As described, none of these has achieved any large volume. An interesting reversal seems to have occurred, however. Several companies, Cybergold, Netcentives and ClickRewards among them, have been making small payments to consumers instead of collecting small payments from them. Cybergold is a particularly interesting case study. It offers users anywhere from fifty cents to five dollars to read an ad.
Users have to register and describe themselves.
The payment varies according to the material and the demographics of the user. An ad for a Cadillac will be worth far less to a college student than to a middle-aged, high income executive. Cybergold reports that it has hundreds of thousands of users and has accumulated around a million dollars in payments, most of which is sitting in its accounts waiting to be disbursed to the users or consumed in some fashion. In an effort to provide additional outlets for its users to use the funds they have accumulated, Cybergold is now entering the classical micropayment business. It remains be to seen whether it reaches critical mass and creates a sustainable system.