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Sooo many people on HN despise ads (rant after rant about using adblockers) yet hate paywalled articles. How is it, exactly, do you want people to get paid for

Sooo many people on HN despise ads (rant after rant about using adblockers) yet hate paywalled articles. How is it, exactly, do you want people to get paid for writing quality journalism? You can immediately see it's a WSJ url -- if you don't have an account because you don't value their writing then skip this post and move on.

morgante 10y ago
It seems clear that a significant minority of HN simply objects to the idea that writing is a valuable and worthwhile economic activity. That's my only explanation for how they can oppose literally every viable method of monetizing content.
- megrimlock 10y ago
  Anything with low-effort access will always connote little value in people's minds because endless alternatives exist. Anyone who wants to get paid for doing something hard should avoid channels like that, or only use them to float associated freebie products that can introduce people to the real product.
- gozur88 10y ago
  Maybe because we're writing comments and not getting paid anything :)
- alexqgb 10y ago
  Given that officialchicken has a sense of entitlement so misplaced that even the minimal effort to work around the paywall is more than he feels he "should" provide, it's safe to say the guy is just an asshole and idiot. An asshole, because he expects something for nothing, and an idiot for thinking that attitude has any place in a sustainable ecosystem for solid news. Harsh language, I know, but if assholes and idiots are the ones who determine what HN readers can and cannot post, it can only end badly for HN as a whole. After all, why would any intelligent person make time for a news board dominated by people who have nothing but contempt for the work of journalism?
Ankaios 10y ago
Sooo many people on HN despise ads (rant after rant about using adblockers) yet hate paywalled articles. They aren't necessarily the same people.
nikanj 10y ago
I think their answer might be "VC money". Being profitable is not for cool unicorns.

morgante 10y ago

It seems clear that a significant minority of HN simply objects to the idea that writing is a valuable and worthwhile economic activity. That's my only explanation for how they can oppose literally every viable method of monetizing content.

megrimlock 10y ago
Anything with low-effort access will always connote little value in people's minds because endless alternatives exist. Anyone who wants to get paid for doing something hard should avoid channels like that, or only use them to float associated freebie products that can introduce people to the real product.
gozur88 10y ago
Maybe because we're writing comments and not getting paid anything :)
alexqgb 10y ago
Given that officialchicken has a sense of entitlement so misplaced that even the minimal effort to work around the paywall is more than he feels he "should" provide, it's safe to say the guy is just an asshole and idiot. An asshole, because he expects something for nothing, and an idiot for thinking that attitude has any place in a sustainable ecosystem for solid news. Harsh language, I know, but if assholes and idiots are the ones who determine what HN readers can and cannot post, it can only end badly for HN as a whole. After all, why would any intelligent person make time for a news board dominated by people who have nothing but contempt for the work of journalism?

Ankaios 10y ago

Sooo many people on HN despise ads (rant after rant about using adblockers) yet hate paywalled articles. They aren't necessarily the same people.

nikanj 10y ago

I think their answer might be "VC money". Being profitable is not for cool unicorns.