Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: jr2 on September 22, 2016, 08:58:44 pm

Title: Google "Contributor" program - do we do this?
Post by: jr2 on September 22, 2016, 08:58:44 pm

IMHO we should.

Found from comment (https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/540x95/77_of_ad_blocking_users_feel_guilty_about/d7y05fz) on reddit:

Quote

FYI, google has a service called Contributor. Basically it sets aside 7$ a month, replaces google ads with thank you messages, and gives the sites some money. I think they get more money that if they had shown you an ad, but I cannot find that documented anywhere. Any money left over at the end of the month is returned. There are caveats: the sites have to turn the feature on, and they have to have google ads in the first place, but google did have 55% of the internet ad market in 2015.

Anyway, it works well paired with an adblocker. With the blocker turned on you never give out a penny. If you like a website you can disable the adblocker for their domain (ie. theonion.com) and start giving them money. This way you still never see ads, but you contribute just to the people you like.

Edit* you can set it as low as 1$ a month once you sign up.

Feel free to move this topic to Site Support if you think it belongs there.

Anyways, just a thought, as IIRC we use Google Ads.

Title: Re: Google "Contributor" program - do we do this?
Post by: Scourge of Ages on September 24, 2016, 05:29:18 pm

Quote from: jr2 on September 22, 2016, 08:58:44 pm

Anyways, just a thought, as IIRC we use Google Ads.

I believe we did, but right now there are none. Last I checked, HLP is purely donation funded. http://www.hard-light.net/donate/

Title: Re: Google "Contributor" program - do we do this?
Post by: Goober5000 on September 24, 2016, 08:34:29 pm

Yeah, we used to use Google Ads, but they accused us, without justification, of gaming their system and revoked our membership.  We appealed it and they denied the appeal, again without justification.

Title: Re: Google "Contributor" program - do we do this?
Post by: jr2 on September 25, 2016, 07:20:55 am

Sounds like a power-hungry admin @ Google Ads or something.  Found Derek Smart's cousin's job! :lol:

Title: Re: Google "Contributor" program - do we do this?
Post by: Klaustrophobia on September 26, 2016, 08:09:29 am

How were we 'gaming the system'?  By having a membership not stupid enough to click on their ads?

Title: Re: Google "Contributor" program - do we do this?
Post by: jr2 on September 26, 2016, 08:12:09 am

Probably had something to do with too many clicks, not too little.  As in, no one clicks the ads, then we feel guilty, and click every ad we see for a day, then back to none.  I dunno.  Or just one person (either trying to be helpful, or being malicious) using some sort of script to click the ads.