Web Monetization
Published: 2022-01-04 12:10:37


Content creators before now have had little to no means of generating revenue from their content, coupled with the fact that they go through a lot to generate quality and useful content. Some have opted to generate income through subscriptions, paywalls, Ads, and donations. While this violates the actual intention of the content, it has also reduced the user's reach to the content because they are either disrupted by unnecessary ads, or they have to subscribe to access the content.

On the other hand, the web influences various factors, and that is why it is very important to make it a safe space for users and content providers. Imagine your data being sold without your permission as a result of you accessing an unsafe website. Well, it happens that some big tech companies have access to more information than we think. Here, we are talking about 70% of the internet. This is quite unsafe because they do not only control the data they have access to, but they influence what we read, what we see, and also how we behave.

Thankfully, the W3C has proposed a better standard that would enable content creators and consumers to benefit while data privacy is ensured. Content creators can generate revenue without actually extorting the user for that purpose.

Thankfully, the W3C has proposed a better standard that would enable content creators and consumers to benefit while data privacy is ensured. Content creators can generate revenue without actually extorting the user for that purpose.

> Web Monetization is a means for content creators to monetize the web using [interledger](https://interledger.org/) as an infrastructure that allows users to stream very small payments in the form of micropayments for the content that they consume.

Let me break it down. Web monetization is a technology that enables web users to stream very small payments (micropayments) to the page's creator in real-time. How did I forget that it ensures your privacy, protects your data, saves your time, and enables seamless payment using interledger.
Meaning you do not have to worry about data privacy or how to access every content under a subscription when you just need access to it just one time. Tremendously great, right? What is the biggest flex is the fact that these micropayments are in little cents (which in Nigerian currency is in bits of kobo). So you cannot normally exhaust the $5 subscription a month. Like I said, biggest flex.

> Web Monetization is not intended to replace ads, but it is intended to provide a better alternative that preserves user's privacy and give them a better user experience as well as making it a lot easier for creators.

So as a content creator, you get paid for the content, you dish out, and at the same time, content consumers are not being extorted.

In summary, these are the benefit of web monetization,
1. Secure: Web Monetization was in the first place proposed with the aim of security. You do not have to worry about it being secure because it is totally secure.
2. Provides privacy: Well, the next time, you won't see numerous ads of an item you bought online a week ago. What you browse stays there and would not be used for or against you.
3. Easy to set up: With a couple of steps and the use of meta tags, your web monetization will be set up. It is that easy.
4. Saves your time: You really do not have to spend time waiting for ads to run or trying to subscribe or make a donation. Nothing interrupts your content consumption experience. Your time would not be disrupted for any reason.
5. Distributes payments seamlessly: The measure of payment used for web monetization is very seamless. The interledger protocol is used for seamless payment transactions across different ledgers.

**Web Monetization as a creator**
I am so excited to assist you in launching into web monetization as a creator. These are the few steps to go about it:
1. Set up a digital wallet with a supported wallet provider.
2. Get your payment pointer from your wallet pointer.
3. Set up a [coil ](https://coil.com/signup) account.
4. Go to the monetize content section of the settings dashboard and copy your meta tag from there.
5. Go to the Meta Tag Generator on web monetization.org and insert your payment pointer.
6. Manually type out your meta tag using this template below.  
`<meta name="monetization" content="$your.payment/pointer">`
7. Add the entire meta tag to your website's <head> section. If your website has multiple pages, add the meta tag on the <head> section of each page.

**Web Monetization as a user**
I really can't wait to help you set up as a user so let us start right away
1. Visit coil website and sign up.
2. Go to settings and input the "membership card."
3. Add your credit card and subscribe (Pay a subscription fee of $5).
4. Download the coil extension for the browser you are using.
5. Once you are done with these steps, you can visit sites that are monetized. To know if a site is monetized, you will find an indication from the coil extension icon in the browser that payment has started.
For more information, visit [coil documentation](help.coil.com/docs/membership/membership-overview).
Congratulations, you are part of the big plan now.

Congratulations, you are part of the big plan now.