3 On Your Side: Making Money On Social Media Using Bubblews
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Facebook earned over $5 billion dollars during the first half of this year alone, but a relative newcomer to the social media industry believes some of that money should have actually gone to the people who use the site. 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan takes a look at a social media site where users post their thoughts, pictures, and videos online and get paid for it.
Nicole Johnson and Carrie Finklea are two actresses trying to make it in Hollywood. They call themselves the Besties and used to post their comedic videos on Facebook and Twitter. But now they use Bubblews, a free social media site that pays people for their posts. Users can attach video, pictures, and text to their pages and earn a penny for every like, view, and comment.
Nicole and Carrie's ten posts earned them nearly 100 dollars. Nicole says, "We put a lot of time and effort into these videos, so it's nice to actually get a little compensation for the work that we do."
Arvind Dixit says that he created Bubblews after watching Facebook make billions off a website where users supply content without getting paid. He says, "We wanted to kind of put a stop to that. Rather than just have a network that's built up on, you know, basically the ideas of other people."
Bubblews makes money off advertising.
But Nicole and Carrie say it's not just about the money for them. According to Carrie, "It's a matter of respect, too. And so when we feel respected, we also respect the work."
So until they catch that big break, they're happy just collecting a penny for their thoughts.
The company's main competitor is a website called, Bonzo Me, which offers a similar service and promises to give 80 percent of its advertising dollars to its members.
Bubblews has 300,000 users and pays out in $50 dollar increments, so depending on how viral your post becomes, it could be awhile before you get your first check.
