I'd rather see flattr as a +1/Like economy where content can be anything from an NYT article to a Disqus comment. This way, the social buttons also actually make sense for people to use. On HN, I usually forget to upvote shared stories, and I basically only do it nowadays to save it as a HN bookmark. The HN upvote is very ambiguous that way.
Readability's subscription feels a little like buying absolution for blocking banner ads - and perhaps circumventing paywalls. Still, many people find it attractive.
I don't think having to find people worth donating to is the main problem; the problem is documenting that flattr can be an income model worth spending your time on. Success stories in other words. It's a little similar to YouTube partnerships that way - as I understand, some, maybe few, people earn a decent chunk of change, but Google seem to strong arm its partners into keeping their experiences to themselves. I'm sure this keeps a lot of people away from trying the model.
Readability's subscription feels a little like buying absolution for blocking banner ads - and perhaps circumventing paywalls. Still, many people find it attractive.
I don't think having to find people worth donating to is the main problem; the problem is documenting that flattr can be an income model worth spending your time on. Success stories in other words. It's a little similar to YouTube partnerships that way - as I understand, some, maybe few, people earn a decent chunk of change, but Google seem to strong arm its partners into keeping their experiences to themselves. I'm sure this keeps a lot of people away from trying the model.