To not ‘pay my way’?

[LeLavandou]

By not paying for Mumsnet Premium and using an ad blocker. Is that ‘not paying my way’ as Justine Roberts suggested on the MN premium thread in Site Stuff?
Does this make me a freeloader, if I still use MN and just block the ads? Given I only use the talk boards where content is produced by users, where does this stand in the MN freeloader stakes?

It’s on the third page of site stuff. Can’t seem to link it.

According to Justine anyone who dares to install an Adblock is a freeloader

They could get around it though - plenty of websites stop you from accessing them unless you disable your Adblock.

Yanbu, I think there are forums all over the internet, I've only ever used free ones.

It is worth considering loads of businesses are suffering and will suffer, large and small. I'd rather buy some nail polish from a struggling retailer tbh.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/3874618-Mumsnet-Premium-membership-please-support-us-if-you-can

I installed ad blocker after Mumsnet served me ads for escorts. I uninstalled and it happened again. It’s never happened on any other site I use. So no, I will be keeping my ad blocker and carrying on using MN for free.

Aha! Thanks badlad, I scrolled forever but could t see it.

Thanks BadLad.

@NameChange2PostThis, ads for escorts? I may have to unblock the ads, I feel I’m missing out!

I paid. I guess that makes me not of sound mind. In any event, I spend a lot of time on MN and benefit from that so I don’t have a problem paying a bit for the resource.

Have to say, I really do enjoy the forum (have never looked at anything else), I've learnt some interesting things, have laughed and got mad, but I'm afraid if it were not to be anymore then I would just move on to another site. Money is tight enough without paying for reading other people's opinions on stuff. Which is all it is really, entertaining though that may be!

I never click adverts on here, but they cause a problem with slow loading. Looks like clickbait adverts are now on here even on this thread, so even more reason to avoid .

Can I ask, Toilenstripes, what you get out of that? You say you benefit from MN, how?

And of course that doesn’t make you of unsound mind, we all make different choices, that’s why I’m interested.

As long as we are not allowed to freely discuss matters that affect women, I wouldn't consider paying a penny.
Deleting threads because MNHQ are scared of twitter trolls is

I use adblock because MN is pretty much unusable without it. Load time and response time is much better without the ads.

I won't pay for premium for two reasons:
Firstly I already support MN by being a registered poster and contributing content - which is then regularly lifted/quoted by the press. Justine is then able to monetise this additional traffic and attention by way of adverts. The disconnect at the moment is the fact that the tech elements of this site need to run much better so that user experience isn't compromised when adverts run.

Secondly because MN track record with data security is pretty shit. Jeffrey-gate exposed pretty poor password management on the part of people working within MNHQ. The initial MNHQ response to intern-gate - that she's a nice girl really and didn't mean it - was frighteningly inadequate. There is no way I will put my actual contact details and payment information into MN given this history - and that's before you get into the more obvious issues around premium (if I'm paying you membership fees then how does deleting posts, suspending and banning work?).

People use adblockers, in the same way people fast forward through ad breaks or go to make a cup of tea or go to the toilet rather than sitting and watching them.

People find a way of not looking at content that doesn't interest them, and it rarely involves them reaching into their pockets.

I wouldn't pay. I like Mumsnet but I use lot of other forums. I would just not use Mumsnet if I had to pay

Also not being of sound mind, I have paid. I get to use the site. That’s what I get out of it. I get to connect to the world. As an able bodied person, you have a teeny tiny taste of my life right now in lockdown.... minus all of the illness, pain and disability.

Use you brain op and realise we aren’t all the same. If this goes, it’s going to be devastating for me and many more. Meanwhile you’re waffling about a couple of quid when you can clearly afford it. Stop trying to incite others to not pay and let them decide.

I agree, why on earth would you pay for a site, where you provide the content, the content gets deleted if the moderators don’t like it and you gets warnings for having an opinion. I’d sooner buy the Daily Mail.

Given that it's actually the same business model as Facebook (web 2.0), Mumsnet can either a) monetise the users, b) monetise the content or c) make users pay. A is the Facebook model as they make advertisers pay directly to gain access to very specific demographics based on their site usage. In Mumsnet this would mean semantic analysis of users' posts and segmentation such as Facebook performs, to drive targeted ads. Assume MN doesn't think that would land well.
Model b, i.e. Just Standard advertising against page views, does not make enough money. So that only leaves us paying for the service. That's the reality o internet businesses. I mean they could load themselves up with debt to invest in overhauling the site, it's really dated and packing in poodles of great features and can think of, but that's a huge risk and would usually mean sacrificing equity.

Be interesting to know how many people look at other parts of the site, apart from ‘Talk’.

Like for example a fucking edit function to fix stupid typos!!

It is perfectly possible to run a large online forum as a successful business on the basis of advertising revenue. The key is to build actual community, so that people are willing to volunteer as moderators. Once you start having huge staff teams, of course your costs will spiral out of control. But trying to get users to pay is a last ditch attempt. I think Mumsnet will be bankrupt by the end of the year unless 90% of the staff are fired, the site streamlined, and an entirely new approach to the forum community is fostered. I don't see it happening. They've never really invested in the forums - hence the outdated and clunky posting system, with no editing, terrible search facilities and so on.

I benefit from reading the threads. There’s a lot of collective wisdom amassed in this forum. I just got some great information on pruning olive trees from the Gardening section. Yes, there’s shite too. There’s also very few other places where I can piss myself laughing.

I won’t be paying. What for?
If they have mis managed their funds that’s not my problem.
Greed I’m sure has got in the way.
I’d be curious to see their accounts?

I didn’t use an ad blocker for years. Then the ads started to flash, cover 1/3 of the page, interrupt the loading of pages, show content I didn’t want to see (Wrinkly Old Man at the top of the page relentlessly gurning at me for instance), were scam ads (the Martin Lewis one, the Harry and Meghan one) or malware that froze my screen continually. Oh and the skimlinks that lad to incongruous ads in serious and distressing threads.
MN’s choice to allow that sort of ad. Mine to use an ad blocker to get to the content I want to see.