An ad-free (and fast loading) site for a subscription? Would you?

I would not pay. I only use the mobile site (not the app) on an Android phone and I barely even notice the adverts.

I would

Is MN in serious financial difficulty or is this just a proposal to increase revenue?

I would not pay to use MN, I like the wide variety of poster and opinions and I don't use an adblocker because I think it's a pretty arsey thing to do. I understand why others do it if it is the only way to make the site usable on their devices though.

There are so many sponsored threads, ads and MN products from the non exclusive copyright they hold on all posts that I would be surprised if they need to do this to balance the books.

Clearly the description would have to be very clear - as people on this thread are discussing a range of different models without necessarily acknowledging which model they are talking about or realising that other people are thinking of a different one.

Yes I would. My DH is on a football forum that charges a small subscription. He says it's fantastic as it keeps the trolls out and keeps the conversation sensible as only people interested enough to pay the subscription join.

MN is a business. We all clearly love using it. So why shouldn't we pay?

I've been on forums for years and this is always suggested but it just doesn't work. You will massively struggle for new members (why would they sign up? They don't even know what it's like) and it would be the death of the forums.

No. I'd not pay.

I actually don't find MN particularly slow, but I mainly MN from a PC (on Chrome) on my home internet.

I would approve of a system where the same content and functionality was available to everyone, but paying would allow you to see it without ads.

The ad-containing version does need to WORK for the majority of users on the most popular devices and browsers.

No for several reasons.
Main one being I just don't understand why MN is so slow when as others have pointed out, there are plenty of other sites out there that run fine with ads and have even more users than this one.
I use several different devices but MN is problematic on all of them. I spend a lot of time online - I don't have problems with any other sites like I do with MN.

Also the site is evolving and this last couple of years or so it's just not somewhere that fits me as well as it used to.
I visit far less often than I did even two years ago so I'm not going to pay for it.

IME, any more than a token subscription tends to kill off online communities.

I've just noticed that I have no ads on this Amazon fire. That's because they are below the page so I never scroll that far. I'm not getting the freezing problem, makes a change.

No I wouldn't pay.
There's adblocker for starters. This is free.
The whole hacking thing last year. Now imagine that scenario with your bank details.
There's lots of issues with the site loading and being jittery. Why would I pay for that?
Aside from the hacking last year they have also had other issues - porn diverts

If they cannot deal with the issues with all ad money they currently generate, cannot see getting memebers to cough up will make a difference. Plus if I was paying I would want it staffed 24/7

My iPad is a few years old but I'm not upgrading it just for MN! It works fine for everything else. I choose to have a 'dumb' phone. I don't buy technology just to keep up with passing trends, I have to really want it.

I'm on an iphone se and have no issues with the site.

I wonder how many users who are having issues are on 'older' apple products.
Ipad 2s, iphone 5s etc? I found my iphone 4s was grinding to a halt so I upgraded.

Itsnoteasy: per se

^adblocker slower than App I meant to say.

I don't object to ads per-say.
I object to intrusive ads with video and music content because they gobble up my bandwidth and data..

I wold be very happy if MNHQ set it ip to that ads are restricted to visual pictures and typography only. And even then limit the size of pictures to not be too data hungry.

Like other users, the site was rendered unusuable for me during last week. This is using Safari on the iPad.

I did two things. Firstly I got the App, which does work, however does not have all the features of the main site. I also got an ad blocker. With the adblocker I have found the site useable but a bit more jittery (sometimes flips out and sometimes when wanting to post key board randomly disappears) and slower.

So I use both. That way I will see some of the adverts . Adverts only bother me when they interfere with functionality anyway.

I would not subscribe to the site. I would probably just spend more time looking at non subscription forums. Finance wise I tend to be pretty frugal with money spent on things that are not necessities. So no takeaway coffees, takeaways only on special occasions, packed lunches, freezing left overs, batch cooking, shopping at budget supermarkets and pound shops. This sort of money really adds up and we save thousands doing things this way.

I actually dont understand why mumsnet can't get their technology sorted. You look at sites like trip advisor, millions upon millions more visitors, plenty of ads, and no problems in loading. Mumsnet is a fraction of the size and you pretty much have to use ad blocker to use it on apple products.

Potentially it's a back office issue, they need to understand the size of scripts advertisers can use, how many the site can tolerate maybe even it's simply the platform being used.i don't know, but there is plenty of member sites, free, that are much bigger and don't have any issues.

As said, ad blocker worked for me, but I shouldn't have had to use it.

No.

You can't provide a fairly crap website that is slow, buggy and has intrusive ads but is free to use, then offer a paid version that is ad-free but runs smoothly and expect people to sign up. New users will get fed up too quickly to believe that it's worth it and existing non-paying members will leave.

In order for a paid website to work, you have to provide a well functioning free version, with ads that don't cause grief, that people enjoy using, then offer a paid version that has benefits over and above what they already have. Ad-free and a couple of paid members only sections should do it.

I don't think anyone thinks subscription-only is a viable business model for MN. But a subscription option might be.

I used to be on another, very popular forum to do with my hobby. They went subscription only and the place is like a ghost town now. The pursuit of more money (bigger servers, coping with problems and the volume of traffic, founders wanting decent money out of it etc) does seem to kill a forum. People can take their thoughts elsewhere - facebook for example.