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Original poster

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

88 replies

Laska5772 · 05/03/2017 19:48

No ads, no skimlinks just MN like it used to be..

Yes, I realise it all costs and that MN need to get revenue in so adverts are a way of doing this , but im pretty sure thats why its all so ruddy slow

So would you consider paying asubscription?

I would .

How about it MN?

OP posts:
tribpot · 05/03/2017 20:27

Possibly Members Only webchats?

MaroonPencil · 05/03/2017 20:31

No

Original poster
Laska5772 · 05/03/2017 20:33

Yes id pay for that .. ,

OP posts:
bibbitybobbityyhat · 05/03/2017 20:34

Yes, I would. Then I wouldn't have to worry about feeling guilty about using AdBlock.

I think it's only fair to share in paying for the site.

Gobbolinothewitchscat · 05/03/2017 20:34

No - I just go on other sites if it's slow

Plus, if there was a subscription fee there would be eleventy billion threads regarding posters who can't afford to pay (even if it was 1p) and people offering to pay for them on hinty, begging threads and people arguing that mumsnet functions like a cross between 999 and the Samaritans for vulnerable posters who now can't access it quickly enough.....ad infinitum.

It would make the Secret Santa shenanigans look tame

JigglyTuff · 05/03/2017 20:36

It would effectively just be a site for women who could afford to spend £120 on idle chat.

One of the best things about this site is that it's open to all women, regardless of wealth or social status. Take that away and the place is ruined IMO

Sparklingbrook · 05/03/2017 20:36

Perhaps for a tenner we could have tailor made MN packages. Like mix and match. I would have

Hide Poster Function
Automatic hiding of anything with the word 'trans' in it without me seeing it.
A message alerting me to any pictures of cats posted.

I will probably have other conditions too. Grin

WorraLiberty · 05/03/2017 20:37

From Justine last Thursday, on the subject of Skimlinks...

So we are ditching it forthwith. Thanks for being part of the experiment - one positive thing that's come out of it is that we are looking at an ad-free subscription version of MN to offer more choice for folks of how they'd like MN to be. More on that in due course...

tribpot · 05/03/2017 20:39

I missed that Worra - but glad to hear MN are considering a subscription version. I don't think anyone really thinks MN should disappear behind a paywall but having the option to support it in different ways is certainly useful.

HateSummer · 05/03/2017 20:41

Why would they offer an ad free subscription when you can just dl an Adblocker? I didn't even realise I could dl a. Adblocker on iPhone until a few days ago. My safari is running so fast now, it's amazing. And no ads! And it's free!

Original poster
Laska5772 · 05/03/2017 20:42

jiggly Im thinking an 'optional' subscription .. site should be free to use as it is now ..but it would have an extra subscription bit you could opt into .

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 05/03/2017 20:43

I might consider it if it gave us access to a topic where name changing isn't allowed.

So everyone picks one name and sticks with it, just for that topic. They can NC in all the other topics, but not that one. A bit like Mumsnet Local.

I think it would give it a better 'feel' and it would be somewhere to post when the goady fucker name changers are running riot everywhere else Grin

Original poster
Laska5772 · 05/03/2017 20:44

Ooh Worra thanks for posting that .. ill definately be in if they do that

So this thread is pretty redundant now , people. ,

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 05/03/2017 20:45

I think that's what Justine is thinking of too OP

WorraLiberty · 05/03/2017 20:45

X posted

I think this thread is pretty good as the other one was more about Skimlinks.

Might be an idea to start a thread in Chat, directing people to this one, to see what they think?

WateryTart · 05/03/2017 20:47

I'd pay a reasonable annual sub to be ad free.

Original poster
Laska5772 · 05/03/2017 20:47

Also if they have paying customers . they should be able to invest in better systems/ servers/ upload times..

Fingers crossed! ..

OP posts:
Piffpaffpoff · 05/03/2017 20:48

No

tribpot · 05/03/2017 21:03

Lots of sites have started to block content on browsers that are running ad blockers, or at least set up a 'frequent reminder popup' in the hopes of being so annoying that users whitelist the site. I could certainly see MN implementing that, particularly as the use of ad blockers is widespread (and understandably so, given how intrusive the side bar scrolly ads are).

Laska, I don't think the thread is redundant - MN need to consider a range of ideas if they want to offer a subscription service.

Original poster
Laska5772 · 05/03/2017 21:09

tribot I noticed that I couldnt read the Jenni Murray article that people are talking about on another thread because the Telegraph has an ad blocker 'block'..

OP posts:
Cornettoninja · 05/03/2017 21:10

No.

Bluntly this a forum, the only thing that makes it special is its user base which i'm pretty sure would fall quite sharply off the back of a subscription fee and therefore not worth it. Even the hated daily mail will lead new posters to try out the site which just won't happen as much with a price tag attached to anyone stumbling as a one off.

I know of two forums with fees attached - one is digital spy which you can pay to register on if you don't have an approved email provider to register with. The other is something awful which in its hayday was pretty unique (and knew it and were pretty smug about it) as a community, I'm not sure how they're doing now since I only lurked but increasingly they would deny access to even read the forums to try and boost sales. Both of these are/were one off fees (although SA were very heavy with the bans which is something to consider if you start involving money) which is easier to justify I think.

I, and I suspect many others, just wouldn't stump up cash though.

I would however be happy to watch adverts, like you get in game apps to 'earn' bonuses and stuff. Ideally you could access these at a time suitable to you (link in site stuff maybe? Prompt on login? Prompt on opening a new sub forum?) so they're kept fairly unobtrusive and don't interrupt the flow of conversation. If they were like the gaming ones there's an option to decline.

littlbrowndog · 05/03/2017 21:10

I have had to put ad blocker on just to be able to access the site. As have a lot of iPad users. I didn't want to but no choice

Becca19962014 · 05/03/2017 21:26

No.

At the risk of sounding like an under bridge dweller I like to be anonymous online. Also experience elsewhere would suggest people will just go elsewhere if they cannot install adblockers. No point paying for something you can get for free elsewhere.

There are also people who simply couldn't afford to pay.

I appreciate friends here, the difficulties MN face as a business and the site but there's no need to alienate users by having more and mores ads, and much bigger ads that require a lot of memory and space to run due to necessary scripts - I've seen that on MN ads never mind other ads.

I don't know the answer but I know subs/non subs is difficult to implement and I know they run the risk of the site splintering leaving nothing which was my experience. Site was nothing like the size of MN but the subs model killed it.

Becca19962014 · 05/03/2017 21:31

Forgot - people's expectations are massively higher if you're paying for a site, so much so they would need far more staff than they currently have, more tech staff, more night staff (no more asking for volunteers). To be viable for those who paid and expected that level of service (and people will expect it because they're paying and it's a natural expectation) they'll need to charge and get a lot of people on board before doing it.

There are a lot of sites that are finding ways around adblockers - seemingly innocent boxes which you ignore and that means the site and it's ads suddenly are white listed (available).

The technology necessary really shouldn't need to be upto date just for ads to load and access to be granted. It's a forum not MI5 (unless I'm missing something!)

Voice0fReason · 05/03/2017 21:33

No it's very unlikely I would pay - and £10 per month is just insane!