You may have seen the (re)launch of flattr this week, a service which has just becoming bigger and better from the idea first proposed in 2010. The basic concept is that, providing there are the (pre-paid) funds to do so, anyone viewing a post, a picture, a blog, or a video can give the creator of the material a flattr credit by simply clicking an icon - essentially heralding the era of microdonations. The service is compatible with nearly all major platforms, including Instagram, flickr, twitter, Facebook and various blog platforms.

What this means is that there is, perhaps, finally a small scale monetisation opportunity for everyone creating fresh, engaging content, through a broad all-encompassing service - such a reach that means the reliance on individually monetised silos could be obsolete. This has long been one of the biggest challenges for content creators in the social era; how do you make yourself profitable as a blogger or occasional commentator?

This 'Oyster' card approach is one which could become hugely effective in that it could break down the barriers to siloed content - you can't help but wonder whether if newspapers got together and created a similar approach they'd be able to monetise their content collectively rather than in individually subscribed services.

If you could pre-pay to read a finite amount of content across a variety of news sites (which then divvied up the proceeds based on reader behaviour) then you'd browse more. As it is, the increasing number of subscription-based models merely means people get tied to one title only - or, as seems to be the case, simply find the news for free elsewhere rather than pay multiple subscriptions to be able to browse multiple sites. There's power in working together.

For individual bloggers, it provides a nice opportunity to see tangible rewards for your work (albeit rewards that are unlikely to allow you to retire), as well as be able to give flattr credits to others you enjoy reading, watching or reposting. It's a novel idea, and it'll be interesting to see it progress.

@wonky_donky