It looks like advertising isn't the only way way to fund your favorite sites anymore. Google announced a new program called Contributor today that allows people to contribute money to participating websites via a monthly subscription to get rid of ads.
In typical Google fashion, the service will be a slow rollout, requiring an invitation at first. After you receive an invitation, you'll have the option to buy a subscription that runs between $1 and $3 per month that will go to participating websites in lieu of traditional advertising.
Google clearly labels this as an experiment, and that is made even more evident by the slow rollout and relatively small number of initial participating websites. Still, this is definitely an interesting new take on funding the web, and it will be cool to see if it gains traction.
If you want to give it a shot, you can head over to the source link below to read about the service yourself and request an invitation.
Would you guys be willing to pay a low monthly subscription to Crackberry instead of dealing with advertising? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: Google
Reader comments
Google Contribute to make ad-free blogs a reality
There are ads on Google? Guess I tune them out pretty well...
Posted via CB10
I'd absolutely pay a buck to get rid of the ads on CrackBerry. I often can't scroll until all the ads load and I'm not running an old crap, but a new MacBook Pro Retina :(
Posted via CB10
The only reason I use an adblocker is because of youtube, and I'm a lazy person, so I don't bother disabling it when I'm not on youtube. In other words, you would make more money if youtube's ad's weren't so frequent and scaled to video length. :)
Posted via CB10
I dislike ads but I'm a webmaster. And I know how important it is for large audience scale sites (and team). I don't use add block anything.
Now, for CB essentially, I'd be more in favor of a self-owned solution and I'd be glad to pay a reasonable fee (make the maths : I'm sure 80%+ of the fee goes to Google so, basically, it means that a $10 a year would be much,much more) that will go in CB cash pile instead of Google's.
I'm pretty sure it's close to basic work to remove ads from the current templates for subscribed users and I'll be glad to be one of them.
"I support CrackBerry ... and I'd buy subscription" !!! ;)
I dislike ads but I'm a webmaster. And I know how important it is for large audience scale sites (and team). I don't use add block anything.
Now, for CB essentially, I'd be more in favor of a self-owned solution and I'd be glad to pay a reasonable fee (make the maths : I'm sure 80%+ of the fee goes to Google) that will go in CB cash pile instead of Google's.
I'm pretty sure it's close to basic work to remove ads from the current templates for subscribed users and I'll be glad to be one of them.
"I support CrackBerry ... and I'd buy subscription" !!! ;)
How about that gift buying guide? An iPad for writing. ROFL!
Posted via CB10
I really hate the ones that pop up and make me close them before I can read anything. Ads on the side or bottom don't bother me but get rid of those pop up ads.
Posted via CB10
Yep.
The most intrusive ones are those on the BB10 browser that don't resize properly when using pinch2zoom and make the website unusable...
Solution: close tab ... :-(
• Zzzzmoqin'.... •
Advertising? Where?
Ads on websites are like Ads on hockey boards. There is so much clutter I don't see the mess anymore.
Posted via CB10
Google does not miss a trick to make a buck. I try, as much as I can, not to give them my hard earned money. Generally speaking, this is a new trend to nickel and dime us to death. These are called user fees. Air Canada with the $25.00 bag fee – Visa et others – bank statements – carrier paper invoice fees – anyway you get my drift.
I have been reading & using Crackberry for a number of years. This site is the best one if you are a BB user. Would I pay for this site – not sure – possibly. On the other hand, if a business is not viable or barely making it – it's time for some soul searching. Are user fees the answer – not sure. Is clicking on ads good for me – hell no. Ads on the web are out of control. I really do not buy more when I see those ads.
We have seven PC's scattered in the house (netbooks, notebooks, PC's, iPad, iPhone, blackberry legacy units and 2 BB10's). All PC's churn with Win 7 and/or Linux – for our PROTECTION and convenience – we have several add-ons:
Adblock Plus
Browser Hijack
Ghostery
NoScript
Does using these add-ons make us any worse and tagged as bad users for not allowing ads and what not? I don't think so – just common sense and protection for family members.
Is there a conclusion to my almost rant of the day – I hope for Crackberry the best– as a famous Vulcan would say – ''Live Long and Prosper''.
Cheers
The ads are fine. Have clicked on a few items recently.
Rather have ads that hafta pay a fee.
Posted via my Z10 running 10.3.1.1016 quite seamlessly on AT&T
Fat chance. I would rather pay 7$ to BlackBerry and get premium BBM.
Posted via CB10
Adblock Plus makes ad-free blogs a reality.
Posted via CB10
I would be open to a small subscription fee as proposed (to CrackBerry, not one penny for Google) to sustain the website but even then not sure that I would advocate elimination of its ad revenue stream. The carrier, handset, and accessories ads are a plus in my book.
Via CB10, Z10 rocking official 10.2.1
Gordongr exactly. I will pay nothing to visit any site. People will not pay for all websites they visit. That's insane. And people complain about net neutrality, what do you think this would do Lol. So to you answer your question CrackBerry, I will not pay for ad removals. I'd rather ads on your site. It doesn't bother me one bit to have ads on any website. :)
Posted via CB10
Not a website on the planet worth paying a monthly fee for
Sure there is. I pay a monthly fee to Netflix every month, for years. Worth the fee.
Yeah, because it's a website, right?
Posted via CB10
Yes, it is a website.
Pardon me, I thought it was a VOD service! Excuse me, sometimes I'm really dumb.
Posted via CB10
You're probably just young, and just use apps.
Fire up a browser, enter www.netflix.com and see what happens.
Spoiler alert: you end up at a web site.
Funny - doesn't happen too often that someone who's twelve years of age calls other people young.
So, what's Bank of America? A bank or a website? Hint: It's not a website. Pinterest.com, for instance, is one.
Posted via CB10
BoA has a website.
And I am not 12 kiddo.
Youth is wasted on the young.
The question is how much goes to the site and how much goes to google?
Posted via One Very Cool Passport!
I don't visit crackberry on my computer . The loading time of the site is just horrible.
Posted via CB10
It does take a long time. It looks pretty. But it is really heavy on the browser.
Z10
+1
Posted via CB10
Well, the ads do load up pretty quick. Lol
Posted via CB10
I would do this - I always pay the $1 to get rid of ads within an app, so I would likely do this for a collection of websites too.
As for AdBlockPlus: It works great (I use it), but sites can detect if you're using it and won't play your video or show other content until it is disabled. That said many times I'll have to temporarily disable it for a specific site.
Posted via CB10 from my Z10
I use adblock plus, but occasionally i'll shut it off for sites like crackberry when visiting the site on my computer.
Posted via CrackBerry 10 (CB10) application using my BlackBerry Q10.
Fuck google.
Posted on my Z30
Ads have never bothered me to be honest
Sent from my Passport
The only ones that get me are the fill page "click to continue" ones. Drives me nuts. Google is smart here. Per the usual. Get guaranteed money instead of hoping for clicks. Genius they get paid either way.
Z10
This I can agree with. Full page ones that try to make it impossible to get out. Or the ones that pop up when you hover over text. Non-intrusive or pre-video ads really don't bother me. The only reason video ones don't is because I know delivering video content isn't cheap in terms of storing it and paying for the bandwidth and so the 30 seconds or so is entirely justified. And hey if they make money they deserve to, it's a service provided to me for free for my enjoyment. They only entertain me because they make money off it. Take it away from them and suddenly they have no incentive to host the service for me. Everyone loses.
Ad blocking is essentially free-loading. Just saying.
Posted via CB10
I'd better buy CB app through blackberry world and indirectly pay money to my favorite company rather then to competitor.
Posted via CB10
I would definitely pay. I'd prefer a package deal where I could not see ads on all of Mobile Nations. This is kind of like the Twitch model - subscribe to a streamer and never see ads on their channel.
wallet. :)
Posted via CB10
Google can suck my
Posted via CB10
Hell no! Just another reason why I chose BlackBerry.
Posted via CB10
And how does this affect BlackBerry?? I can perceive desperation to push out articles irrespective of its relevance to the community...CB smh
Z10STL100-1/10.3.1.1151
It's an article regarding the website.
The Gaming Report - http://thegamingrpt.com
The site is being visited for its content not ads. Ads have been there as long as I can remember and really nobody complains about them.
Z10STL100-1/10.3.1.1151
Sure. Cool story, bro.
What's the catch Google?
Ugh, it's like paying the mob for "protection".
On page ads don't bother me, I have the ability to ignore them, and it costs me nothing!
However, pre and in-video ads irritate the fek outa me, I might pay to have none of them on youtube.
And Google will gladly let you pay to remove the ads that they stuck into the videos after bastardizing YouTube.
Have you ever considered how much it costs to store all the videos on YouTube and deliver them to you? It's not cheap and for the measly price of 30 seconds of your time max per video (don't bs me that your time is that valuable) you get it for free.
Jeez how do you guys ever justify spending money if free is too much for you guys.
Posted via CB10
+1 Unfortunately the dot commers helped create this freeloader culture.
Via CB10, Z10 rocking official 10.2.1
Have you used YouTube recently? 30 seconds is very rare for me (I've had one recently that took more than five freaking minutes), and yes, it can piss you off at some point. Google doesn't offer any alternative methods to get around it, using AdBlock is the only option. I can think why, their advertising and growth potential is probably far too lucrative still. That people are not willing to pay or see ads anymore is because we allowed companies like Google to use these tactics to begin with. You reap what you sow.
When a ad on YouTube is over 30 seconds you get the option to skip it i skip it all the time though they make sure that the first 5 seconds are intriguing enough so you keep watching
Posted via CB10
I thought that too, but it's either not generally applied anymore or not working correctly.
Well Google should not have bought them.
Posted via CB10
When I encounter those, that's usually my last visit to that site
Wawesome
Sentt frrom myy BlaackBerrryy Q10 on Globe-Telecom | OS 10.3.1.1151 via SIC Wipe n Load
Monkey see monkey do except Google has many avenues to generate cash,nice try,haha!! lol
Have you ever stared at the word Google and noticed that there's two eyeballs in between the G's staring right back at you seeing your every move... ;o)
www. carm. org
Turn/mirror the second g upwards, and you'll have a geek dude with fat glasses staring at you, LOL
:-D
• Zzzzmoqin'.... •
Currently I use the ad block extension. If it were to stop functioning then I'd definitely pay.
Posted via CB10
so we make a payment that clearly identifies us? then we get a tracking cookie that allows us not to get any ads? Not being a pessimist, can someone clearly show me how this works in our favor?
+1 million lol
Posted via CB10
Soo true!!!
Posted via CB10
Right you are. So there's no one?
Posted via CB10
Better user AdBlocker Free!
Lol like
Posted via CB10
I would be willing. But no adds come through on the CBAPP. 1-3 bucks a month is worth it to me!
Posted via CB10
Use add blocker
#BBFactCheck
You do know there's a reason for ads, right? The CrackBerry team, and all other websites out there, work hard to bring us the latest info, and all they ask for is a little in return.
Ads don't bring in much, but they bring in enough to keep the site running as it is now. No one is forcing you to click on them.
Speaking for all website owners, I ask you to kindly not use ad blocker.
Peace.
The Gaming Report - http://thegamingrpt.com
Ha!
Posted via CB10
Crackberry also has their store, which I'm sure generates more revenue than the ads. I could be wrong though.
Z10
Just because someone has two ways of making money does not make it okay to take one away. Anyways its virtually harmless to have ads on the sides of the page. I don't know why people fight it. It pays for what you want to see. What's so bad about CB makes a little extra? With ads content drives visitors drives revenue drives content. Without ads.... well what's the incentive to churn out content that prompts people to visit the site? None I can think of. Maybe the store that you mention.
Posted via CB10
+1
Most likely posted via CB10 from my amazing Z30, but may have been posted from my awesome PlayBook.
For me it has nothing to do with adds. It's the tracking and profiling that I dislike. Fuck G.
Posted via CB10
Ads*
Posted via CB10
No dramas with ads. And I do click, respond and sometimes buy.
But as you said, the coupling with tracking and profiling is what I don't like. Sure, it makes it more efficient etc. to target it etc., but still, it's a privacy issue.
• Zzzzmoqin'.... •
It causes page stutter and lag, not to mention additional data usage that is practically irrelevant to you (even though it's targeted).
I don't use any of the Mobile Nations sites because, along with their beautiful, fairly intense layouts, the ads further clutter and slow down my machines. I only use their apps.
Posted from my TARDIS!
New Firefox add-on just got out of alpha.
Beta testers welcome:
https://dhowe.github.io/AdNauseam/
https://www.privacypulp.com/adnauseam-making-advertisers-sick/
I welcome privacy measures, tools and extensions, but I'm still not sure what to think of this one ... :-)
• Zzzzmoqin'.... •
Advertisers might not like it,
but site owners might, LOL
:-D
• Zzzzmoqin'.... •
Really using ad blockers is not cool. You get all this content for free and you can't even deal with a few ads on the side of the page which PAY FOR YOUR PLEASURES. People have gotten so entitled...
No one is asking you to visit the websites. Respect the people who bring you what you enjoy.
Thankfully at least a few people understand this.
Posted via CB10
^ yeah and that VERY same reason is why Google is taking this approach. It is VERY evident that users detest ads and why proxy's to avoid them exist and why it's been hurting Google's own revenues the past few quarters!
Actually for our searches and data from what we provide google SHOULD be paid to US the end users who use their services which makes them fat!
Yes I agree
Posted via CB10
Some websites don't deserve to get money from ads, id be willing to give 3$ a month to cb but for sites that spam ads like ign, use adblocker
Posted via CB10
I'd pay 10$/month for all the internet ad free
Actually, there are ads that come through. Ads for screen protectors, holsters, batteries, etc.
Posted via CB10