Currently, Bluesky doesn’t allow advertising, and its CEO has made it clear that ads are not in its future plans. However, if Bluesky does allow ads someday, would that affect your use of the platform?
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A membership isn’t too crazy to ask, but ad-based revenue is seen as a necessity nowadays and it opens the door to privacy issues. We need to know where our data goes and have stricter regulation when it comes to data brokers. Our internet identity should not be monetized without consent, period.
Nope. As long as Elmo or some other rightwing freak doesn’t own this place, this is home. Me leaving X was not because of the righties, it was because of oligarch Elmo. I didn't want to be a part of filling his pockets with my clicks.
If it shuts down Twitter, I am all for it, but as others mentioned, the right to block certain advertisers that support a criminal and republican party.
I'd prefer a tiered membership where 5 bucks a month gets you a double post length, some stickers, and some animated emoticons.
Like, basic stuff at a cheap price that most can afford. If even 1 percent of users take that up, well golly that'd be 1 mil a month of income to support the platform.
Yeah I've seen that kind of idea floating around and I am all for it. Through in some special customizations for profiles (like Nitro does on Discord). I don't know how well it would do but seems like a decent money maker. Especially at $5
Also instead of making a verified status as part of the monthly sub, you could just have a little badge with an s. Bronze for let's say, a 1 dollar a month, silver for 3, gold for 5, platinum for 9.99.
Supporter badges. Doesn't mean trustworthy, just means you support bluesky.
Good idea, but I would like to make that optional, so subscriptions don't become an upper-class label.
People who, for no fault of their own, choose to support the site with ads instead of with dollars, are still supporting.
I never minded the ads on old Twitter -- most were from major brands and I considered them the price of having the platform be free. Later, the ads got super creepy (much like the content). I'd be fine with normal ads -- just not weed/Temu/Shein every third post.
Yes! It was the type of ads that bothered me the most once the big companies left. It was all spammy nonsense product accounts that you couldn’t even mute.
Were they to go to an ad based model, I would hope entire categories of ads would not be allowed, like intimacy products, women’s undergarments, prescription drugs, political, cryptocurrency… I could go on.
It would be nice to be able to choose which category of ads I WANT to see.
If I choose none, I need a $5 subscription, if I choose only one, I might choose to gorge on as many cryptobro scams as my poor eyes could stand.
Advertisers like to show products to people who want them.
Hot take i actually don’t mind ads where algorithms perfectly target my interests like on Instagram where I’ll get Amazon suggestions that catch my eye.
I honestly think the people in leadership here is needed advertising would be mixed in a way to not be flooded. Also a paid option I'll gladly accept as long as it's the correct way and gives some small options.
P.s. Paid options imo have to include a real verification system put into place.
I'm fine with it as long as I can select that "I'm not interested" or "ad isn't relevant" and never see it again. It feels like these are dummy buttons on other apps that don't actually do anything.
Yes. I am sick of being inundated with them on Twitter and on FB. FB - my feed has more ads than anything else some days. I'd rather pay for Bluesky than see it overrun with garbage
Yes. I would very much prefer continuing use of bluesky were it to adopt a pay scheme, say a few bucks a year, to keep unbridled banner invasions outta here.
It depends on what ads. I don't mind ads as long as the space they are in is a good one and they aren't scamming ads. Legit stuff I have no problem with it.
It depends on how they are implemented. I don't like how X incentivizes engagement, leading to a flood of unsolicited ads, or how companies can pay for their tweets to appear on your feed. But having a section of your feed clearly designated for ads is fine with me.
This is exactly what I think they should do too. I don’t mind ads bc I want them to get paid well but I’m also tired of being bombarded with them everywhere I go
Ads are a terrible idea in my opinion, and I will gladly pay for a subscription to ensure we never have them here. Ads inevitably lead to algorithms that have the primary goal of driving more engagement (to get us viewing more ads). It is a downward trajectory that leads us back to X.
I saw in an interview they were researching subscriptions for specialized services within the bluesky environment as a revenue stream.
Now ads wouldn't deter me, as long as they reviewed what was being advertised. No ads pushing ideologies or propaganda, no scams. That and don't make it obnoxious.
A lot of people (myself included) just kept having Elon content pushed to the top of their feed - often the second they opened the app. It was so frustrating.
No. I welcome advertisers.. it will help keep this app viable. Infrastructure and employees come at a cost… without it, I don’t know how this app survives long
I’m ok with ads if they’re done sensibly and sensitively. They should be clearly distinguished from user content.
Also, practical preferences for what you’re interested in.
Maybe premium for news orgs, etc, clearly demarcated.
Oh no, the back end of bluesky is one product, and the web browser and the client app are two more. The communication protocol between the two is the AT protocol, and you can implement your own client, server, web, anything.
Hey that's great to know and I wholeheartedly approve, and maybe I was using entirely the wrong language because I am not a web designer or a programmer, but that's basically what I thought I was saying
Wanting Bluesky to succeed is not a bad thing.
Having advertisers who align with the mission seems perfectly acceptable.
Actually a win/win, because we would rather purchase something from them than bezos
Agreed! I don't mind seeing ads (people behind BlueSky have to make a living like the rest of us after all) as long as Bluesky keeps the platform free from dis- and misinformation, propaganda and other toxicity.
I would literally tweet what I wanted in hopes some algorithm would show me what I want. It wasn’t the ads it was because the ads were either for some racists brain fart book or some junk from TEMU.
There are already ads, they're just organic like it was over a decade ago. What I would love to see is a way for purchases made through those ads to give a kickback to the platform. One example could be a store option for accounts and BS would take % of the sales. Keep the organic aspect.
Ads would definitely make it into another Twitter. The reason I left was 1. the politics/censorship, and 2. The ADS. every 3 posts there was a bot or an ad, and I felt like I was only being watched on there. I'm okay with paying a premium or a subscription if I'm guaranteed the same experience.
I would like for ads to be clearly marked at the top with “Ad” along with the name of the company/advertiser. Having a clear website name also.
Could advertisers have to have a BlueSky page?
It would be nice if it was not personally targeted.
if they put ads in the client, I'd use a client for the protocol that doesn't show ads? if they put ads in the AppView, I'm pretty sure there would be alternative AppViews and clients using them within the week.
Bluesky was serious when they said they designed everything to outsurvive the company.
No one clicks on those ads and then uses/buys anything from them. They are a waste of time & a huge annoyance to everyone except the platform owners in the way other platforms deploy them
A lot of us will take the subscription at this point because we’ve seen where the pursuit of the advertising dollar has taken us. But we can’t lock folks out just for being broke so there needs to be another option
It would depend on how they’re implemented. An ad after so many posts is ok, but what you tend to find with social media sites that start to implement advertising is that after a while the news feed become geared to showing you ads rather than interaction with other people. People b4 ads
Scaling a successful product is always difficult. Moderation on BlueSky, and curation of displayed content are both important. Introducing ads needs a system of control: Clear tags that content is an ad, ability to block sources, block topics, block ad keywords, share blocklists?
Not if it’s more respectful than X. On X I get ads every day for sniper equipment to murder animals and I say I’m not interested and new sniper ads appear. Doesn’t matter if I’m under “For You” or “Following”.
Maybe. I really hated the multiple ads for the same obvious knock off merch at the other place. An occasional ad isn't a problem for me. Bills gotta be paid.
Why does everything need to be monetized? Not exactly working out great for America repeating the same mistakes over and over where eventually a hedge fund or billionaire purchases something and immediately strips it of what made it attractive in the first place.
I agree on principle, but you do realize that people work for creating, coding, maintaining a website like this one and they kinda need to eat and have a home (and apps, and servers to be payed, etc.)... If BS can't make any money at all, it's not going to survive very long.
Plenty of other jobs out there not sure why Bluesky would make a difference in getting folks work. Kind of acting like without it there is nothing out there for coders to “eat”
It's not Bluesky that will make a difference, it's Bluesky that needs to pay its worker, otherwise they won't work for Bluesky.
BS was first funded by Twitter until it was bought, then it seems they raised money through a network of tech-firm support.
It's not enough for long-term survival I think.
They just received new funding at $15 million so are good for awhile and talk about a subscription service so in the end if that is how they do it great but as soon as a billionaire or hedge fund gets involved I am gone.
Yes, we're not taking a decision here, merely discussing what we feel about different options. I would personally love that Bsky remains add free, and as long as their business plan with subscription service works, it's great. However, I also would prefer adds than billionaire or hedge fund.
How will they pay for this platform without advertising? I'd be open to a subscription based model, and do recognize they need to find a way to make it sustainable.
I would be ok with it as long as when I click “not interested in this content” it stops showing me said content. At the other place I was just force-fed the throttled garbage I didn’t want!
No and Bluesky being commercial free now is most refreshing, welcoming. Nothing lasts forever and I do hope this stays sans advertisements for some time.
Yup. It’s not worth the risk with out strict strict strict regulations and ZERO loopholes. Or make this for the people by the people…If a company wants to advertise they need to pay each person who reposts it? Idk but it has to be different. Ads ruin everything.
I'd prefer no adds. I'm tired of adds. I would rather a reasonable subscription model. However, if there is a need of a revenue source, the worst choice is paid prioritized posts. Paid prioritization has poisoned the internet.
Id absolutely drop cash to keep ads away. But frankly so long as they dont disguise ads as actual posts id be happy. Hell they could put in a “watch ad to support us” button and id be WAY MORE incentived to actually watch it. Bulk ads so long as they arent inhuman companies might make sense here
When the platform is sold or further funds come along (via subscription/ads etc). Most social media platforms aren't remotely profitable until years down the line. It's a long game.
Advertising ALWAYS carries with it moderation from advertisers. It’s how capitalists control the flow of information. It absolutely would affect the experience here.
A few ads here and there won't bother me tbh. I think the website needs some kind of monetization. Just as long as the adds aren't some crazy right wing crypto bro slop like on Twitter. That shit SUCKS
They’re going to have a monthly subscription fee (for those who want it) that allows certain premium features (and will not affect visibility or ranking)
The reality is that there needs to be money coming in.
They need to make them so they are not intrusive and if you are not interested you don’t have to see the same ad twice.
It depends on how they are implemented. My deeper fear is that there would need to be an algorithm for the ads to get the views they post for, and it's the first step down a dark path of enshittification.
I would understand the need for some well placed ads & it would not diminish my use of the site.
Like others have said, in order for bluesky to grow, having additional funding is necessary - just as long as monetizing it doesn’t get to anybody’s head once they start getting rich.
It would not impact my use in any way. It costs money to run an enterprise like this and as far as I know it’s not a charity so I would rather have ads than have it become a subscription service.
I don’t want to see ads at all. If there is a way to give premium features to people who pay, maybe that’s appropriate. But it’s a slippery slope where all the sudden you find the normal activities you used to enjoy behind a paywall. And then things suck and it’s just Twitter all over again.
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https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/elon-musk-transgender-daughter-vivian-wilson-interview-rcna163665
Like, basic stuff at a cheap price that most can afford. If even 1 percent of users take that up, well golly that'd be 1 mil a month of income to support the platform.
Supporter badges. Doesn't mean trustworthy, just means you support bluesky.
People who, for no fault of their own, choose to support the site with ads instead of with dollars, are still supporting.
If I choose none, I need a $5 subscription, if I choose only one, I might choose to gorge on as many cryptobro scams as my poor eyes could stand.
Advertisers like to show products to people who want them.
Also, follow me here? 🤗 💙
P.s. Paid options imo have to include a real verification system put into place.
Now ads wouldn't deter me, as long as they reviewed what was being advertised. No ads pushing ideologies or propaganda, no scams. That and don't make it obnoxious.
Also, practical preferences for what you’re interested in.
Maybe premium for news orgs, etc, clearly demarcated.
https://docs.bsky.app/docs/advanced-guides/atproto
https://docs.bsky.app/showcase?tags=client
Having advertisers who align with the mission seems perfectly acceptable.
Actually a win/win, because we would rather purchase something from them than bezos
To see greed kill the mariposa
Micropayments
Partner with all of the news orgs that are here. If an article gets linked, instead of paywalls to subscribe, how about micropayments to read?
Get to work.
If they do add advertising, which I think is likely, it'll depend on how they action it.
Could advertisers have to have a BlueSky page?
It would be nice if it was not personally targeted.
Thank you for asking for our thoughts.
Bluesky was serious when they said they designed everything to outsurvive the company.
If there is more than one revenue stream in the form of subscription, monetization doesn't hinge on the whims of greedy and manipulative advertisers.
How is BlueSky paying for itself? What income does it have to sustain itself?
Because, as they say, if you don't know what the product is, then YOU are the product.
BS was first funded by Twitter until it was bought, then it seems they raised money through a network of tech-firm support.
It's not enough for long-term survival I think.
https://atproto.com/
Did I say I hate them?
everyone in this thread claiming ads won't affect them needs to watch this TED Talk.
We know the public square is vital and no longer readily available finding ways to get there will be important
Bluesky will substitute for trustworthy public square but might be one proxy until a solution is found
I hope they don't call their revenue. I'm OK with ads so that they can be immensely successful
Patagonia, Whole Foods and maybe Aldi for us poors
They need to make them so they are not intrusive and if you are not interested you don’t have to see the same ad twice.
Like others have said, in order for bluesky to grow, having additional funding is necessary - just as long as monetizing it doesn’t get to anybody’s head once they start getting rich.