how this would even work. I mean I can’t share (federate) your real name, address and credit card number with a few hundred different fediverse admins… So it’d need to be a central service anyways. Pretty much like the ones we already have.)