On Wednesday, Facebook reported massive earnings for the past three months, claiming it rakes in almost $1 billion every 30 days. But for all that generated, none of it ever touches the users' pockets, something a handful of entrepreneurs are looking to change.
This month two new social networks launched publicly with the same goal: to put money in the pockets of the users with the best content. Both Bonzo Me and Bubblews offer unique ways for their users to make a buck for the content they share.
Bonzo Me dishes back to users up to 80% of the advertising revenue on user generated posts, the Associated Press reports. The iOS, Android, and web app launched earlier this month and has a few thousands users who altogether have netted around $30,000.
Bubblews began a beta version of the service in September 2012 and clocked around 200,000 users after officially launching last week, the AP says. This app gives users one penny for every click, like, or comment their posts score, but only in $50 chunks.
"No one should come to our site in anticipation of being able to quit their day job," Bubblews CEO Arvind Dixit told the AP. "But we are trying to be fair with our users. Social networks don't have to be places where you feel like you're being exploited."
This could not only be a dig at Facebook, but also at sites like YouTube, which pays its partnered users with sliding scales it doesn't like to break down into detail.
If anything, the two apps are more like Vine, whose top earners largely make money by acquiring and plugging sponsors into 6-second videos. With Bonzo Me and Bubblews, however, the advertisers are already there, leaving only content decisions up to users. That makes for a diverse selection with Bubblews users posting diary entries, recipes, phone reviews, and even thoughts on the inner workings of the Bubblews community.
"With the recent shutdowns of various writing websites, like Yahoo Contributor Network, I think this has also contributed to the rise of accounts. I think this has a possibility of going two different ways," Bubblews user &Bellatricks wrote. "I really hope that more people will equal more money and not the other way around."