We start 2025 with a little something extra ✨ in our step, thanks to a wave of activities in the Web Monetization space.
Our community of contributors and dedicated development team have been working non-stop. We’d like to highlight 3 things:
- Testing the Web Monetization browser extension, finding and resolving bugs to improve the experience of getting started and to make the extension more reliable.
- Updating the documentation site on how to enable wallet linking such that podcasts, RSS feeds, and social web applications can be web monetized.
- Speaking at FOSDEM in Brussels, Europe’s largest open source software conference, held on February 1st and 2nd. More about this in our upcoming update for February.
Community activity
Did you know that our community meetings are open to the public?
They’re held every 2 weeks, on a Thursday. We will meet today, 13 February 2025 at 4pm (UTC+2hrs), and the next one is on 27 February. Check your timezone here.
If you, or someone you know want to explore how Web Monetization can enable you to receive support and get paid on your website, or for anything you publish online, then please join our community calls on this link: https://meet.google.com/fjy-vjef-ogj
We had 2 community calls in January, in which:
- We had a “bug-bash” to unearth issues and gather feedback from testing the extension.
- Jeremiah Lee led a discussion on gearing up for web monetized podcasts, RSS feeds, and social web applications. Step 1 was all about how creators or owners can link their podcast or RSS feed content to their wallets to get paid using Web Monetization. We have handy guides covering 3 common formats: RSS 2.0 (podcasts), Atom (standardized “RSS”), and JSON Feed (next gen “RSS”). On a related note, we also have a guide for web monetizing content on social web applications that use the Activity Streams 2.0 format.
Updates to the browser extension
The Web Monetization browser extension is taking shape nicely. You can check out the v0.5.0.1 release notes.
By the way, if you are technically inclined (and are feeling adventurous), why not download and test a nightly build? It’s a version of the extension built at the end of each day. It’s not fully polished, and not yet ready for public release, but it’s a cool way to get a sneak peek of fixes and new features in the works. As a contributor, you might’ve worked on something that was accepted, but isn’t yet ready for full release on the browser stores. This is a great way to preview 🔮 your contribution, in action!
In the latest release, v0.5.0.1, we introduced changes that make getting started with the extension easier, fixed bugs and expanded testing, making the extension more reliable.
Changes that impact getting started:
- After you install the extension, a new step-by-step guide helps you set up and connect your extension to your wallet so you can quickly start to pay web monetized sites.
Changes that impact when and how much to pay:
- Disable the extension from paying any web monetized site with just one-click.
- Reliably work out when, how much, and how often to pay a monetized website by improving continuous payments and validating the different ways that a web page can be web monetized.
Changes that impact the user experience:
- Configure the extension when you are on any site, not just web monetized sites.
- When connecting your extension to your wallet, the extension now appears and behaves consistently for any Web browser. The browser popup will no longer be in the way.
Helpful tools for Web Monetization
If you have a website or publish anything online, you can let your supporters know that there are different ways to support your work.
We have an alpha release for tools that you can use to:
- Show a banner on your website inviting your supporters to use the Web Monetization browser extension to support your work.
- Add a widget to your website or blog that gives people an immediate way to support your work when they don’t have the browser extension.
We anticipate bold moves in 2025, to get Web Monetization into as many hands as possible! Come with us. If you want a quick guide on how to web monetize your site, check out this great guide.
If you’re a developer, join us on GitHub.
We are open source, so why not contribute to these good-first-issues?
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