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Here is an interesting model for monetizing a website - mini-subscriptions. PixelPass offers mini-subscription services for blog and website owners to enable them to charge a small monthly fee to access their content - anything from 25c - $2.

The model works like this -

Internet users pre-purchase $5 worth of PixelPass credit which can be used on any site charging through the PixelPass system. Website owners set up the PixelPass on their site and choose the appropriate fee they want to charge. PixelPass takes a 40% cut from the fee.

My initial reaction was this is just not going to work. For a site charging the maximum fee of $2, which they earn $1.20 after the fee is taken, you would need massive amounts of volume to make it profitable. Given you have that level of volume you are better off setting up your own payments system to keep 100% of the profits. After taking a look at the demo site I’m even more worried since the “lock” they place over the site is certainly going to be a huge traffic turnoff.

I thought about it some more and if I could PixelPass only on certain areas of a site, maybe a members section or a weekly “feature article”, it might work and certainly the flexibility of the system could make it appealing. I also believe the targeting of the service is not at those wanting to get rich from their site, more likely PixelPass is aiming to be a revenue solution to cover perhaps hosting fees or similar. There is no way I would recommend applying the pass to a full site, it could only work once you have convinced your visitors of the value of your content by giving some away for free.

I’m still not sure it’s viable and I can’t yet come up with a specific area where this system would suit a need better than the other payment systems available - maybe my readers can come up with some ideas?

From the PixelPass point of view they obviously have a critical mass issue to deal with. In order for it to be worthwhile to pre-purchase pixelcash there have to be enough appealing websites to subscribe to. Although given if just one good site was using it that could be appeal enough to bring in a few thousand users.

PixelPass for your Blog or Website
PixelPass is a service that finally enables you to easily charge users small fees for access to your online content. If you have been struggling to make online advertising work and if your website isn’t suited to traditional stand-alone subscription systems, PixelPass is the subscription solution that will work for you.

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