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I think I'll continue to use ad block guilt free. I support some creators directly through patreon and that's far more effective than ad revenue.
I think that ad supported video content is pretty darn convenient, but the fact that YouTube is free is a benefit to them, not to me... I don't think ad supported video content is something that we need and I'd prefer to have reasonably priced subscriptions like Nebula.
Agreed. Go to Patreon and let me pay for an ad-free stream. I’m a member of fourteen different Patreon projects. Used to be more, but a couple of podcasts drifted from where they were when I signed up and I lost interest.
I buy software licenses too. And I buy my music. I rent movies on streaming services and sometimes buy for things I know will have a high replay value.
I feel no shame blocking ads. They’re invasive and annoying. People have been conditioned to accept them, but I got rid of television in 2021 and started torrenting content. Now that there’s good infrastructure to pay for my media (ad free) and I can afford it, I choose to support those who make what I enjoy. Fuck ads. If I can’t block them, I’ll just go elsewhere.
Patreon is great, I'm talking about the gratis option. I personally have no 'guilt' regarding ad blockers and I don't remember last time I saw ad (except on other people's devices) online^1^. The question was about convincing people to use ad blocker or alt clients who do not want to or can't afford to pay creators directly.
^1^ excluding sponsorship in videos.. I do not use sponsorblock and I found sponsored contents from some channels useful.
but I got rid of television in 2021 and started torrenting content.
Silly me, I meant to type 2001. Obviously, there was a strong streaming market in 2021 to let me pay for content.
Do you use nebula? Do you know if it uses DRM? I'm considering a subscription for a while but couldn't find proper answer for that.
I do indeed and I'm uncertain if their built in video players use DRM. My guess would be probably because they likely used some off the shelf video streaming library and most of those come built on top of restricted technologies.
Does it give high (≥ 1080p) quality in browser without widevine? Good way to check is firefox. It shows a handcuff sign near the address bar.
Firefox does not show a handcuff symbol for nebula's video player - so it looks safe for DRM concerns. The video player also seems to just be a plain old video tag though there may be sneaky JS stuff happening to it - while I've worked extensively on web apps media serving using modern html is out of my wheelhouse.
Great, I guess I'll try out then.
Ad revenue is like less than 1%
99% of the revenue is through sponsorships and donation links like Patreon
Don't feel guilty using ad blockers
I wish I could rely on Patreon and user funding only. That would be the dream, and if Patreon reached the same amount of money monthly as YouTube ads, I would disable ads on my channel (if that’s still even possible?). The reality though, is that we’re not even close to that yet, and so for now, I need ads, and sponsors to pay the bills.
from https://thelinuxexp.com/Ethics
so it is not the case always.
Though IMO if I don't act based on an ad, the purpose of the ad is defeated and hence effectively the ad is blocked. There are ways to 'clickjack' or 'show' ads without actually seeing it, my proposal is a simplified version of that. I have never done those 'ad viewing' tricks because they are complicated, and probably not suitable for people outside the tech bubble anyway. Also disabling blockers like ubo on a regular browsing session for any website has privacy and potentially security implication, not to mention requirement of using a non blocking dns for the said session.
Ad supported videos act as a demo. Those who can tolerate ads, can stay in the demo stage. If you have tried the videos, found them valuable, and can’t tolerate the ads, I suggest paying for the video in the future.
There’s value in having both systems in place. If you have only one, it’s going to limit your options and hurt everyone involved.
Creator-owned platforms are the answer. I pay 2.50 USD/month for Nebula, and I have a less invasive experience, no ads, and the creators are paid better.
I also pay ~5/mo for Dropout, which is entirely owned by the people who run it.
In both cases, I feel as though I'm getting more value out of my time spent watching compared to the average YouTube video. Higher quality, less fluff, less algorithm bait.