Lauchs

Back in the day, before ad blockers general unobtrusive ads generated more revenue per site visit. As ad blockers become popular, the value of those same ads were worth less.

So, to answer your question, they were able to pay the bills with discreet ads which we decided were too annoying, leading to the current spiral of decline.

Have you subscribed or paid for many? If so, thank you! But sadly, most of us don't.

I'm not talking big conglomerates, I'm talking about independent journalism or folks who are working to build something meaningful or beneficial to me, like webcomics or fantasy hockey.

Since people started getting news online for free, quality independent journalism has plummeted and we've been left with mostly corpo media with a few indies hanging on or getting absorbed into corpo. I think it's a tragedy which adblockers have accelerated.

Yup. Everyone wants everything free but simultaneously want a high standard of wages for everyone except whomever is providing them a service.

Folks dress it up in whatever nonsensical rationale they'd like but really, I think we're just selfish.

So why should anyone make a website for you to visit?

Donations etc haven't been particularly effective. Should only giant corpo media exist? Should online news enter into sketchy deals with whomever?

Honestly, I don't use many random websites frequently, the ones I do tend to be pretty non intrusive in terms of ads (cbc, dobberhockey etc) so it might just be lucky on my part.

I dunno, I just think it's a race to the bottom. If everyone ad blocks then sites either don't exist, have to get more intrusive for the small sliver who doesn't ad block or sketchy partnerships.

How do you expect the websites you use to exist if everyone ad blocks them?

If it's a site I use regularly, I'll disable ad blocker, especially news. It'd be childish demand people provide me their time, labour and effort for free, especially when the ads cost me nothing.

Hundred percent. OP seems like a sympathy/pity vampire or something.

I feel terrible, so many people are taking tine to try and help and at best get met with a "no, I don't want that."

I keep waiting for them to take up my offer to find them free therapy...

Where did lil Napoleon hide his lil armies?

In his lil sleevies!

Why does Snoop carry an umbrella?

Fo drizzle.

This is my casual go to, love freaking out as the second muffin.

If you envy them, you can take proactive steps like therapy. Again, if you share the region in which you live, I can look for free resources for you.