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What is this page?

This is a fake Flickr page, designed to demonstrate the iCents payment platform technology.

We will demonstrate how Flickr users could pay and earn money on Flickr using iCents. This is just one of dozens of examples of how iCents technology can be used on Flickr (see a second example here).  iCents is a very flexible Ajax payment platform, so there are several different ways to use it.

Please click the "Next" button below.

We are not connected or affiliated with Flickr. This demo page uses copyrighted material under the fair use doctrine. If you are here by mistake, please find the real web page here.

Explanation:

Flickr allows users to upload and share photos. Here to the left you have a fake Flickr upload page, where the users select the photos they want from their computer, and then upload them onto Flickr.

Flickr adopts the Freemium business model: offering basic services for free, while charging for premium, advanced or special features.

Flickr offers a Free Account (limited features) and a Pro Account (costs $24.95 per year, as explained in http://www.flickr.com/upgrade ).

Therefore, getting a Pro Account means that you need to subscribe to Flickr for a year.

Wouldn't it be great if Flickr also let users acquire a Pro Account for a few hours, if they want to? Users that might never subscribe for a year may still want to access some special features from time to time.

For example, a user may want to upload a high-resolution 20 MB birthday photo just once, and this is not allowed by the Free Account rules. He or she may simply decide not to upload this photo, and Flickr will earn nothing.

If this user can pay, say, 80 cents to upload the photo, everybody wins. This is Market Segmentation . It can be achieved by using iCents. For example, in our Fake Flickr page this is what the user gets when micro-subscribing for three hours, paying 80 cents:

Example in Action

To the left you have a fake Flickr upload page, where users select the photos they want to upload to Flickr. Let us pretend the user has a Free Account, and that there are three restrictions that prevent him or her from uploading certain files:

(i) one of the selected files has more than 10 MB;

(ii) the user is trying to upload a video; and

(iii) the user reached the total upload limit.

To remove these restrictions, the page suggests that the user Upgrade to the Pro Account but, as discussed, this may not be what the user wants. In this case, the user could micro-subscribe.

How do I test it?

1) Roll the mouse over the micro-subscription button to the top-left of the Fake Flickr page. You will see that its price appears just like in this paid link.

2) When you click the micro-subscription button, a small Payment Window will appear and let you pay.

3) Click PAY in the Payment Window, to micro-subscribe. All uploading restrictions will be removed from the screen!

Note that the micro-subscription button turns green after paying, and if you hover the mouse over it, it will tell you the time still remaining in your micro-subscription.

4) Scroll the page and click the "Upload Photos" button.

›› Once you have completed the testing,
you may click here if you want to cancel the purchased micro-subscription.

Details of the micro-subscription button

The design of the micro-subscription button you see on this page is just a suggestion. Websites are free to use whatever buttons they choose, or even simple links that allow the user to micro-subscribe.

Flickr could also put a micro-subscribe button on every page. They are all "synchronized" meaning that if you pay through one of them, all others "know" about it and display the remaining micro-subscription time. You can test this by opening a copy of this page in another window.

Also, even though there is only one kind of micro-subscription in this demo, it is actually possible to have several different independent micro-subscription plans, with different prices, durations, and different features associated with each. However, we must be careful not to confuse Internet users by providing them with too many options, so it is better to keep the number low.

Compatibility with the Pro Account

The iCents Payment Tool is designed for compatibility with regular subscription methods. For example, if a user signs in with a Pro Account, it is possible to turn off the micro-subscription button, until the user signs out.

Note that "turning off" the micro-subscription button means it works as if you have a valid micro-subscription: all premium content and functions are accessible, the button turns green and it does not allow you to pay:

(click here to cancel the micro-subscription)

Click to simulate signing in
to your Pro Account

Click to simulate signing out
of your Pro Account

Conclusion

In addition to the Pro Account, which is a yearly subscription that Flickr offers today, it could also allow users to micro-subscribe for a few hours. This technology is available now.

Of course, the micro-subscription price and features must be well designed for compatibility with the "Pro Account" so that the micro-subscription appeals only (or almost only) to those users who do not have a Pro Account. Please contact iCents to receive a copy of our whitepaper:

• Please click here to restart this demo.
• Or go back to iCents.net homepage.
• Or go to one of the other demos below: