Almost a week ago, Andre first released TKPal:
TK Pal is a snippet of PHP code you can place in a PHP enabled page to restrict access to content to TypeKey users who have specifically paid to see that content.
So, I have begun writing a wrapper plugin around that so MT users can take it for a spin. This has an enormous amount of future potential.
Just to test it out for myself, and to demonstrate that it works, the link to the plugin code and instructions for installation are in the extended entry, which will cost you $3.50 to access (if you have ever seen that episode of South Park, you will understand where that number came from).
Note: This plugin requires that all the pages in which it is used are output as php.
I should also mention that the fact that you need to pay to access this plugin is meant as a proof of concept only. If you would like, I would be happy to refund the money you paid to get it. All you have to do is ask.
price=3.50
Download one of the following files:
Unpack it and place tkpal.pl in the plugins/TKPal/ directory, which should have to be created. Once you have done that, get a copy of the TKPal code for yourself, install it in the same directory, and do whatever configuration is necessary.
The following two tags are made available through this plugin:
- TKPalHeader: required if the other tag is to be used, must be placed at the very beginning of the template (i.e. before
DOCTYPEdeclaration, etc.) - TKPalPremiumContent: container tag to surround the content for which you wish to charge, takes the following arguments:
cost: cost for the contentlink: link for the location of the content, defaults to the permalink for the current entry if there is one
; "Feed Stats Widget")
; "Google Referrer")
; "MediaConsumer Template Output")
; "MediaConsumer List Items")
; "MediaConsumer Edit Item")
; "mt-qotd.png")
; "Vox-qotd.png")
Since you're charging for this plugin, there's an implied warrant of merchantability. Which makes me feel sheepishly obligated to point out that users can bypass TKPal and get the plugin without paying by going to your archives, or by deeplinking to the file itself (which I won't post in this comment). The archives can be secured, but the deeplinking vulnerability is fundamental to the way TKPal works. It's one of the reasons I still don't think TKPal is the right way to go. What we need is a plugin for Bitpass.
In all honesty, the entry was more proof of concept than anything else. I've got no problem refunding your money if you'd like (I went ahead and
made that clear in the entry itself as well now).
I am quite aware of the inherent problems in using this to hide links, but regular text shouldn't be a problem. I've also gone and fixed the archives
too. Thanks for pointing that out. :) I made sure I fixed my feeds, but for some reason, I totally forgot about my archives. What I really need to
do is completely rework my whole template structures, but I digress.
I have not heard of BitPass before, but I will certainly look into it. Wrapper plugins, like this one, are quite quick to toss together, so perhaps
I could have something up and running by next week.
I didn't at all mean to disparage your effort. I just didn't want people to purchase the plugin and then be disappointed that the links they sell aren't secured. (TKPal does adequately secure blogtext.)
Andre seems to be pursuing TKPal development for the sheer sake of the hack, and while I love the idea, Paypal and TypeKey just aren't the right way to accomplish it. Paypal's transaction fees are too high, their Acceptable Use policy is too moralistic and punitive, and content isn't properly secured. Bitpass solved all these problems about a year ago, and has other useful features, too. It was designed to solve the problem of selling online content, which is why I'd rather see Bitpass succeed. I just think it's better for the blogosphere.
I'm sorry, I don't get it at all when you say that PayPal's transaction fees are too high. According to this page, the Bitpass fees are way higher. They charge a whopping 15% for transactions under $5. Though they charge a flat $0.30 transaction fee, the 2.9% fee of PayPal quickly overcomes Bitpass.
While it is true that you'll save money with Bitpass for fees on, say, $1 ($0.02 vs $0.33 for PayPal), the break-even point is just $2.44. Say you get to a $5 payment. On Bitpass this would cost you $0.75. The corresponding PayPal fee for $5 would be just $0.45. It then gets worse.
While the Bitpass fee drops to 5% at the $5 mark, they institute a fixed fee of $0.50, meaning at every price point beyond that, the difference will just get larger. A $100 payment, for example, would generate a fee of $5.50 on Bitpass and just $3.20 on Paypal.
While I can't speak to your thoughts of their AUP, and I haven't seen the code (hoping to get the "developer's discount" :), it would seem to me that you could protect a link by using a PHP download pre-processor of sorts.
I'd have to put some more thought into it, but simply something like only providing the file for a particular period of time, building some sort of hash or the like, so that the same location would work for an hour, but after that, deep-linking it won't work at all, ought to help with the content issue. Then have the code create new "hashed locations" periodically as someone signs back in with TypeKey, with a new hash only good for a period of time.
And interestingly, according to this page, one of the Bitpass payout options is through Paypal! If you chose this option, you would be double-billed. I don't know if the default is ACH or Paypal, but it's certainly something you need to watch!
I don't have a preference either way, but I do think it's worth mentioning that PayPal has a few million more users than Bitpass.
jayseae: If you want to sell $100 worth of content, you'll probably use Paypal and a traditional shopping cart. But for blog posts, online games, songs, videos, webcomics, and other paid content, the price point is going to be a lot closer to $1 than $10. And with Paypal, you not only make less on everything under $2, it isn't possible to sell anything for a quarter or less.
Bitpass has some additional features I like, such as the ability to buy content as a gift for someone else, but I don't doubt that given enough time and effort, most of those features could be duplicated. I just think it's needless work since Bitpass already implements those features well.
Anil Dash: Paypal has a bigger user base, but it wasn't always so. Blog content could be for Bitpass what eBay was for Paypal, and I suspect Bitpass knows that. I also think I'd rather not risk being frozen out of my Paypal account because someone complained that a blog entry, song, or webcomic I sold offended them.
It's not about the fees charged by BitPass - it's the type of micropayment you can do with it - as low as a penny to access something. When you look at how they have to aggregate their transactions to make any money at all, you realize what they are doing. As stimulantcaplets said, it's not a substitute for PayPal. I use both, and I also have a regular merchant account and shopping cart. I just use the right tool for the right item.
David, BitPass is a system you should absolutely look at linking to podcasting. The only reason I don't have a podcast version of my show is that I already suffered with the bandwidth issues of being too popular - 14 terabytes a month at one point. Professionals have not entered the podcasting space because there's no way to monetize their work - I've tried to get BitPass to make their software aware of the authentication requirements of RSS 2.0/enclosures and have talked with the jpodder folks about being BitPass aware, and I've rarely encountered such resistance. Maybe listeners would rather keep podcasting mom-and-pop and that's it.
Creating a plug in that makes BitPass protected content podcastable would be a terrific thing - and something that you could make money with, if that matters to you. It would be helpful to others who already have content that is premium/subscription based, but is not able to be acquired by current podcast reception software.
Let me know if there's anything else I can tell you that would be of help, and also, let me know when you could appear on my show to talk about TKPal and your implementation.
David Lawrence
Online Tonight/The David Lawrence Show