Contributor: Is No Ads Enough?

Google's new pilot program Contributor will let you pay a monthly fee to see select websites without ads. On the surface this seems like an interesting approach to offering consumers a means of experiencing certain websites without having to look at advertising - but there are a few questions that I don't hear anyone asking.

• If I use contributor will Google and the publisher still collect personal data about me and my browsing habits and share that with ad networks?
• Will contributor replace all ads or only some ads and only some of the time?
• Are the sites going to promote Contributor - or will I have to learn about it on my own?

First - Let's see how many ads will actually go away

Based on my review of the Google Contributor website, I find that I can make a contribution of $1-$3/month directly to Google. Part of the money goes to the participating sites I visit and replaces some of the ads that I might see from Google. It's an invitation only service right now so I've applied and I'll be interested to see if I get selected.

Consumers want ads over subscriptions - right?

Conventional wisdom from online publishers says consumers prefer free access to content where they have to view ads over advertising free access via paid subscriptions. And VentureBeat seems to think that the Contributor pilot may be an elaborate ploy by Google to prove that specific point: Consumers want ads more than they want to pay for ad free access to content. The thinking goes, "If Google offers Contributor and no one uses it, then obviously consumers don't mind ads."

But there a number of reasons why consumers might not sign up to - or stay with - Contributor:

• Less than 100% coverage. Most consumers are going to expect that if they pay a fee then it should be as good as the AdBlocker that they are already using. AdBlocker gets rid of all ads and all tracking. With Contributor it will only get rid of some of the ads provided by Google and will require that you (at least) have a Contributor cookie or Session ID to identify you to the Google Ad Network. More tracking.
• Lack of transparency in how much money is going to the publisher. Google only states that the more you pay every month, the more goes to the sites you visit - but they don't give you the option for a tally at the end of the month. (Anyone for a monthly statement that shows which sites you visited and how much of your $3 they earned?)
• Unaware that Contributor exists - unless the publishers promote it. And even if they promote Contributor, publishers have been notoriously lazy about making a real value exchange case of access to content in return for either advertising with tracking or a paid subscription.

Both Google and VentureBeat missed the real point

People are not so concerned about having to put up with ads. They are interested in having fewer people keep track of them and their browsing habits.

If the proposition from Contributor is to enjoy a site without ads in return for a monthly fee - that's a weak proposition. If the proposition is to enjoy a site without ads and without any 3rd parties tracking you and collecting data about your browsing on the site - that's a much different proposition. That's a proposition that will get consumers attention.

It's also a proposition that neither Google nor the publisher wants to make.

For the Google Contributor model to work it would need to have the following changes:

• Funds collected directly by the publisher - 100% going to the publisher Basically a subscription model.
• Promise to consumers not only of no ads - but of no tracking of browsing history or other profiling by any 3rd parties
• 100% ad free with the previous ad space now available for incremental new content that is not available to non-subscribers

Really - I don't see Contributor working. It doesn't offer consumers real value in removing all ads and protecting their privacy. It won't offer publishers sufficient revenue to offset the money they would be getting from AdSense. And consumers will be reluctant to give Google more of their money and also more of their personal browsing data.