Proposal - Patreon

[Pyr0m4n14c]

So, I've talked this over with some other people, and I'd like to hear your collective thoughts on the matter.

Obviously, the ads on the site are necessary - running a site costs money, and ads can cover the cost. That being said, I'm concerned about the effect they have on the site, and how people perceive it. Users can simply change the site layout to get rid of some of the ads, but for non-users casually visiting the site, they can be rather disruptive - the auto-playing video ads in particular.

What I'd thought of was this: what if we started a Patreon page? I'm sure at least a few people wouldn't mind tossing a few dollars our way for a better site-viewing experience, especially if we could get a bit of promotion for it. There'd just be some stretch goals set up establishing how much monthly funding would be needed to cover the cost of an ad, and once that goal was met, the ad could be removed. That way, people who browse the site casually wouldn't be turned away by the (rather disruptive) ads - mobile users in particular get a rather crowded, messy-looking version of the site, especially on smaller pages like actor entries.

Any thoughts on how reasonable/feasible this would be?

[Greg-Z]

As Bunni is the sole owner of the site, only he can make such a decision. Our opinion, no matter pro or contra, is unlikely to make any difference. I would only recommend contacting Bunny personally, to be sure that he is aware about this proposal.

[Mazryonh]

I wouldn't be so quick to go to Patreon as a source of income for this site. Yes, certain firearms-focussed content creators fund themselves through Patreon. But given Patreon's demonstrated ideological bias (a link with NSFW ads, but still relevant), it's clear that they can ban/deplatform anyone they please for any or no reason whatsoever.

Simply put, Patreon isn't reliable and is under no obligation to give its users fair opportunities or even a fair trial if they think your content is "objectionable" in any way.