3 ms·

There is way too much content. If your company can't turn a profit without selling ads and selling user data. Maybe it shouldn't exist.

yellow_postit 10y ago
What do you propose - more sponsored articles and product placement? Paying per site will ensure I hear fewer points of view on the news and other topics since it doesn't scale well currently.
- sintaxi 10y ago
  Why do you assume you only receive accurate news if news agencies have a revenue stream? I would argue the opposite is true. Advertising increases the likelihood that your news in not honest and accurate.
  - yellow_postit 10y ago
    what pays the salary of the reporters, editors, website designers, etc.?
danneu 10y ago
Not every website is Forbes. What about all the small websites, from creative to forums, that aren't big enough to graduate from ads but can pay their own rent with them? Seems like a net loss for humanity to lose them from the internet while keeping only the large businesses online.
- majewsky 10y ago
  Are these sites a thing (small sites that can subsist on their ad revenue)? If I couldn't pay the bills for one of my services, I would rather introduce a paid tier, or at least a paid ad-free version. Or I would ask for donations whenever the money runs out, like Wikipedia does.
  - danneu 10y ago
    Yes, I run such websites. A paid tier is a surprisingly narrow business model. People aren't willing to pay for much, and not every website has such an explicit product. A lot of that is just conditioning, as people aren't used to having to pay for anything since ads. And most people see ads as zero-cost. The second you start charging a dollar, now you're the guy charging the dollar that nobody else is. How many forums do you pay for? And donations are almost always a joke. Else you wouldn't have to beg in a way that puts most ads to shame: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/spa/quq37nq1583x0lf/nv9ad030.png https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/spa/quq37nq1583x0lf/nv9ad0..., and that's for a website that brings value to just about everyone that touches the internet.

yellow_postit 10y ago

What do you propose - more sponsored articles and product placement? Paying per site will ensure I hear fewer points of view on the news and other topics since it doesn't scale well currently.

sintaxi 10y ago
Why do you assume you only receive accurate news if news agencies have a revenue stream? I would argue the opposite is true. Advertising increases the likelihood that your news in not honest and accurate.
- yellow_postit 10y ago
  what pays the salary of the reporters, editors, website designers, etc.?

danneu 10y ago

Not every website is Forbes. What about all the small websites, from creative to forums, that aren't big enough to graduate from ads but can pay their own rent with them? Seems like a net loss for humanity to lose them from the internet while keeping only the large businesses online.

majewsky 10y ago
Are these sites a thing (small sites that can subsist on their ad revenue)? If I couldn't pay the bills for one of my services, I would rather introduce a paid tier, or at least a paid ad-free version. Or I would ask for donations whenever the money runs out, like Wikipedia does.
- danneu 10y ago
  Yes, I run such websites. A paid tier is a surprisingly narrow business model. People aren't willing to pay for much, and not every website has such an explicit product. A lot of that is just conditioning, as people aren't used to having to pay for anything since ads. And most people see ads as zero-cost. The second you start charging a dollar, now you're the guy charging the dollar that nobody else is. How many forums do you pay for? And donations are almost always a joke. Else you wouldn't have to beg in a way that puts most ads to shame: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/spa/quq37nq1583x0lf/nv9ad030.png https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/spa/quq37nq1583x0lf/nv9ad0..., and that's for a website that brings value to just about everyone that touches the internet.