Citizen journalism picture agency Scoopt has launched its new service to help bloggers sell their material for publication.
ScooptWords allows bloggers to place a button on their web site indicating that their material is available to be licensed for use in mainstream news outlets. Editors can click the button purchase the material.
The service is free to bloggers, but Scoopt will take a 25 per cent commission on sales it negotiates.
ScooptWords managing editor Graham Holliday, an occasional freelance contributor to Press Gazette, explained: "There's a lot of great blog content out there. Some of it is every bit as good as content produced by professional journalists. However, there's no obvious route to market for the blogger or way to buy content for the editor."
ScooptWords is working with Creative Commons, a non-profit which provides flexible licences as an alternative to traditional copyright. Under one type of Creative Commons licence, a blogger can allow free exchange of their attributed creative content for non-commercial purposes while restricting commercial use.
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