Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac:12912 comp.sys.ibm.pc:12118
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!hodge!rusty
From: rusty@hodge.UUCP (Rusty Hodge)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: A Solution to the Shareware Dilemma?
Message-ID: <120@hodge.UUCP>
Date: 19 Feb 88 02:28:42 GMT
References: <8502@sunybcs.UUCP> <6973@oberon.USC.EDU>
Organization: Hodge Computer Research Corp., Orange, CA
Lines: 58
Summary: Clearing House - A good idea

In article <6973@oberon.USC.EDU>, mlinar@eve.usc.edu (Mitch Mlinar) writes:

> >The point of all this rehash is that it occured to me that what
> >shareware developers need is a way to make payment for their pro-
> >ducts just as easy and convenient as ordering from an ad or a
> >catalog...a co-op of some sort that would maintain the toll-free
> >line, MC and Visa accounts, so that users could just pick up their
> >phone, blurt out their account number and ease their consciences
  .....
> So, although I like your idea, you would be hard pressed to find anyone to
> do this.  I would, provided I could reject programs immediately or after
> a period of time with no break-even.  I would also need to pay for ads,
> two phone answering people (to cover 16 hours of incoming calls that I
> experience now), and all the other things that go with it.  Even 10% may
> be too large for such a low cost program.

I think the idea is to have a service like an answering service.  I was
playing around with this idea back when I was in the software business
(a mere 6 months ago).  This would be for shareware only.  The agency
would simply collect fees and send them to the authors.

From the customer (or 'registerer') point of view, you'd download a piece
of shareware.  It would have a startup screen that said register this by
calling an 800 number and paying $xx with your credit card.  You give the
operator the special shareware ID number from the screen and then she
verifies the price.  You okay it & it is charged to your credit card.

The agency would handle keeping a database of all customers and charges,
and every month send out a statement, list of customers and a check.
Depending on the volume, you might get checks weekly.

After futzing with Excel for a while, I came out with some pricing strategies.
There should be 2 levels of service.  The casual level would be the most
expensive, but it would relieve the developer of any obligations.  You register
your program & then the service charges you a fixed $6 for each paid customer.
The 'professional' level would cost a monthly fee of about $100 and then
$2 a call.

The service would be available 24 hours, theoretically have an automated
response system to do it all with your touch-tone phone if the operators
were busy, and would handle any shareware products.

Why doesn't this kind of service exist yet?  The initial start-up costs
would be minimal.  It would take the cooperation of the shareware development
community to be successful.  I would like to start this, but I am involved
in to many other things at the moment.

As I said before, I have looked into this quite a bit on the past.  If there
is anyone out there who is interested in seeing something like this start,
feel free to give me a call and talk about it.  I *really* would like to see
something come of this.

-- 
Rusty Hodge, Hodge Computer Research Corp, Orange, CA 92667 (714) 974-6300

rusty@hodge.cts.com [ccicpg!arnold, crash]!hodge!rusty  FAX (714) 921-8038

uucp: (714) 921-1090 (login: nuucp)             Dial-A-Joke (714) 966-0976