Much like pay-per-minute options heralded by the infamous 900 and 976 telephone numbers, FaceBride’s new billing service lets websites charge a user every time they IM a model or instant chat with a porn star, for example.
“What's been missing [in this market] is the ability of a user to bill for their time while communicating with one or more other users over a standard IM/VoIP network,” said an official FaceBridge statement. “In other words, if I'm a lawyer or an adult entertainer or anything else, I should have the option to charge by the minute for my time communicating with other users.”
Many adult sites already offer pay-per-minute video, but this is the first time a company has developed software specifically for IM/VoIP content. Google touched on the technology’s potential with its GoogleAnswers service earlier this year, which lets users post a question to a site and then pay the lowest bidder who offers to answer it, but that service was less-automated than many users hoped.
Also, sites like GoogleAnswers have yet to go beyond mere text and limited graphics, while FaceBridge's new tool lets users on any IM/VoIP network charge for each communication within networks already in place.
The system can also fit seamlessly into any IM/VoIP network. Users simply sign up online to automatically exchange payments, for which the service provider takes a small percentage.
“With voice and video over IM/VoIP networks, paid communications are a viable business model for professionals, educators, musicians, entertainers and many others,” continued the FaceBridge statement. “Once people realize they can profit this way, they'll find many ways to use this hybrid of communication and commerce.”