We need to talk about advertising.
I’m well aware that some of the advertisements appearing on The AIMN are intrusive. They can interrupt the reading experience, clutter the pages and, quite frankly, become an annoyance. That’s not what we want for our readers.
We want people to visit The AIMN, enjoy the articles, engage in discussion and leave feeling that their time here has been worthwhile.
Unfortunately, there’s a dilemma. The advertisements that generate the most revenue are often the very ones that are most intrusive. As a small independent publication, we rely on advertising to help meet the costs of keeping The AIMN running. We can’t simply ignore that reality.
But we’d like to change things.
Here’s what we’re proposing.
If we can increase our monthly donations by just $150, we’ll remove the most intrusive advertising from the site.
That’s our target. Not an enormous amount, perhaps, but to The AIMN it would make an enormous difference.
We’re not asking everyone to contribute. We understand that many of our readers are doing it tough, and we would never want anyone to feel obliged to donate.
But if those who can afford to contribute a little are willing to help, we can work towards making The AIMN a more pleasant place to read.
We believe independent journalism matters. We believe in providing a platform for opinions and perspectives that don’t always get a hearing in the mainstream media.
And we’d like to do that without making readers fight their way through advertisements to enjoy it.
Help us make The AIMN a better reading experience.
Just $150 extra each month could make all the difference.
Thank you for reading, supporting, arguing, agreeing, disagreeing and, occasionally, telling us exactly what you think.
That’s what makes The AIMN a community rather than just another website.
Keep Independent Journalism Alive – Support The AIMN
Dear Reader,
Since 2013, The Australian Independent Media Network has been a fearless independent voice – holding power to account and delivering journalism that matters.
Running this site isn’t cheap. Rising costs mean we need your support now more than ever. Every donation, big or small, keeps our servers running, our writers working, and our stories free for everyone.
Donate here:
PayPal or credit card – just click on the Donate button below
Direct bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969
We’ve also set up a GoFundMe as a dedicated reserve fund for hosting and future improvements.
Thank you for standing with us. We couldn’t do this without you.
With gratitude,
The AIMN Team
Michael, I cannot understand the complaints.
We are getting a free service of high quality where we can vent, have a chuckle, have a whinge.
What’s not to like.
I don’t see the ads as being overly intrusive.
Just reading between the lines, I think the site is getting stronger.
Anyone who leaves because of ads was not worth having around.
There — I’ve had my whinge!!!
🙂
I hope you make that $150 per month, Michael. Just a thought for those unable to help with a monthly donation, I pay $40 a year and my computer is ad free. I have never seen an ad on this site. I also don’t get ads on Bluesky, (my social media platform,) or anywhere else. There are many ad blockers. Mine is Ad Remover for Chrome. It works on your phone as well. My phone is a Google Pixel.
I agree with both Steve and Jen.
I imagine that there are others whose ‘ad experience’ is different, but mine is just some banners at the top and bottom with ‘hide’ arrows that remove them, and some static small ads on the side and within the article. Clicking on the arrows, ignoring the side panel, and a small scroll down during reading are a tiny price to pay as far as I’m concerned.
There was a time, an eon ago, when the ads vibrated or moved disconcertly at infinitum – that made reading difficult for me, but even then, it was possible to scroll up and down to manoeuvre them into being hidden as much as possible. That’s ancient history, thanks Michael.
Supporting AIMN financially is well worth it.
As above. Ads dont bother me
Yep, the ads are a pain but I will put up with them without distraction in order to access the AIMN and its interesting, sometimes amusing professional journalism. Being able to see and add to comments increases my interest. P&I and MWM unfortunately don’t allow this. Meanwhile I am in for AUD10 per month now even if the ads have to remain.