The question is, with the amount of advertising seemingly required to cover costs at this point, is it really a viable option? It is as if we only got rid of <blink> to have it now being replaced with doubleclick iframes and popups. We've made no progress.
While a different industry, Patreon and Twitch subscriptions seem to work for a lot of people. Although that usually involves only a single person at a time, it is probably at least worth considering to have this option as a content provider these days, as there is definite proof people are willing to pay for content they enjoy.
Even, or maybe especially, if they don't have to. It's a choice to help the creators they care about and enjoy. Not about buying themselves free from ads or whatever.
My personal opinion is that now would be a good time to go down that route.
While a different industry, Patreon and Twitch subscriptions seem to work for a lot of people. Although that usually involves only a single person at a time, it is probably at least worth considering to have this option as a content provider these days, as there is definite proof people are willing to pay for content they enjoy.
Even, or maybe especially, if they don't have to. It's a choice to help the creators they care about and enjoy. Not about buying themselves free from ads or whatever.
My personal opinion is that now would be a good time to go down that route.