If you want to capture more videos of your adventures but lack the funds for equipment or travel, help is on the way. This week, YouTube launched that allows users to support creators’ projects with donations.
The Google-owned video-sharing site currently compensates creators with a portion of advertising revenue, but only marginally. According to , creators generate $7.60 per 1,000 ad views. Ads are shown only to about one-fifth of viewers, and YouTube takes 45 percent of that revenue.
The new feature, on the other hand, allows enthusiastic fans to donate between $1 and $500 at a time through Google Wallet. But charity doesn’t come cheap; Google plans to take 21 cents plus 5 percent of each donation.
Fan funding is currently available in the United States, Japan, Mexico, and Australia, and works on desktop and Android versions of YouTube. More platforms will be supported soon.