I started to notice that more sites are turning into paywalls, and I don’t like that and would prefer ads over subscriptions.

I am curious, what does the general community think about that?

    • HipsterTenZero@dormi.zone
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      15
      ·
      29 days ago

      maybe for-profit news organizations should get another business model. My computer is a temple and merchants can get out.

    • Linktank@lemmy.today
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      29 days ago

      You know that people aren’t forced to interact with websites right? Like if I don’t have a choice about if your website is going to show me ads, then I DON’T HAVE A CHOICE to view your website. Those ones that block the entire page until you whitelist them? I just close them and move on with my life. Nobodys product is so important that I will interrupt my day to view their advertising for it. And no website has such a reputation that I am willing to pay them or whitelist them for advertising BEFORE VIEWING THE FUCKING CONTENT.

      • Negligent_Embassy@links.hackliberty.org
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        29 days ago

        I agree I close them if I see that, but just so you know a combo of bypass paywalls clean, and ublock origin (go into settings and enable all cookie notices, social widgets, and annoyances) will bypass 95% of those without you even knowing

        If that fails go to web.archive.org and paste the URL, that works most of the time. There’s a web extension called “web archives” that makes this easy if you’re ok with other extensions

    • Swordgeek@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      29 days ago

      No, you really really really don’t.

      I’m old enough to have been online when commercial content was illegal, and I’ve watched as aggressive commerce has crept into every single corner of the internet.

      You don’t need to have ads to support a website, you need ads to profit from a website. The idea that everything - information, news, community, society - not only CAN be monetized but MUST be monetized is relatively new, destructive, and anti-human.

      The mere idea that you have to choose between two ways of throwing money at billionaires is a symptom of the terminal stages of capitalism. We’re going to have a rough 50 years or so, but this has to end.

    • BearOfaTime@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      edit-2
      29 days ago

      Why? Prove to me that your binary is true.

      If someone sets up a website, and uses ads to fund it, 99% of the time their goal is profit.

      How they profit is their issue, not mine.

      Many websites exist without ads, hosted by people who simply want to have a website.

      As for paywalls, again, people are creating a profit-generating barrier for something. Again, that’s their concern, not mine. Generally when I hit a paywall I just close the tab. I’m not the sucker they’re looking for.

      If I’m really curious, I may run the URL through archive.is

      • simple@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        9
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        29 days ago

        So you think people should just work around the clock making content and not get anything for it? I keep seeing this view and it sounds so naive, you can’t expect donations to keep you afloat. Even hosting the website and domain names cost money.

        • Kintarian@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          29 days ago

          I wouldn’t mind paying for quality content, but usually you end up paying for crap and seeing ads too. So now the corporate media is double dipping right out of your wallet. Journalism is dead and we’re probably never getting it back.

          • Aatube@kbin.melroy.org
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            29 days ago

            Okay, so you never go back to ye olde shitty website because they are absolute scum. Now you keep getting to pay the quality content for making the stuff you enjoy without even touching your wallet.

            • Kintarian@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              29 days ago

              There are some Independent News sources I like: Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Consortium News, All Sides, Reuters, Truthout, NPR, and Propublica.

              • Aatube@kbin.melroy.org
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                29 days ago

                You almost got the trifecta of news agencies. Check out Agencie France-Presse. Also, while they’re usually reliable, note that Al Jazeera is heavily biased towards the Arab Middle East and that NPR is heavily biased towards the US.

                Anyways, I think sites like these demonstrate why we should enable ads that are just a few billboards and don’t run into the prairie, as another commenter has said.

        • Swordgeek@lemmy.ca
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          29 days ago

          People always have.

          How many people get paid to go to ham radio clubs, to write up plans for model airplanes, or to share telescope mirror polishing techniques? How many people try to profit off of community seed/plant exchanges?

          The only difference is that people are now looking for venues to generate profit by producing content, rather than producing content for its own sake. The concept of “every sharing of information must be financially profitable” is a sickness - a festering disease.

          Domain names cost about $50/year. Self-hosting can be done for free with most ISPs; and if you’re getting enough traffic that you need to pay for hosting, it starts pretty cheaply.

          Profit is destroying community at every turn. Resist the relentless lust to make an extra buck, and ENGAGE with people.

          • simple@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            29 days ago

            Wanting to stay alive is not a “relentless lust to make an extra buck”. You’re portraying people wanting to earn money as villains trying to abuse you. Putting ads in a website where someone puts so much effort to create is NOT evil. Youtubers without sponsorships for example simply wouldn’t exist, because nobody would put in dozens of hours of work a week if it wasn’t lucrative.

            The concept of “every sharing of information must be financially profitable” is a sickness - a festering disease.

            I would argue the concept of expecting everyone else’s hard work to be free is selfish. I’m not talking about major publications that have millions of dollars, I’m talking about small websites where the creator needs it to succeed or else it shuts down a year later.

            How many people get paid to go to ham radio clubs, to write up plans for model airplanes, or to share telescope mirror polishing techniques? How many people try to profit off of community seed/plant exchanges?

            What you’re describing is a hobby that people with free time and extra money do. This isn’t what 99.9% of content creators work on or have the capability of doing.

      • JubilantJaguar@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        29 days ago

        Alright as far as your argument goes. But what about content that has value for society? I’m talking, of course, among other things, about serious journalism. Do only “suckers” pay for that, too?

    • Kintarian@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      29 days ago

      The thing is if I see an article that’s blocked by a paywall, I can simply go to another site that has the exact same story for free.