What would you pay per-month for an Ad-Free ATS?

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan

For pay content is something that is part of our daily life. The people who saw the latest Star Wars (or any other for pay entertainment) aren't exactly a different class of people. Well....not that THAT way.

Paying to see professionally created content? Sure.

Paying to be the professionally created content? Not so much.

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
a reply to: Kitana

Thats not what i read....i read that you could opt out of ads by purchasing that. Or, alternately, you could continue with ads no problem

I think it's the segregation that is worrying some people.
SO's mention of a subscribers only forum etc, it's not good.

originally posted by: Klassified
a reply to: kloejen
1. This is a business. They are in it(partly) for the money. They've never said they weren't.

2. Ads have always been a part of the experience here, and how the site supports itself.

3. Look to the top of the page. There's a place you can donate. Been there quite some time now.

As for number 2 - no they haven't.
ATS once said that they would NEVER had ads on this site and then came the ads.
After that they said they would NEVER ask for donations or money and site would always be free - recently we got that donation bar at the top - which most people saw as the beginning of the paywall and in the thread about donations we were told that this was NOT the start of subscription or paying to use the site.

And now we're being asked how much we'd pay a month (subscription) - do you see a pattern?

I get it - things change and the site needs to survive and either can't or won't survive via ads.
But as others have said - TRANSPARENCY.

That's all - just be honest with us.

originally posted by: zazzafrazz
New people will not pay.

Nor will most 'old' people - so where does that leave ATS?

originally posted by: DupontDeux

Really...?
5$/month MAY make it worthwhile?

Such is the worth of the average ad loading member? That is not bad at all! Congratulations on that - that is just a couple of bucks shy of what Netlix needs to turn a healthy profit in spite of insane bandwidth usage and licencing fees. And their shares just SOARED.

You guys should go public!

Except EVERY user of Netflix is paying that. If you assume that only 1 in every 1000 ATS members might pay a subscription, that $5 has to cover the costs of the other 999 freeloaders (of which I am a proud flagbearer) as well.

I swear, ATS has one of the least economically literate userbases of any website I've ever visited. Mind you, I've never been to mumsnet which would probably be a serious contender.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: artistpoet
I think you're missing my point. I'm agreeing with you.

But SO doesn't seem to be talking about a paid, tiered "membership". Yet.

You mean except the the part in the OP where he literally states there would be a subscribers forum.
ie: a paid members private lounge.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

Is it just a coincidence or did all these ads get bigger ?

a reply to: stargatetravels

For clarification ...
This is what SO wrote

"Also looking at a couple other subscriber perks. Like a dedicated forum just for subscribers"

a reply to: artistpoet

Yeah that's what I said - a private paid members lounge.
It's a two tiered system and sadly, if it does become 'a thing' then I can see it splitting ATS in more ways than one, it would be hugely divisive and drive many people away.
But as I said, Skeptic Overlord needs to do the math and work out if the payers will be worth more $$$ than the entire membership and adverts.

We wait with baited breath..

a reply to: stargatetravels

Yeah that's what I said - a private paid members lounge.
It's a two tiered system and sadly, if it does become 'a thing' then I can see it splitting ATS in more ways than one, it would be hugely divisive and drive many people away.

I agree ...

The reason I posted the SO quote :-
""Also looking at a couple other subscriber perks. Like a dedicated forum just for subscribers"

Was because sometimes people just skip through replies
and may have missed this later addition to the initial
"What would you pay per-month for an Ad-Free ATS?" post

i cant read that thing in the op as ghostry blocked it

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

nary a thing.
but here is a idea, knowing how many people visit ATS world wide and that many a MSM and others have gleaned info from here.
start charging the advertisers to advertise here.

a reply to: artistpoet

Ah ok - I see.
Very true and good to have the quote in there.

a reply to: EvillerBob

Um, no, it's not having one user paying $5/month so that 999 other people don't have ads, it's 1 user paying $5/month so that one user does not have ads. I'm assuming the other 999 people will either still see ads, or see whatever it is that is displayed when an adblocker is run.

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originally posted by: Eilasvaleleyn
a reply to: EvillerBob

Um, no, it's not having one user paying $5/month so that 999 other people don't have ads, it's 1 user paying $5/month so that one user does not have ads. I'm assuming the other 999 people will either still see ads, or see whatever it is that is displayed when an adblocker is run.

Go back and reread the post.

I was replying to a post comparing netflix to ATS. That poster was wondering why netflix only charges $7 (or whatever) despite the insane storage and bandwidth demands for their service, while ATS is wanting $5 for a tiny fraction of the bandwidth requirements. The poster seemed to be suggesting that it was ridiculous to ask for so much money.

I pointed out that netflix uses a system where everyone has to pay. For every thousand users, they get $7,000. ATS is proposing a system where people choose to pay. For every thousand users, ATS might only get $5. That $5 has to cover the costs of providing the service to that user, and to the freeloaders like me who (i) won't pay, but (ii) won't see adverts either.

Is reading comprehension not considered an essential element of poetry anymore?

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

I've been a member of this site for a long time now so I don't see any ads and I'm hardly creating Threads these days or participating that much on members Threads, I mainly just read them now and move on to the next one unless there is a great Thread to participate in, so I would say maybe a paid subscription for those who use the site more than others. Those who just read shouldn't pay anything and are maybe limited to post in 14 threads per week? Which makes it 2 threads per day on average.

originally posted by: hounddoghowlie
a reply to: SkepticOverlord

nary a thing.
but here is a idea, knowing how many people visit ATS world wide and that many a MSM and others have gleaned info from here.
start charging the advertisers to advertise here.

i thought the Advertisers were aying to advertise?? Seems a given to me to charge Advertisers as they make enough profit as it is.

originally posted by: TruthxIsxInxThexMist
a reply to: SkepticOverlord

I've been a member of this site for a long time now so I don't see any ads and I'm hardly creating Threads these days or participating that much on members Threads, I mainly just read them now and move on to the next one unless there is a great Thread to participate in, so I would say maybe a paid subscription for those who use the site more than others. Those who just read shouldn't pay anything and are maybe limited to post in 14 threads per week? Which makes it 2 threads per day on average.

Oh sure that'd be great... so not only a subscribers forum as proposed by SO but now limiting those who can't pay to only being able to post a set number of times?
Seriously? Do you actually think before you type.

Cool... ATS very own Untouchables.

FFS

originally posted by: Sargeras
a reply to: SkepticOverlord

I would absolutely pay $10 a month, and yes, I think we should be able to gift it to other members.

Why didn't you just say that you would pay $100 a month?
When the seller offers $5, go with that.