08-30-2014, 11:09 AM
Kosheh, you're missing the point. We're not selling something here. This isn't a service you're buying or perks that can only be unlocked with real money. Not everyone wants to directly contribute to the site's costs, and that's fine. These sites have always been free and will continue to be free regardless of donations, AdBlock use, or anything else.
There are, however, people who do want to help out and have already done so without the promise of anything. The purpose here is to reward those people with a better experience, not lock away features behind a paywall and coerce money out of visitors. People who are willing to donate any amount of money on a regular basis will do so without perks - this is just a way to to show our appreciation for those people. The only reason these two concepts are even related are because donations are used to supplement income from ads and if people are paying directly, there is no reason to also show them ads.
There are, however, people who do want to help out and have already done so without the promise of anything. The purpose here is to reward those people with a better experience, not lock away features behind a paywall and coerce money out of visitors. People who are willing to donate any amount of money on a regular basis will do so without perks - this is just a way to to show our appreciation for those people. The only reason these two concepts are even related are because donations are used to supplement income from ads and if people are paying directly, there is no reason to also show them ads.