Google is launching a new service called Contributor

Nov 21, 2014 08:18 GMT  ·  By

Google is always looking to diversify its online advertising policy and you might think that there is little left to do in this regard. It appears that Google has found yet another way to monetize ads, both for itself and for the website, but this time the power rests in the users’ hands.

Google has announced a new system called Contributor, which should allow websites to make money from users visiting them, but not through ads. Actually, the lack of ads is what's going to fund this initiative, which seems simple enough and removes some of the bureaucracy. Or at least it looks like it.

Basically, users will choose to provide a monthly contribution that ranges from $1 to $3 (€2,4), and from that pool of money the partner websites will get a small part each time you visit them. The details about how this works, how much Google keeps for itself, and all the other questions that you might ask yourself are still unknown, at least for now.

This is just an experiment

Google is trying to shake things up a bit in the online ecosystem. Their ever-increasing desire to have websites with premium content get more attention and relevance is pushing them to try out new stuff, like the new Contributor program. For now, this is just an experiment and it will take a while to see if it catches on. It remains to be seen if the people who are visiting websites are just as dedicated as any other community out there. Paying money for something is the ultimate online commitment.

"Today's Internet is mostly funded by advertising. But what if there were a way to directly support the people who create the sites you visit each day?  When you visit a participating website, part of your contribution goes to the creators of that site. As a reminder of your support, you'll see a thank you message - often accompanied by a pixel pattern - where you might normally see an ad," is noted on the Contributor website.

This is not exactly an original idea and it has been tried before, although for different purposes. For example, Amazon has a program called Kindle Unlimited, which works in a similar way. Users can pay a monthly fee and get the books they want from the Kindle library to read. Writes are paid from these funds. The more people borrow your book, the more money you make as a writer.

For now, only a handful of websites are participating, like wikiHow, Mashable, imgur, ScienceDaily, the Onion, and Urban Dictionary. If the program turns out to be a success, it's likely that more websites will join.

Google Contributor (5 Images)

Contributor by Google
Ads will be replace by a thank you noteJust a few websites have been included until now
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