If he didn't care so much about what kind of advertising 4chan users have to look at, he probably wouldn't be worried about money right now.
If this article is an accurate portrayal, it is surprising yet sad someone with such a site (sole owner, >5M visitors, sustained growth+traffic over years, source of numerous profitable spin-offs, etc.) is in debt and unprofitable.
Surely it is better to run ads that are not optimal but make you money (a balanced comprise), than be unhappy, in debt, and looking for a job?
I don't think he would be happy in most day jobs either (as such people rarely are) and with an income stream he could pursue other ideas that interest him.
There is something very strange about 4chan. You know how people believe in open source, that software should be free? Or how they believe in democracy, or in human rights, or in free speech? I sometimes get the feeling 4chan is way beyond any of that. It's... well, the word sainthood comes to mind.
I know, I know, it's ridiculous. But I simply cannot imagine 4chan, the collective, being racist. It just doesn't fit. Oh, it makes a lot of noise, yes, but to actually discriminate, no. Or any of the principles above, they're so organically _in_.
Well, anyways, about income sources. Amongst the things they could do would be accepting donations. But they don't: http://www.4chan.org/faq#donations The FAQ is an interesting read in itself.
Comments
If he didn't care so much about what kind of advertising 4chan users have to look at, he probably wouldn't be worried about money right now.
If this article is an accurate portrayal, it is surprising yet sad someone with such a site (sole owner, >5M visitors, sustained growth+traffic over years, source of numerous profitable spin-offs, etc.) is in debt and unprofitable.
Surely it is better to run ads that are not optimal but make you money (a balanced comprise), than be unhappy, in debt, and looking for a job?
I don't think he would be happy in most day jobs either (as such people rarely are) and with an income stream he could pursue other ideas that interest him.
There is something very strange about 4chan. You know how people believe in open source, that software should be free? Or how they believe in democracy, or in human rights, or in free speech? I sometimes get the feeling 4chan is way beyond any of that. It's... well, the word sainthood comes to mind.
I know, I know, it's ridiculous. But I simply cannot imagine 4chan, the collective, being racist. It just doesn't fit. Oh, it makes a lot of noise, yes, but to actually discriminate, no. Or any of the principles above, they're so organically _in_.
Well, anyways, about income sources. Amongst the things they could do would be accepting donations. But they don't: http://www.4chan.org/faq#donations The FAQ is an interesting read in itself.
I think the sort of ads that 4chan would have to settle for would be far less than optimal. Most brands, I think, would pay to not be seen on /b/.
Suddenly, blackmail is a legitimate business strategy.