Google has recently rolled out its beta Contributor program as a test targeted toward about 10 websites. Contributor lets a select group of website visitors block Google ads for $1, $2 or $3 per month with the lion’s share of this going to the website publishers.
According to Wired, “The web is funded by ads. But so many people hate seeing them, and they often resent all the data tracking that props them up. It’s a clash that has become a major pain point for news websites and other publishers. The rise of ad blockers, which let people surf the web without these annoying ads, is also blocking their revenue. But Google is now offering a service that addresses both sides of this rather complicated issue.
“Launched on Thursday, the service is called Google Contributor, and it asks you to pay $1, $2, or $3 a month to back the websites you particularly like. In exchange for your support, you’ll see ‘thank you’ messages where ads used to be—at least on the websites that participate in the program.”
Some of the high profile websites that are participating in this test include Mashable, The Onion, Imgur, Urban Dictionary, Science Daily and WikiHow. Of course there are already ad blockers that one can use especially add-ons for Firefox, but this option allows fans of certain websites to contribute to the publishers directly and support their favorite online content.
It’s too early to tell how Google Contributor will impact advertisers or Adsense publishers.
Sources
http://www.wired.com/2014/11/google-contributor/
https://www.google.com/contributor/welcome/
https://gigaom.com/2014/11/20/google-launches-contributor-a-crowdfunding-tool-for-publishers/
