Re:The Whole Web Pays for Google and Facebook to Be Free
by GekkePrutser on Wednesday March 03, 2021 @07:02AM
(#26327282)
> Hacker News threads are filled with users arguing that they gladly pay a lot just to avoid advertising.
True, and I did before. I had a subscription to Ars Technica and a few other sites like Tweakers in the Netherlands (a big local tech site).
But, what I found lately was that these tech platforms were alienating me. They're trying to reach a wider audience and as such are delivering much less of interest to me. Much less 'deep dives' than before and more 'phoned in' articles and press release copy/pastes. And in the case of Tweakers are still delivering trackers like Google Analytics and Scorecard Research even to paid subscribers. Both sites also changing their design to be more visual and thus reducing content on the screen, which forces even more scrolling to see everything.
So I actually dropped my subscriptions. I still have the lowest tier with Tweakers but they're dropping that soon so I won't renew. I still adblock anyway because I don't want to be tracked (and yes I know it's not fully effective).
It just feels like every site wants to grow too big and widen their audience. They're no longer happy with being a small niche outfit, which waters down their value to me.
I notice this especially because of Hacker News. Because it's still a niche site. Every day I find a few 'pearls' here that I don't see anywhere else. Whereas the other sites are forcing me to dredge through crap I'm not interested in with less and less interesting pieces in between.
True, and I did before. I had a subscription to Ars Technica and a few other sites like Tweakers in the Netherlands (a big local tech site).
But, what I found lately was that these tech platforms were alienating me. They're trying to reach a wider audience and as such are delivering much less of interest to me. Much less 'deep dives' than before and more 'phoned in' articles and press release copy/pastes. And in the case of Tweakers are still delivering trackers like Google Analytics and Scorecard Research even to paid subscribers. Both sites also changing their design to be more visual and thus reducing content on the screen, which forces even more scrolling to see everything.
So I actually dropped my subscriptions. I still have the lowest tier with Tweakers but they're dropping that soon so I won't renew. I still adblock anyway because I don't want to be tracked (and yes I know it's not fully effective).
It just feels like every site wants to grow too big and widen their audience. They're no longer happy with being a small niche outfit, which waters down their value to me.
I notice this especially because of Hacker News. Because it's still a niche site. Every day I find a few 'pearls' here that I don't see anywhere else. Whereas the other sites are forcing me to dredge through crap I'm not interested in with less and less interesting pieces in between.