Google 'experiment' lets content creators charge for articles

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Google has confirmed the launch of a micropayment "experiment" which would give content creators the ability to sell individual articles online.

Using "Google Wallet for content", users can "buy individual articles in a single click for around 25 cents to 99 cents", according to a statement from a spokesperson.

The platform - currently limited to three initial partners - will also offer "previews and instant refunds". In a post outlining the new platform Cnet reports that publishers using the platform "can create long previews of their articles, with the remainder made opaque so as to still give readers a sense of what they will get with their purchase".

"They can also continue to run ads with the content, so they get credit for ad impressions even if users don't purchase the article."

The first content partners are Oxford University Press, Dorling Kindersley and Pearson's Peachpit. Cnet also refers to a temporary blog post, said to have been published by Google, which reportedly said other websites "also plan to sell content using Wallet".

The platform is currently limited to the three initial publishers for now and no further information on  other potential partners was available at the time of writing. Google is inviting other interested content creators to get in touch with its team.

Currently, content sellers must have a base in the US to operate Google Wallet, while buyers can by from any of the countries supported by the platform. Google Wallet's website explains more about the experiment "to sell individual web pages".

Earlier this year Google closed down its online payment platform for news outlets One Pass, as part of "spring cleaning".