Introducing Pay or Consent on Mumsnet

[BeckyAMumsnet]

Hello everyone.

We wanted to give you a heads-up about a change in the way we deal with cookie consent. We are introducing a Pay or Consent model, giving you two different options to continue accessing the site:

1. Continue for free with cookies and ads: this is the option that most people have enabled already.
2. Subscribe to Mumsnet Premium: For those who prefer an ad-free experience with no cookies/tracking for ad purposes - Besides ad-free you’ll also get first access to our product tests plus all revenues from Premium are put towards our campaigning work

Why are we making this change?

The pay or consent model is becoming increasingly common across online platforms as publishers adapt to changes in advertising levels and data privacy regulations. Like many other publishers, we relied on advertising to generate income but changes in tracking regulation and the growing use of ad blockers have made this model less viable.

We know that Mumsnet is an essential space for many - a place to seek advice, find support, and connect with your fellow Mumsnetters. That’s why we’re committed to ensuring that the site remains free at the point of use for anyone who needs it but it’s not fair that those who install ad blockers or rejected cookies are piggy backing on the back of other users who haven’t.

At the same time as introducing this, we’re going to reduce the price of Mumsnet Premium to £2.99 a month because we want to be fair to those who’d rather not accept advertising cookies. This is less than the cost of a flat white a month from most decent coffee shops and we very much hope you think Mumsnet’s worth it! Nb anyone who’s signed up to Mumsnet Premium already at the previous price (£4.99 per month) will have their payments reduced within the next week or so.

We’ll be here to answer any questions you may have. Thank you, as always, for supporting Mumsnet.

It does seem tone deaf to introduce this so soon after the CSA scenario

100% this ^^

14 years on MN and I think I would rather leave…

Weird, I got the pop up and clicked Accept”, expecting it to tell me to disable my ad blocker. But it didn’t and here I am, not an ad in sight.

Well, given that your ads stop my whole ipad from working, and I can no longer reject the cookies which generate them, that’s me off. I’m not paying for a website which functions as poorly as this, and I’m not giving your IT system any payment details, given how frequently there are data breaches here.

It’s a shame to break up the communities which offer such help to women here, but forcing people to do anything is not the way to increase your business.

@BeckyAMumsnet What is HQ's advice to women in vulnerable situations who are routinely advised to use private/incognito browsing and block all trackers for their own safety? Especially as it looks to me as if you have already implemented the change without giving any such advice.

Does MN not wish to be a support place for such women any more?

I would echo comments up thread about the car crash of problem adverts on the site being the main reason people block adverts.

@BeckyAMumsnet I just had a pop up about this. The options are continue with ads or pay. Cookies are not mentioned in the headline at all. Bit disingenuous.

I believe there are some people who are happy to pay, but are concerned about any potential link (from hackers, staff etc) between MN account details (email or username) and real-life details such as full name, postcode etc.

Are you able to provide more information on this @BeckyAMumsnet please?

The timing of this really couldn't be worse MN.

After the events of earlier this week I'm pretty shocked that you make this announcement now.

Yeah. But I'm in the "if you build it, they will come" camp.
Sirt out the intrusive ads that try to trick you into clicking them, functional cookies only and that it works on all devices?

Oh well. We have passed the best years of the Internet. What on earth will I do with my time?!

Interesting you can action this process immediately, not even a days grace to give me time to consider if I want to pay for this service

Had to accept to register my concern on here- I don't ad block and I know nothing is free but this timing and speed is dreadful.

The use of targeted cookies for marketing purposes is supposed to be consent based. In the scenario being proposed, it becomes mandatory if the site is to be accessed without payment. Surely there is a third option that should be made available, to whit non-targeted advertisements? I fear this is a slippery slope otherwise: Pay Up or Be Monetised Yourself.

Effective immediately, no notice given. You missed that bit out.

I thought being able to reject cookies was a right?

Previously, we could select 'reject cookies ' (and collecting our data.)

This is not going to be popular.

I too, under many user names have been here for years. As an education professional I've offered my experience and knowledge to help others as well as trying to spark debate and provide a measures view.

Tbh there are so many trolls, so many PP’s that are here to just ‘say the opposite’ to spark unrest. It has become an unsupportive community.

I will leave too. I would like to know user numbers now and in a couple of months though.

My, very strong, initial reaction is I will be leaving Mnet after 12 years.

This is :
a) Appalling timing and a crass announcement - following the shitshow of the weekend
Or
b) A way to cover the cost of providing additionally paid staffing and systems without Justine having to accept slightly less in her massive profit margins monthly.

Whichever it is, I am not buying in. The description of Mnetters who exercise legal rights under GDPR is simply offensive and either tells something about the quality and attitude of the Mnet staff who wrote it, or it is a reflection of the Mnet management group towards users. Either way it stinks.

We produce all of their content for them and the site only exists because of us. While Juliet sits in her big house, enjoying her lifestyle and counting her millions, she'd do well to remember that.

This thread isn't going through way OP imagined 😂

It's not a heads up when, part way through reading this thread, I had to 'accept' just to be able to read it!

Oh the timing could not have been better 🤣

I'll carry on being a freeloader thanks.

well, exactly. I’m now considering my options. I hadn’t finished commenting FFS!

This is the bit I can't believe. MN is always so slow to correct anything technical, this post was up for just over ONE HOUR before it became mandatory.

Will you be putting some of the revenue you expect to make from this change towards sorting out your cyber security so site users aren't at risk of seeing images of child sexual abuse?

I think it probably is actually.
Poor old Becky. She’s been here a long time I think and I expect knew which way the wind would blow.

it’s not fair that those who install ad blockers or rejected cookies are piggy backing on the back of other users who haven’t.

I don't really care either way about adverts etc but this wording is just awful.

Agreed.