> If we want to make information available to as many people as possible, an ad-supported model is the way to do it
There are alternatives, a good one I see used in Ptreon, the supporters get early access to content, the rest will get it a month later. Let me try find the pros and cons
Cons:
- you need first to find supporters, so for a while you need to work hard to get them
- some supporters might feel entitled to stuff, you need to make sure to be clear about what being a supporter means
- you need to be very clear and transparent , some supporters will not tolerate delays or low quality/quantity updates
Pro:
- you have a predictable revenue model, you don't depend on an algorithm
- you mostly don't have to censor your content (there are exceptions true, but there are alternatives)
- you don't have to promote scams like VPNs, shit games with loot boxes, crypto scams
- you are not forced by an algorithms to release on a certain text/video length , a certain schedule , use certain shitty thumbnails or click-bait titles
- if you make public your content after a month or week etc, your fans that don't have money still get it and will promote it, also influencers will promote it because they know it will be free after a time interval.
This patreon model does not solve everything, just wanted to mention that there are alternatives to shity ads that track and manipulate you. Other alternative would be honest contextual ads, like if you search for printer ink from city A then Google/Bing could show you an ad from a local shop that refils ink cartridges.