PUBLISH is pleased to announce the release of a major upgrade of PUBLISH iD and PUBLISH link read-and-earn solution.

Available as an easy-to-integrate widget, PUBLISH link enables news media businesses to reward readers in Luniverse-based NEWS coin for reading and sharing articles.

PUBLISH iD, a blockchain-based self-sovereign identity solution that works in tandem with PUBLISH link, serves as both a form of trustless authentication and a means of earning rewards and making donations. The app is available on both Android and iOS.

What’s new?

This release reflects the experiences and lessons learned from a closed beta of PUBLISH link. “We made it a lot easier to use and more accessible,” said PUBLISH Alliance General Director Kim Kihyeun.

PUBLISH link now comes with a new subscription feature, allowing PUBLISH iD holders to subscribe to their favorite publications with ease and receive notifications when articles of interest are published.

Also new to this release is the addition of new “Like,” “Recommend,” and “More like this” buttons, helping news media organizations decide what to publish more of in the future.

Other changes include the ability to display banner ads within the PUBLISHlink widget area. The banners can be edited from within the PUBLISHlink admin and used to promote read-and-earn campaigns or as an invitation to sign in and start earning.

PUBLISH iD also sees a number of improvements. The transaction history page, which lists rewards earned in the process of reading and sharing news content, is now more detailed than ever before. A data dashboard feature has also been added, giving users a more visual representation of their reading and sharing activities across the whole network of publishers adopting PUBLISH link as their read-and-earn solution. Users can also view and manage all of their subscriptions from a single area within the dashboard.

Last but not least, a new QR scanning feature has been added, making it easier for PUBLISH iD users to securely sign in to PUBLISH link. Previously, users had to sign in with an ID and password.

Looking forward

In the future, we plan to roll out a new NFT minting feature, allowing media companies to monetize content and users to verify the authenticity of news content.

“During the closed beta, we received a lot of valuable feedback from participants,” Kim said. “Therefore, we intend to conduct another closed beta throughout 2023.”

Participants in the closed beta will receive technical assistance with NFT minting as well as an allocation of NEWS coin for the purpose of rewarding their users throughout the closed beta period. Participants meeting all requirements of the closed beta will be compensated accordingly.

Media companies wishing to participate are asked to submit their interest by 30 June 2022.