E-Z CA$H

Recently I've been obsessed with money. Not my normal area of interest, which might be the reason I'm now hyper-sensitive to it  😉  ...  but for various reasons I've been focused on the generation, flow, and exchange of money.

My friend Vickie and I even meet weekly for a Money Club that started after we read Jen Sincero's You Are A Badass At Making Money. I loved this book because it takes on money not as a heavy topic but more as a way to up your energy... a game... a Hi-Vibe way of being in the world.

And of course whatever you focus on expands, so in the last few weeks I've been fascinated with everything from digital and crypto-currency to money apps. 

There are currently several money exchange avenues but none have jelled and caught fire. Banks offer their programs and PayPal's Venmo is popular among the kids these days.

But what I want is an E-ZPass for the Internet where I can exchange money not just out in the world but also online without a big deal every time I want to do it.

I think the Cash App is almost there.

Simple, beautiful interface, and I think with this added game-changing feature it could be the new face of money...

My idea  💡 

Create a CA$H icon/button on social media bar (& 🛒 ) for websites that links to their account so you can micro-tip/spend until you want to CA$H out.

I suggested this idea first for Square but I think it's even a better fit under the CA$H umbrella.  Cash-tags can be used with url's for every site on web even if they don't want to sign up until there is money donated/sent to them. Imagine how it can transform the way charities, journalists, artists, politicians, etc. are funded.

We use E-ZPass to get around tollways, E-Z CA$H can be how we move money. 

                                   

💡Could The Next BIG Thing Be... a small Square?!

Square has taken on the payments industry in the last few years and done really well bringing simple money-exchange hardware and software to the masses. I applaud them! Yet with mobile payment options like Apple Pay, and whatever will follow on other formats, it might be time to think differently (so to speak).

Jack Dorsey has already shown the mighty power of mini-messages and mobile-money--
so isn't it time to revolutionize mini-money too?

Just a couple of uses: let's say I love Wikipedia and after I use it I would like to leave a $1 to support their efforts-- I could hit the Square button, indicate an amount and voila! Or what if I would like to read some articles in the Times but have hit a paywall and can't afford a yearly subscription :(  Hit Square and I have 5 credits I can use to read on.

The uses are endless: buying items from Twitter, pitching in for birthday gifts on Facebook, charitable donating during crisis, supporting writers, musicians & artists on their site or channel...

When I use my I-Pass (on Illinois tollroads) I have an auto replenish linked to my credit card and they process $.30- $3 tolls all day long. There might be some technical and scale issues involved to process such small payments but they could be overcome by maybe having a $10 account balance minimum to pay or collect payments.

There are other online payment forms but none set up to go BIG on going small and as recognizable and credible as Square. Not only could they bring about a new way of money exchange, they could possibly save struggling journalism, entertainment, and political funding as we know it.
Go BIG, Go small :)

Hip To Be Square

Enjoyed this 60 Minutes segment on Twitter and Square Founder Jack Dorsey. The short version:

Geeks Are Taking Over The World: It used to be the engineer/programmer types were behind the scenes not on magazine covers or flattering profile pieces. Not any more.

Art + Engineering = The Killer App: Jack uses the Golden Gate Bridge as a metaphor for how building in simplicity and beauty allows the mechanics of something as complex as a commuter bridge to fade away. Good design makes for pleasant and seamless ease of use-- e.g.: Twitter & Square. Steve lives on.

Hands Free Money: We are on the verge of hands free purchasing. When transactions are just taken care of it makes us feel like our life is just working. I don't think we're at the point of seamless lifestyles yet, but we're getting a taste of it- and it is nice.

We're All Merchants: The days of needing a real register and store are over. Got a phone, you're in business!

Jack might be a square but he's already contributed a huge amount to changing the way we communicate with each other and deal with money. I, myself, love Twitter and just started accepting payments with Square. Not sure NYC should rule this guy out.