Mumsnet Premium membership - please support us if you can

[JustineMumsnet]

Hi folks,

First and most importantly, I hope you and yours are safe and well, and that you all stay that way.

After 20 years of unreasonableness, rofls, wtfs, advice and support, and the odd lawsuit, it's fair to say that we are as close as we’ve ever been to existential difficulty.

Like many ad-funded businesses, the COVID-19 crisis has seen us take a big hit to our revenues. The businesses who would normally pay to advertise with us are slashing their marketing budgets, but lots of our outgoings are fixed and we so need to find new ways to keep paying the bills.

We’re doing our darndest to find every single saving we can - lots of our staff have volunteered to reduce their hours, we’ve cancelled all non-essential services, I've taken a pay holiday and we will use every scheme and loan available to us from the government and the bank to help tide us over. But we still need to find alternative revenue streams to ensure we don’t run out of funds in a few months...

To put it frankly, it’s squeaky bum time.

I know this is a very tough time for many of you and some of you are only just keeping the lights on yourselves. We’re sending you our solidarity and we most certainly don’t want anyone to stump up anything they can’t afford, but if you can help, please do subscribe now to our Premium service.

We’ve banged this out as fast as possible in response to the current crisis and it’s definitely not the finished article, but it’s free of banner advertising, so if you’ve ever been vexed by those (or use an ad-blocker) this might be right up your alley. Banner ads also tend to make pages render more slowly and take up bandwidth, so if you’re surrounded by bored kids streaming with their mates, step this way.

We’ve opted for a price point that we hope is doable for most and which covers the potential lost ad revenue for the majority of users. We hope £4.99 per month or £49.99 for a year (less than a pound a week!) feels a reasonable exchange for the value Mumsnet brings you, but in any case you can unsubscribe any time.

Over the next little while we’ll look to add some extra features: things that people have requested regularly like editing, sorting posts by the OP, and reading offline.

Rest assured we remain committed to always providing a free version of the site, as we fundamentally believe that access to the advice and support Mumsnet offers should not depend on your ability to pay.

And if you can’t spare any cash right now… then of course we get it. It would still be very helpful if you removed any ad blockers or clicked on affiliate links around the site when you shop, joined our insight panel or even shared the best Mumsnet threads on your social channels whenever you can - it all helps.

If you have any questions at all feel free to post them here and I'll get back to you. We also have a page of FAQs that might answer your question.

Hold tight everyone.

Love

Justine and the team at MNHQ

@JustineMumsnet - how many subscribers do you have now?

Businesses don't fold for lack of profit, they fold for lack of cash. It makes perfect sense that advertising revenues are in the bin - advertisers are either closed or no one is shopping. Lots of companies are in danger of going under now and it's far less painful to cancel adverts than it is to make staff redundant.

I really like MN and have made some friends here and learned a lot. I'd rather not see it go under, so I subscribed. If you cba that's fine too.

To those who think that this is some evil greed driven plot by MN, honi soit qui mal y pense.

Google how to read an accounting statement if you have never looked at one before (thrilling I know).

At 31/12/18 the shareholders fund was detailed as £8,453,811.

If you cba that's fine too.

I take huge issue with the implication that people who don't want to donate 'can't be arsed' as you so politely put it.

Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs. The pressure to subscribe is rediculous. The amount of people who have felt the need to appologise because they cannot afford it has made me really uncomfortable as its clear they feel they are in some way letting MN down.

Maybe have some compassion and realise for most its not a case cba. Instead it's a case of its either pay for this or pay to keep their own lights on.

Maybe have some compassion and realise for most its not a case cba. Instead it's a case of its either pay for this or pay to keep their own lights on.

I agree, those who are experiencing financial hardship shouldn't even consider it. The thread title included please support us if you can.

“If it folds”

Seriously guys - spend two mins bringing up last year accounts

A phenomenal >30% operating profit. And top paid director (there’s only two) on c.£250k package

People should really think about who this money is going to. The language ‘keep the lights on’ should be considered. Lots of posters are on a fraction of this. I guess it’s that classic don’t give more than you can afford thing.

Businesses don't fold for lack of profit, they fold for lack of cash.

Of course but if you are running out of cash who should ask first? Individuals who may be feeling the pinch or your shareholders?

It does concern me that the posters more likely to feel obliged are taken in by the request. No one should feel they need to apologise.

Are you losing moneybor just not making as much as you've become used to?

Do we sign up straight away? As in now?
And does this mean that you won't get as much 'traffic' on your post if you don't have premium service ?
I'm happy to pay though as I really love and need Mumsnet for support as I don't have much of that in the real world

@inthedarkx all it does at the moment is reduce ads. Edit and other stuff they will look into it Over the next little while

I put an Adblock on this place a few years when they were having porn redirects. I did consider removing it, but then others are reporting the redirects to congratulations you’ve won. Took seconds and cost nothing.

If you cba that's fine too.
For me it’s because they are charging for free services. The one service they are offering for a semi-functional blocker is a disgrace.

The timing is suspicious and it wouldn’t surprise me if the bonus records from this period show exactly where the cash went. And considering the oops attitude of f the serious breaches, I cannot see them having a better attitude. It will all be brushed under the carpet.

The begging email is cringy and very unprofessional. Not something I’d expect from a site that despite making 2mlllion in one year profit, and huge profits ever since and nothing invested into the site to make life easier as they claim.

The begging email is cringy and very unprofessional.

When did this email go out? I didn't get one.

Actually, here it says - ad free

www.mumsnet.com/info/privacy-policy

Which isn't what Justine has been saying - fewer ads - on the thread at all

So which is it?

Actually, here it says - ad free Which isn't what Justine has been saying - fewer ads - on the thread at all

The fact that their own policy document contradicts what Justine said honestly doesn't suprise me.

If they cannot even get something so straightforward right then I'm staggered that anyone would willingly hand over bank account details (even without all the prior breaches). This just screams that the right hand has no idea what the left hand is doing.

The email was sent out today. They also contradict themselves in terms of what they are offering. Yet no update to let subscribers aware they will only be getting an Adblock that only reduces ads. This is available for free and blocks all ads.

Would any kind soul mind copying and pasting the email here? I didn't get one.

£50 EVERY SINGLE YEAR? Really? Why not charge for the app versions at a one off fee of £5? Most new members would buy it, and people must be joking every day?
Who the hell can justify that much money for an ad-blocker and a couple of - albeit handy - extra features? Seems to me to defeat the point of Mumsnet.

I remember years ago (I think 15??) Mumsnet were struggling and we were offered to contribute something like £5 to keep it going. I did this without thinking much about it. I think this would have been a wiser option.

I've never seen any 'dissenters' who weren't TRAs or MRAs come here to report, plop or just goad looking for screenshots tbh.

I am neither of these. I had thought there was a debate to have. Learned very quickly that is not possible so don’t even bother now.

This exchange is sadly typical:

@Bunnyfuller says I’ve noticed several threads where the ‘FWR mafia’ arrive and completely derail the thread into the whole Trans thing, where frankly there appears to be little interest outside the FWR echo chamber. This thread is a prime example.

The immediate response from @BringbackLang is That is absolute rot Bunnyfiller and you know it.

What Bunnyfiller describes is also my experience and others have said the same but still the belief exists that users are not allowed to say anything against trans rights when the boards are absolutely full of people doing so.

I think they have plenty of money. Maybe some of the profit can be donated to good causes. Have the directors taken a pay cut in this crucial time?

Would any kind soul mind copying and pasting the email here? I didn't get one.

The email says the same as the opening post of this thread.

@MintyMabel I agree with everything you just said.

Also agree with Minty.

I've been here forever but, 9n current form, I'll give it a miss, thanks

I am neither of these. I had thought there was a debate to have. Learned very quickly that is not possible so don’t even bother now.

Same @MintyMabel
This is where the problem lies.
I used to debate more, but slowly came to realise it was pointless as you'd get painted as a dissenter, sealion, MRA, TRA, whatever so I don't as much now.
Not DARVO, it's what happens.

The immediate response from @BringbackLang is That is absolute rot Bunnyfiller and you know it

Exactly. I replied saying not all of it was rot and said why, my opinion, and a certain poster reeled off a completely unrelated thread to this one alluding to sealions and MRAS. Insinuating trolls, blah blah whatever.
THAT'S where the problem lies.
I'm with Minty