Announcing Slashdot Subscriptions 2332
To understand why the system works like it does, you need to first understand that Slashdot is about to start accepting new ad formats. The large ads that you see on many other sites are coming here. We really don't have an option: these are what advertisers want, and if we don't provide them, we won't be around much longer. But we want to give you an option to see Slashdot without these ads. Second, you need to understand that Slashdot readers fall into a variety of types, and charging the same flat fee just isn't possible.
Slashdot subscriptions will essentially let you buy a thousand pages to be viewed without banner ads. And you will have some flexibility to decide what types of pages (Comments, Articles, The Homepage) you want ads removed from, and what types of pages you just want to see the ads.
The rates are currently set at $5 per 1000 pages. To put this into perspective, $20 (typical magazine subscription) will be enough pages for 82% of our readers to view Slashdot without ads for a year. Another 15% will need to spend $5 a month to accomplish the same thing. 3% of our readers would need to spend more than $5 a month- but they could choose to see ads on comments and in almost every case, still pay around $5 a month. (As an aside, it's also worth noting that more than half of all comment posters fall into this 3%)
We realize that this system is more complex, but Slashdot has a third of a million readers per day with different reading habits, and this is the best way to accomodate everyone fairly.
Currently we only accept payment via paypal. It was simply easy and fast. We intend to offer other options as time permits and readers request.
Eventually we intend to offer additional features to subscribers. Exactly what those plums are remains to be decided: Access to the rejected submissions bin? A 'Gold Star' in your comments header? Karma? (I think that would be hilarious) We really don't know. We'll decide and implement what makes sense as we have time to do it.
We are doing our best to learn from the mistakes made by other sites that have started charging for subscriptions. We won't create subscriber only features that cost more to maintain than they generate. But we do need support from you if we are to continue. So anyway, here's that link again if you forgot it ;)
I've already my "subscription" system (Score:4, Funny)
First Subscription! (Score:2, Funny)
Post alternative sites below (Score:3, Funny)
Oh no. (Score:3, Funny)
Imminent Death of the Net Predicted. Film at 11.
Subsciption or financing a wedding... (Score:4, Funny)
registered users get first post rights? (Score:1, Funny)
Slashdot is Dying. (Score:0, Funny)
When does the hardware get auctioned off? I'm going to install windows 2000 on everything I can!
Khm... (Score:0, Funny)
How about quality ?
Sorry Taco. (Score:1, Funny)
I'll go bathe now.
How much will it cost... (Score:4, Funny)
Missed it by that much... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:How sad... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:That's nice. Hope you don't love slashdot... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Subsciption or financing a wedding... (Score:4, Funny)
Do subscribers get:
Three Words: License to Troll (Score:2, Funny)
A bad idea? Hell yeah. But it would probably raise a ton of money.
Steve
Re:Subsciption or financing a wedding... (Score:3, Funny)
you mean you had to get her stoned in order to marry you?
desparate times, I guess.
Re:Karma (Score:3, Funny)
This makes the term "Karma whoring" a lot more precise, no?
Re:Post alternative sites below (Score:2, Funny)
Eric Raymond says that I patch of kernel is in crisis; that the enormous amount of patches that send the developers saturates Linus, which causes that there are patches that remain outside without no good apparent reason. In order to solve it proposes it that Torvalds begins to delegate of one more a more efficient way.
More coherant than most of what Taco posts
Re:support via content (Score:5, Funny)
Good point. I have 50 karma points, where's *my* cheque?
Re:Karma (Score:5, Funny)
Don't you mean 'Just My 4 pages'?
Re:Here's an idea (Score:3, Funny)
How much for UID of 0?
Being root on
Re:Does this change the viewer demographic for ads (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Subsciption or financing a wedding... (Score:3, Funny)
User #1 goes first either way.
Re:Karma (Score:2, Funny)
I had some then it went away. I don't know why and I don't much care...
Taco's Honeymoon needs funding! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:I've already my "subscription" system (Score:4, Funny)
In addition, no one may link into any stories anymore from applets or other websites.
-The Management
Re:Let the Flames Begin (Score:2, Funny)
Did you see the item number in paypal? (Score:2, Funny)
nice move. kinda like the price for the original apples.
And yes, of course I paid. I don't use linux, and am a MS guy, myself, so I'm used to paying for things. Hello, you need money? Have a large sum of cash. I get used to it.
Re:Metered pricing vs. flat rate (Score:3, Funny)
Mod Down CowboyNeal / Hemos and Taco (Score:1, Funny)
I'll pay the dough, if it'll keep Katz from postin (Score:2, Funny)
my $.02, or maybe $5, who can tell these days!
Re:Karma (Score:4, Funny)
I bid (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Text Ads (Score:0, Funny)
I don't like large ads, i like these interactive flash type ads that yahoo is doing though..It more closely resembles the crash television commercialism i've been brought up on!
Re:Karma (Score:4, Funny)
Free 100 pages to a person for submitting an article?
Submitted news is the livelihood of slashdot, and it helps out some of us that have submitted a lot of published articles.
Re:question about what is a page (Score:4, Funny)
(Come to think of it, I could get positive cash flow on this site from such a policy...)
Re:Metered pricing vs. flat rate (Score:3, Funny)
The above reference may be too obscure for anyone to recognize, but heh I may be suprised.
Who should pay for slashdot? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Wrong! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:I'm not leaving, but I'm not paying either (Score:3, Funny)
LOL! Ever consider doing some work at work?
Re:Here's an idea (Score:3, Funny)
Now taking bids on #2512 w/ 49 Karma points.
:-)
You should have leveraged JonKatz hatred. (Score:4, Funny)
Done something like "When we reach 20,000 in pledges, we'll fire Jon Katz."
Re:Help your favorite site, spoof the click (Score:2, Funny)
Please remove all my comments. Now. (Score:5, Funny)
From: J. Nagle
Over the last few years, I have posted 1700 comments to Slashdot. (Current karma: 162)
I do not authorize the unpaid use of my copyrighted materials on the pay sites of others. Please remove all my previous comments before your site becomes a pay site. Failure to do so will be considered a copyright violation.
John Nagle
Menlo Park, CA
Re:Help your favorite site, spoof the click (Score:5, Funny)
That's easy, get married. You'll see what I mean.
Re:Gee, thanks Slashdot. (Score:2, Funny)
I'll give you 5 bucks!
Way 2 Go /.! Over $5 worth of comment posting! (Score:3, Funny)
I agree (Score:5, Funny)
Re:That's nice. Hope you don't love slashdot... (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah, cause all your contributions have been so incredibly [slashdot.org] valuable [slashdot.org] already.
I suggest you go download Slashcode or Scoop and open up your own blog, where there are no banner ads whatsoever, no one will ever have to pay a subscription, and life is perfect. Two years later you might have more of an appreciation for what Taco and company have accomplished here.
The web ain't free anymore, and no matter how much people like you will cry and scream about it, it's a fact of life. Places like Slashdot can't stay afloat unless they're being paid by users, or being paid by advertisers. Advertisers expect people to look at their ads, so if your blocking, your doing Slashdot a disservice, period.
Re:That's nice. Hope you don't love slashdot... (Score:4, Funny)
It does if you network with Banyan Vines.
Re:That's nice. Hope you don't love slashdot... (Score:2, Funny)
I would have read the entire thing, but without a refreshing commercial break, I couldn't keep my attention span engaged.
What was I talking about again?
GMFTatsujin
Re:That's nice. Hope you don't love slashdot... (Score:3, Funny)
Jesus, why is it so evil just to ignore the ads? Do you go through a newspaper or a magazine before you read it and rip out every ad, just in case your free will is somehow subjegated to Corporate Greed? Do you refuse to watch any TV "live" just because you can't stand the thought of wasting 30 seconds of your life?
Yeah, I know, "I do it because I can". Well yay for you I guess.
Kuro5hin.org (Score:2, Funny)
Female Circumcision - Basic Information [kuro5hin.org]
I think I'll be sticking with Slashdot..
Ha! (Score:1, Funny)
simple (Score:0, Funny)
oh sure its ok to block the ads everywhere else.
but slashdot is somehow "special" or "different" than those other websites right?
i don't fucking thing so.
you ads get blocked like everyone else.
contrary to popular beleif you are not special.
you are a just a two bit internet swindler like the rest of the dotcoms.
the internet was so much better before all you greedy assholes showed up.