4 ms·

The funny thing is that there are scores of people here who are actively trying to get the Guardian out of business, because they regard anything related to adv

The funny thing is that there are scores of people here who are actively trying to get the Guardian out of business, because they regard anything related to advertising as evil. Will we be more or less free without the Guardian and similar independent sources of information?

jacquesm 12y ago
You could of course simply pay for your online news(paper), the same way you used to pay for your paper based one. Online newspaper is a bit strange, something like a 'plastic glass'. I'm all for it, but most business models revolve around advertising somehow.
- pmoriarty 12y ago
  And if there wasn't a glut of great free content on the internet, it might actually be worth paying for.
  - vanderZwan 12y ago
    Where free means "supported by advertising"?
- danmaz74 12y ago
  Yes, but advertising plays a big role on paid newspapers too. They would be just too expensive without ads. Moreover, before the free newspapers on the internet, the only mainstream free way to get news was from TV, which is much more superficial and easier to control by governments. I think we are much more free and more informed thanks to ad-supported online news sources. That's why I find all this hate for that business model wrong. Final remark: A website like Hacker News would not be possible if all the content was behind a paywall. Would that really be a better internet?
  - aw3c2 12y ago
    I am find with ads, I am not fine with tracking and data mining on cost of my privacy. The internet is built on free stuff. It got big on free content. HN is free content. Look at all those comments that people leave for free. The belief that things must cost money is a fallacy!
  - jacquesm 12y ago
    That's the beauty of hackernews, it doesn't need a paywall or advertising. The presence of the users is the payment.
    - danmaz74 12y ago
      But hackernews links to free information sources. No free information sources => no hackernews...
      - jacquesm 12y ago
        Plenty of the information sources linked to are free of advertising and not behind paywalls. In fact, those are probably the better information sources. That's how the web started, remember: no ads. Just free sources of information.
        danmaz74 12y ago
        Not behind paywalls, I agree. Free of advertising... it would be interesting to have stats at hand, but I'm not so sure. Anyway, thank you for reminding me I'm old enough to remember how the web started :D

jacquesm 12y ago

You could of course simply pay for your online news(paper), the same way you used to pay for your paper based one. Online newspaper is a bit strange, something like a 'plastic glass'. I'm all for it, but most business models revolve around advertising somehow.

pmoriarty 12y ago
And if there wasn't a glut of great free content on the internet, it might actually be worth paying for.
- vanderZwan 12y ago
  Where free means "supported by advertising"?
danmaz74 12y ago
Yes, but advertising plays a big role on paid newspapers too. They would be just too expensive without ads. Moreover, before the free newspapers on the internet, the only mainstream free way to get news was from TV, which is much more superficial and easier to control by governments. I think we are much more free and more informed thanks to ad-supported online news sources. That's why I find all this hate for that business model wrong. Final remark: A website like Hacker News would not be possible if all the content was behind a paywall. Would that really be a better internet?
- aw3c2 12y ago
  I am find with ads, I am not fine with tracking and data mining on cost of my privacy. The internet is built on free stuff. It got big on free content. HN is free content. Look at all those comments that people leave for free. The belief that things must cost money is a fallacy!
- jacquesm 12y ago
  That's the beauty of hackernews, it doesn't need a paywall or advertising. The presence of the users is the payment.
  - danmaz74 12y ago
    But hackernews links to free information sources. No free information sources => no hackernews...
    - jacquesm 12y ago
      Plenty of the information sources linked to are free of advertising and not behind paywalls. In fact, those are probably the better information sources. That's how the web started, remember: no ads. Just free sources of information.
      - danmaz74 12y ago
        Not behind paywalls, I agree. Free of advertising... it would be interesting to have stats at hand, but I'm not so sure. Anyway, thank you for reminding me I'm old enough to remember how the web started :D