As I'm sure a lot of us know, after it got to a certain amount of traffic and popularity, Reddit was sold to Conde Nast. There are also lots of ads all around the site. Will that ever happen here?
To be sure, if Hubski keeps growing, we need to pay for it. I've addressed this a few times, but here is the gist of it: My current favored model is one where a subscription makes Hubski ad-free, where the ad version of Hubski has ads that respect the nature of the site and its users. I've mentioned The Deck network as having the type and quality of advertising that I could tolerate. Kottke.org sports one. IMO there has been a carelessness about online advertising that doesn't mirror what is seen in print. You wouldn't expect a dancing mortgage alien in your print copy of National Geographic. That said, I would be very keen on having a substantial fraction of our revenue come direct from the users. That is freedom. Another party means another's interests, and advertisers do not share ours. At best we can force them to play our game. National Geographic print might actually be a good analogy, as they get both subscription and ad revenue. Also, their ads don't track. I am however, also open to and considering other options. It's a very important decision.
Ads on Hubski would be tolerable if they don't move or are flashy in any other way. Text ads are the only ads I would like to see on Hubski. I would even disable my ad blocker to support Hubski (something I don't do everywhere) That said, I would seriously consider getting Hubski Premium if that was an option. Maybe you should consider donations as a first step and "pay as much as you think this is worth" premium options. Kinda like the indie bundle. One pays as much as he thinks that the game/service is worth.
On the subject of Adblock, something I'd very much reccommend is switching from using AdBlock with a whitelist (where only sites in the whitelist don't have their ads blocked) to using AdBlock with a blacklist (where ads are only blocked on sites that you choose to block). For me, this is the best way to use AdBlock, since ads are far better and more relevant than they used to be. I rarely see ads that are truly obtrusive, an if I do, it's a simple two-click action to make them go away. Additionally, you actually end up finding out which sites use lots of ads in ways which annoy you, information which lets you make better choices about what sites you want to visit. So really, I recommend using AdBlock in blacklist mode only!
Too much work. I also use noscript, so ads are mostly broken anyway :P Another important think mk said was the no tracking part. I don't like to be tracked on the internet and using adblock in blacklist mode essentially tells them that you don't mind to be tracked, I also use ghostery by the way. Yes, I know. I am paranoid.
Don't fall for it guys. If you give him tree fiddy he will come back for more. Darn Loch Nesski !
I would definitely not expect a dancing alien on a print version of national geographic, however would I want one, certainly. With that being said, I would be careful at this point having a substantial part of the revenue come from the users, at this point in the sight, are there enough users to pay for the sight to keep going?
I would definitely scrape together funds to pay a monthly fee (like Reddit Gold, or perhaps a subscription sort of thing) if it would help keep Hubski online and thriving. The community is so thoughtfully laid out and managed, that I'm sure whatever mk has planned will be perfect.
I think there's also potentially value in making heavy-use of the features a paid-for feature. For example, if non-paying members were not allowed to submit more than 1 post in, say, a 24 hour period, that could: (a) encourage careful selection of what to post, reducing the "fun" of posting image memes or trying to "karma-whore" (b) add perceived value to the cost of a subscription, potentially increasing uptake I know that's a controversial idea, but honestly: I'd be willing to pay to get better-curated content, and this kind of move might do that.
I would be suprised if there was a single user who wouldn't donate to the Hubski cause, especially if it was for a badge.