Flattirl's blog

Flattirl is back!

philippe — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 22:09:36 +0000

Why update Flattirl when you can get your offline button from Flattr? Because the only official format is PDF. That's fine as long as you want an A4 button. What if you need something smaller? Bigger? A sticker? A poster? Flattirl to the rescue.

What's new?

The generated buttons are valid again. In other words, their QR code are compatible with Flattr4Android and all other QR code readers.
The generated buttons match the latest Flattr's button design.
Flattirl now asks for your user name and let you pick your offline thing in a list.

Enjoy!

Flattirl is dead, hurray to Offline Flattr and Flattr4Android!

philippe — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 10:56:06 +0000

Flattr released Offline Flattr yesterday, 5th January 2010. You can now get an offline/irl (the one you prefer) PDF button, with a QR code. Print it, stick it, be flattred!

Flattr implemented the feature and somehow replaced Flattirl, for the best. Now Flattr's users get their buttons directly from Flattr, which is more convenient than going to an external site. Making it official will also help making the practice more widely known. I'm eager to see how the Flattr buttons will finally enter the real world!

You may have noticed that Flattirl didn't evolved since its creation in September 2010. It's even still in Alpha stage! That was because of another project, Flattr4Android. The idea was to release an Android application along with the official QR code feature from Flattr. If you want the fresh news, look there!

What is the future of Flattirl? Maybe it will be updated regarding the merchandising: T-shirts, posters... There's no decision about this for the moment.

Important notice: Flattirl is not up-to-date. What does it mean?

The generated buttons are a bit old-fashion, don't you think? They weren't updated with the latest Fattr button design.

The generated buttons do not embed the correct thing's URL. In particular, if you try to scan the QR code with an application like the one from Flattr4Android, it won't work.

So don’t fall into that trap. Get your buttons from Flattr.

Hello world!

philippe — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 09:27:38 +0000

Flattr brings a brand new deal to the Internet. Consumers can now pay for the stuff they like easily, painlessly and almost seamlessly. Creators can now receive money for their work without going the Ad way and without a heavy and somewhat unadapted Paypal button.

Flattirl aims to do the same for the real world. Street art, exhibitions, performances... Flattirl was released on August 29th. Creators, generate your IRL Flattr button: a Flattr button to print, with a QR code in it. Let your fans scan the QR code with their mobile phone. Have your real things flattred!

For now Flattirl is in its alpha stage. Technically, the site is ready. IRL Flattr button generation works, which is the only essential piece. However, a lot has to be done.

Technically speaking (I'm a computer scientist, sorry), the web site is a bit light. It should take advantage of the Flattr API to improve the user friendliness. It lacks a forum for the moment. A better web design could also help. Same for translation. We need dedicated mobile applications to facilitate the QR code scan and vote process.

However, the real challenge is not technical. To succeed, Flattirl needs Flattr to be widely used. But Flattr is just in its infancy. A lot of evangelism has to be done, worldwide. Easy! Flattr's concept is really good and I believe it can make it. Then, Flattirl will have to follow the same path. Do you think a painting exhibition could raise significant funds with Flattirl? Artists will have to try to know the answer.

Beginning of the journey. Let's go!