Shock: Video-sharing site to give cash back

A new video-sharing site is offering videographers a share of the advertising booty their movies generate, at a time when most video-sharing sites are just trying to eke out a profit.

A note posted on Monday at eefoof.com, a site that is still in test mode, said: "The authors of internet content should be paid for their work and not have it exploited for others' gain. We will send you a percentage of our site revenue via an electronic transfer each month, depending on how well your content has performed."

The latest challenger to video-upload powerhouse YouTube, eefoof arrives at a time when more than 150 such companies are trying to figure out how to make money by hosting homemade movies on the web.

More than a year since its founding, YouTube has not yet fully disclosed what its revenue model will be. Other video-sharing companies, such as Guba, say they are profitable but aren't generating much cash. Guba expects to see $12m in sales this year, according to Thomas McInerney, the company's CEO.

Analysts will want to know whether eefoof can sustain itself by cutting videographers in on revenues. But at a time when many video-sharing sites are looking for compelling content, the payment offer could give eefoof an edge in attracting superior videos.

eefoof's offer goes like this: once a month the company tallies the number of page views for each submission. The company then looks at overall traffic and calculates what percentage of the page views was generated by each submission. Ad revenue is divided accordingly.

The company wrote on its site: "Once your account exceeds $25, we will send you a PayPal transfer." Specific percentages weren't disclosed on the eefoof website. Representatives from eefoof.com could not be reached for comment on Monday.

Anyone thinking they can upload a clip from Saturday Night Live and watch the dosh roll in is in for a disappointment. The company says it will not pay anyone who has uploaded someone else's copyright material.

eefoof has already attracted attention. After the company was featured on Digg.com and Slashdot.com, the site was apparently flooded with visitors and was slow to load throughout the morning on Monday.

Greg Sandoval writes for CNET News.com