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.

Well the choice is cookies (or pay) or no MN which feels reasonable.

But. I can only access via phone, but I prefer to use my laptop. If I could get on the site on my laptop I may consider cookies or payment.

But as long as it's a tech shit-show I'm not going to pony up in case it's like the Times where unsubscribing is harder than getting past the minotaur.

It's defensive.

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

Use some of your subscription fees or advertising revenue for a bit of training in how to communicate in a way that doesn't make the majority of your content creators think you are utterly ridiculous. Just an idea.

@BeckyAMumsnet how do I delete my account permanently please? Do I just uninstall the app or is there something else I need to do.

I don't want to be viewed as a freeloader or "piggybacking" almost 13 years in this site but after this message I'm out.

People won’t leave. They will creep back. Like me.

I think it is which is why it's Becky making the announcement and not Justine.

Don't you think you should stop the scam pop up problem that's been plaguing the site for months before doing this?
I installed an ad blocker just because of this.
I'll happily turn it off once mn sorts out the harmful pop ups.

How to profit from a crisis...

Well said !

the same as in many instances,
Tenant Blaming is a new thing for instance
when no maintenance results in boiler failure or
shower doors falling off or
anything for which LL will abnegate responsibility.

this MN situation is indeed reader blaming

Yes and this would be at least a tiny bit safer for women in vulnerable situations although not ideal.

Consent or sod off is usually the model for where creators are adding substantial original content and should be paid for that creator original content. I'd hazard a guess that most MNers only ever use the forums and avoid the advertorial sections.

Implementing this without warning for the vulnerable to minimise their risk, without address the excessive problems with adverts on this site and then going ahead with it at this time - its a good reminder that the management have long since ceased to be "of us".

This site has more problems with adverts than any site I use - I'm assuming they have largely given up trying to sort out the problems.

is it perhaps that the recent failings have led to a freefall in adverting revenue, making the site unviable in the short term without a subscription...or at least, not as profitable..?

Who knows?

I don't imagine yesterday's publicity will have encouraged advertisers either, but it's hardly something any business will disclose

Ironic, though, that something which generates money can be applied quite so fast while the necessary fixes appear to languish unattended

The thing that distressed me about this is that Mumsnet was an absolute source of knowledge and power and strength to me when I was poor and in an abusive relationship

I enjoy it now but I needed it then

But if feels kind of grim that people who really need it will have no choice but to be stalked online by every commercial partner MN chooses to do business with

Daft and really poor communication process.

The users make the site, and have, iike social media, made the owners billionaires by populating the site.
Users should not have to pay to use a site that they facilitate, which the owners would be on the dole without.

Worth thinking about.

With mumsnet making a net profit of over 2 million a year and still relying on volunteer moderators overnight this does seem to be bad timing.

100% and spot on analogy.

Most users ARE supportive of MN. Only to be treated with apparent contempt, yet again. Stop squandering your goodwill, ffs!

I'd like to know this too

is it perhaps that the recent failings have led to a freefall in adverting revenue, making the site unviable in the short term without a subscription...or at least, not as profitable..?

this.

What happened the other night? I've seen it mentioned a few times now.

You’ve handled this incredibly badly, MN. And after the CSA images? Good grief.

I just logged in. Was on the phone so not concentrating (lesson learned) so I 'clicked through' the 'free with ads or pay' screen to 'free with ads'.
Now I am into MN this morning I can see the thread from MNHQ about the change. So, how to 'unchange' if I now want to? Can I just leave or have I given permission for cookies all over my stuff now? Ironically I logged in to see whether there had been any progress with 'what happened on Sunday night'.

Weird how there are no ads on this thread, as if no company wants to be linked with all the discontent. I have adblockers on one device, and don't intend to remove them. Neither do I ever 'accept or pay' on that device. Shame, really, as it's the only one where I could reliably scroll through threads without being stuck on giant ads.

There are whole TV programmes devoted to iconic adverts, which people actively choose to watch - some of which are fondly remembered and recalled decades afterwards.

People will actually go to YouTube to seek out and watch adverts! That's exactly what I did with the beautiful 2023 Amazon advert - with the elderly ladies sledging down the hill in the snow and remembering doing the same thing together as young girls. Same with most of the Irn Bru adverts.

If there were a way that MN could attract interesting, quality adverts (in the same was as they attract so much briliant content from users), that neither dominate, obstruct user experience nor feel the need for intrusive tracking, folk would be wanting to see them. They wouldn't be using an ad-blocker for fear of missing the marketing gold that everybody else is enjoying and talking about!

Maybe that's a multi-billion business plan in the making: a site that is nothing but amazing, hilarious, poignant and/or beautiful (actual, current) adverts that everybody is desperate to log on to see - like a positive commercial ouroboros that delights users and marketers alike!

I'm just finding it hard to take it all in.

CSA...
Vague accusations of posters being "bad faith actors"...
Being referred to as "freeloaders" for trying to make the site not crash with ads...
Lest we forget, freaking CSA images, only days ago, and barely addressed...
And now one is some sort of scum, rudely "piggybacking" on users to daft to install an adblocker.

What exquisite timing!

No one jives well with forced ads.
We are not the audience to do this to.

I particularly love the BBC license ad this morning, PRESUMING i don't have one and won't pay! Fuck the fuck off.