The business model is the message

Every monetisation decision is a value decision wearing a spreadsheet. The subscription sites teach their readers that stories are scarce and must be rationed. The pop-up-labyrinth sites teach their readers that they are cattle to be funnelled. Whatever you choose, you are teaching your audience what to expect from you — and they will learn the lesson whether you meant to teach it or not.

We chose one ad slot per page, clearly labelled, and one optional, dismissible ad unlock on longer stories. No paywall. No countdown timers. No fake download buttons. The unlock exists because longer stories cost more attention to write, and because a reader who chooses to watch an ad has given more than a reader who closed a pop-up — they have given consent.

This is a worse business than spam, in the short run. It is a better business than spam in every other run. Sites that respect the reader compound; sites that exhaust the reader churn. The message of the business model is the message of the site, and we would rather say something short and true than something long and false.