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I run https://pixeldrain.com https://pixeldrain.com. I have been seeing my ad revenue dry up over the last few years as well. Even though the site only grew mor

I run https://pixeldrain.com https://pixeldrain.com. I have been seeing my ad revenue dry up over the last few years as well. Even though the site only grew more popular the ad revenue stayed low. At the start of this year I decided to try running the site without any ads at all. Pixeldrain is now funded by patrons on Patreon. It's working quite well so far. Zippyshare could probably have been made profitable. Maybe it went against their ideology, or they just couldn't be bothered.

ksec 4y ago
>Even though the site only grew more popular the ad revenue stayed low. Do we know if Ads are paying less percentage of revenue to you or if that is a general trend?
boringuser1 4y ago
[dead]
hooo 4y ago
Why would you try to run a site like that based on ad revenue? It makes no sense.
- Fornax96 4y ago
  I bet ads were extremely profitable when Zippyshare started. The market has shifted from banner ads to video ads. As for me: I didn't know what the alternatives were when I started. The ad revenue was enough to bootstrap the growth cycle. Now I don't need the sidewheels anymore
- jstarfish 4y ago
  Ad blockers weren't always ubiquitous.
matheusmoreira 4y ago
> Pixeldrain is now funded by patrons on Patreon. It's working quite well so far. I'm glad it's working for you. The internet really needs a better business model than advertising. I always mention patronage as an alternative and it's awesome to see successful examples.
- Fornax96 4y ago
  Definitely! I really despise ads. I'm really happy this business model is working out. Even if only one in 200 people join the Patreon it's plenty to be profitable.
  - neuralRiot 4y ago
    Ads were fine until they started to get wild (popups, redirectors, malware, worms and the list goes on) then everybody started using adblockers or else internet browsing was completely impossible. So ads killed the ads market. Now subscriptions are going in the same direction, pay a subscription for an app or service i will use once in a while? No thanks I’ll find another way to do it.
    - Fornax96 4y ago
      I'm working on one-time payments for pixeldrain. I don't want to lock people into a subscription either but that's just how Patreon works. I do like the financial security of monthly subscriptions though. Means you need to worry a lot less about recurring costs as a company.

ksec 4y ago

>Even though the site only grew more popular the ad revenue stayed low. Do we know if Ads are paying less percentage of revenue to you or if that is a general trend?

boringuser1 4y ago

[dead]

hooo 4y ago

Why would you try to run a site like that based on ad revenue? It makes no sense.

Fornax96 4y ago
I bet ads were extremely profitable when Zippyshare started. The market has shifted from banner ads to video ads. As for me: I didn't know what the alternatives were when I started. The ad revenue was enough to bootstrap the growth cycle. Now I don't need the sidewheels anymore
jstarfish 4y ago
Ad blockers weren't always ubiquitous.

matheusmoreira 4y ago

> Pixeldrain is now funded by patrons on Patreon. It's working quite well so far. I'm glad it's working for you. The internet really needs a better business model than advertising. I always mention patronage as an alternative and it's awesome to see successful examples.

Fornax96 4y ago
Definitely! I really despise ads. I'm really happy this business model is working out. Even if only one in 200 people join the Patreon it's plenty to be profitable.
- neuralRiot 4y ago
  Ads were fine until they started to get wild (popups, redirectors, malware, worms and the list goes on) then everybody started using adblockers or else internet browsing was completely impossible. So ads killed the ads market. Now subscriptions are going in the same direction, pay a subscription for an app or service i will use once in a while? No thanks I’ll find another way to do it.
  - Fornax96 4y ago
    I'm working on one-time payments for pixeldrain. I don't want to lock people into a subscription either but that's just how Patreon works. I do like the financial security of monthly subscriptions though. Means you need to worry a lot less about recurring costs as a company.