Today is not about toys, or busts, or statues, or games, or action figures…but rather a new widget that I think is so cool I wanted to bring it to your attention. If you’re a blogger or website owner, you just might think this is pretty damn cool too.

It’s called TopSpots. It has been developed by a company called ScratchBack, which is a name that makes a lot more sense than TopSpots once you find out what it is.

The simplest explanation is that it’s a fancy tip jar. For years, it’s been possible for readers of your content to give you a ‘donation’ through Paypal, but the term ‘donation’ is a bit of a misnomer, since it isn’t a tax deductible sort of thing. So instead, websites and bloggers started to refer to it as ‘tipping’, a way for a reader to throw a little cash your way for your great work.

Most tip jars are just a graphic that leads you into the usual donation page on Paypal. And while this works pretty well for many sites, the ScratchBack folks took it one step further. It’s still a tip jar, but now the tippers get something in return – a text link to whatever site or blog they’d like! When a tipper pays you the tip (an amount set by you), their requested link goes to the top of your TopSpots list, bumping each of the previous tippers down one.

Even if your readers don’t have a blog or website of their own to link to, there’s all kinds of possibilities. Perhaps a link to their favorite charity, local school, a retailer they’ve been happy with, or their favorite YouTube video – the possibilities are endless.

You can set up the widget to have several different number of TopSpots or links in the list on your page. You also have options such as allowing the links to show up immediately on your page when the tipper sends you the money, or having the option of reviewing and approving the link manually first. And you can set how the links get bumped down – is it immediately, or do the links remaing for some set period of time before the next link can push them down? That’s up to you as the blogger or website owner!

Isn’t this just a form of advertising? Well, yes and no. It’s technically not advertising because there is no guarantee on your part on how long the link will be on your site, or even if it will appear. The tipper should be sending you the money because they really do appreciate your work and the value your content provides. The link is merely something extra, something you’re giving the tipper to as a thank you. They have to tip you before you even can review the link they are sending, and you have the right to refuse to show any links you find offensive or inappropriate. You’re in complete control.

I’ve implemented this feature over at my own site, Michael’s Review of the Week. You can see the TopSpots list on the bottom left of the main page. I’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback so far from my readers, and there have been some really useful links for not just pop culture stuff, but some other areas that I thought were just damn cool.

All is not perfect yet, and I do hope that future development will allow for owners to have more control over the look and feel of the widget itself. Right now, you can choose from a dozen or so different looks, but these are all very similar, and your own style sheet may override theirs, requiring you to make some additional changes on your side. I’ve also found that you do have to spend some time explaining what it is to folks, because it hasn’t yet become widely recognized. Once it gets out a bit to more sites, I suspect that the number of folks tipping will also increase substantially.

If you’re a blogger or web site owner looking for a new way to involve your readers in supporting your work, I highly recommend checking this widget out. In my professional life, I see tons of new ideas come and go, and it’s rare that I see one like this that really pops out. And it further proves that there’s always a better mousetrap!

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