Google is experimenting with a new platform that attempts to actually help online publishers monetise via their community. The platform, called Google Contributor, encourages readers to support the sites they love.
It’s an interesting move for Google, which often gets accused by publishers, most notably in Germany, of living off their work because of the advertising traffic it generates by helping people discover content.
The internet search giant is launching the new venture with 10 US publishing partners that include Mashable, Imgur, WikiHow, Urban, The Onion and Science Daily.
The idea behind Google Contributor is web users can pay a monthly fee to sites they visit in return for not seeing Google ads when they visit those sites.
Users can decide whether they want to contribute US$1, US$2 or US$3 a month.
Operating under the tagline ‘support the people who make the web’, Google is understood to keep a percentage of the revenue while sharing the majority of the proceeds with the publishers.
