Why a "Buy Me a Coffee" Prompt Yielded $0 and Churned Our Power Users(classicvideopoker.com)
4 pointsby appstorelottery7 hours ago2 comments
  • 6 hours ago
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  • appstorelottery7 hours ago
    If anyone wants to chime in with other theories etc., very interested in the what others think?
    • nathan_douglas3 hours ago
      My guess would be that they're in a profit vs. loss mindset and thus less inclined to be charitable, community-minded, etc. You're basically forcing them to reason purely selfishly and then wondering why they don't donate.

      For instance, I wonder if (all other things aside) Nicky Case would have the same problem with Parable of the Polygons ( https://ncase.me/polygons/ ).

      I think this is distinct from the cognitive vs. emotional empathy issue you raise.

      • appstorelottery2 hours ago
        Thanks for the link to the Parable of the Polygons - her work is amazing.

        You might be right about the mindset, I have no idea about the demographic that plays the game; only that they seem to be repulsed by BuyMeACoffee. The heavy users (i.e. more than 12 hours on site within last month) - once they see that banner for the first time for a return session instantly stop playing. It's not long enough yet to see if they return. Maybe it's the equivalent to putting a "Remember to buy your mom a gift on her birthday" pop-up on a porn site ;-) It's a mojo killer for sure.

        • nathan_douglas2 hours ago
          lol, yeah, that's an excellent example.

          I wish I had a stronger background in behavioral economics/psychology or some good connections in academia. The "instantly stop playing" thing seems really extreme and thus _really_ interesting. I'd expect people to think "nah, screw you buddy" but not leave entirely.

          Unfortunately, while I follow a number of people on LinkedIn who work in the computational social sciences area, I'm not aware of any of them that actually follow me. I'd love to get their opinions on it but most of them are I think more in the area of economics than psychology or social psychology.