Another Look at Online Advertising
Linked by David Adams on Fri 19th Mar 2010 21:07 UTC
OSNews, Generic OSes Online advertising has been a hot topic for the past week or so, with Ars Technica trying out an interesting, somewhat desperate experiment wherein they blocked access to their content for people using Adblock. Of course, if this were to become some kind of movement among publishers, it would probably just spark a technological cat-and-mouse game that would surely be reminiscent of DRM cracking or iPhone jailbreaking. But in their post-mortem, Ars states that it was a worthwhile awareness campaign, and I hope that's true. But I thought it would be a good idea to try to bring the collective OSNews brainpower together and crowdsource the idea of how to raise money for a web site in an age where advertising is increasingly un-viable.
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My Musings
by fretinator on Fri 19th Mar 2010 21:36 UTC
fretinator
Member since:
2005-07-06

Well, here goes...

1. I am a paid subscriber, so I don't see ads here (or at least not very often). However, I wouldn't mind it if ads showed up even for me. I subscribe to help the site, not to "get" anything (although a free Macbook Pro would be nice). I realize I am in the minority and paid subscriptions will never amount to much. But for me, at least, you can turn on the ads.

2. I purposely do not block ads. Even on Slashdot, where they have a checkbox I can click that will remove ads (since my karma is good), I do not check the box. However, I do sometimes use Flashblock, especially on older laptops, since Flash can quickly overload the cpu on an older device, and eat up the battery as well. Unfortunately, the heavy use of javascript on most sites is filling that role anyway!

3. All people need to realize there are only 2 ways to pay for Websites, TV, etc. Either you allow advertising, or you must have paid memberships with frequent "telethons" asking for more members. In reality, the latter option is almost extinct, as even PBS has commercials, albeit shorter and more "tastelfully" placed. Get over it, and pay those advertisers. Click and ad once in a while, too.

Now where's my Macbook so I can put OpenBSD on it ... is that wrong?

Reply Score: 2

RE: My Musings
by Kroc on Fri 19th Mar 2010 21:42 in reply to "My Musings"
Kroc Member since:
2005-11-10

The fact becoming a subscriber is hidden in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard' is a problem. I once was subscribed, but only because I won a subscription for that alt.OS competition.

If we’re going to have subscription, it really should be easier to attain than your average golden fleece, and have some benefits.

Reply Parent Score: 1

RE[2]: My Musings
by David on Fri 19th Mar 2010 21:52 in reply to "RE: My Musings"
David Member since:
1997-10-01

Props for the HGTTG reference!

Reply Parent Score: 1

RE: My Musings
by Creap on Sat 20th Mar 2010 16:31 in reply to "My Musings"
Creap Member since:
2009-08-05

I have read OSNews daily for about a year and I had no idea there was such a thing as a paid subscriber.

Reply Parent Score: 2