VIMEO INTRODUCES 'TIP JAR'

Nowadays making money is best done online. Internet profiteering offers something for everyone, whether you’re a friendly inheritance lawyer emailing me about money an unknown relative has left me, the unofficial ‘Lottterie Ittalien’ reminding me to get my winnings transferred or the New York Times telling me to pay if I want to read more than 10 articles a month. The realm of online videos has become a particularly valuable source. While as yet we don’t have to pay to watch, we are instead subject to endless advertising ‘opportunities.’ The current most irritating example would be Youtube, who sell advertising into uploaded content. Skip, skip, skip. 

So, the edgier, better looking equivalent Vimeo has come up with a superior idea. Catering to the creatives that use the site to exhibit work, they’ve installed a ‘tip jar’ function. For every video posted, the inoffensive button will be available for viewers to use - you have the option to leave anything from $1 to $500 if you like what you see.  Borrowing from successful platforms like Pledge Me, it’s way of showing support in an industry where making money can be tough. It has a decent, collaborative feel to it. I sense ‘tipping’ could become a standard feature - way easier than expecting 'busy' city dwellers to throw their bus money into a hat, that's for sure. I'm into it.