Recently, a new start-up called Richi Tip Box has grabbed people’s attention in Taiwan. The goal of this service is to encourage blogging by ensuring that bloggers receive financial support. Currently, a popular source of income for bloggers  is advertising. However, Richi Tip Box has a different approach: bloggers can use the Richi platform to propose topics they would like to write about and seek micro-funding before publication. Interested prospective readers can then donate money to support the proposed blog post. When bloggers have enough funds, they start working on the projects and publish them by the promised date.

The concept of micro-donations is not new; they have been used as a fundraising tool by charitable organizations. The Richi Tip Box founder decided to apply this funding model to supporting bloggers because he thinks readers should be able to enjoy the content without being distracted by ads. In addition, he felt that bloggers whose articles are in demand by readers should have a chance to earn some income. The spread of the Facebook “like” button may mean that people have become more comfortable with giving compliments online. Richi Tip Box provides something similar to this “like” application: an icon for bloggers placed on the sidebar. If readers click the Richi Tip Box icon, they do not only “like” the article, but also donate money. Before Facebook, this function may not have been well-received.

When thefunds have accumulated to a specific amount, bloggers can withdraw them from their Richi accounts via Paypal. One of the key features of Richi is that it manages the complex cash flow on behalf of the bloggers. The company knows that in order to persuade people to buy digital content, it is necessary to reduce the complexity of the transaction. Readers can simply add money via credit card or Paypal, just like purchasing Skype credits. Bloggers can concentrate on blogging and do not need to worry about dealing with money.

The Richi Tip Box model is different because it makes readers pay before the work of the blogger is done. From my perspective, this model will work best for those bloggers who already have a group of followers. Those who are just getting started will need to utilize the power of social networks to grow their readership. The Richi idea is inspiring — people can pay for their beloved bloggers, knowing that the content will be of good quality. I believe this service is based on the right motivation and concept, and I’m curious to watch  it develop.

Recently, the most hot topic in Taiwan is “Cape No.7″, a local movie which reveals the beauty and energy of the south part of Taiwan. Its box office receipts have already skyrocketed over $100,000,000, a rare milestone in the Taiwanese film industry. Usually, local movies in Taiwan are not popular at all. They may be good enough to win some international awards, but domestic audiences just don’t buy them typically.

However,”Cape No.7″ completely overthrew this unfortunate situation and became an instant hit. Read more…