Over the past couple of months, you’ve heard me talk about changes that were coming to this website that are necessitated by political and market pressures. The first phase of that change happens today.
As previously mentioned in the article The Ads Cometh, we have been needing to generate revenue to keep this effort alive ever since Google put the kibosh on advertising here a few years ago by pressuring WordPress to remove us from their WordAds system.
I realize that many people find advertisements abhorrent, and I’m not one to disagree. Some advertisements are just beyond annoying. However, they are a necessary evil in today’s world of privately operated information dissemination.
So, starting today advertisements will be shown on a regular basis. These will generate some ongoing revenue for WUWT. The good news is that for people that don’t want to have these advertisements we now have a membership system in place and it has been tested and seems to be working. By becoming a member you will be able to browse completely ad-free. Later, additional tiers will be added to the membership system that will provide access to premium content that include a newsletter, member only stories and white papers, and also access to a weekly interactive video meeting where we can all shoot the breeze and ask questions.
Of course anyone who visits WUWT will see content as before, however it will contain ads. At the bare minimum to be able to comment, free registration is required.
Right now, we have the following options (see the upper right sidebar for the registration/login links) or click here.
Subscription Options
1. Ad Free Sponsor with Commenting Paid Annually $66 /year (1 free month)
2. Ad Free Sponsor with Commenting Paid Monthly $6 /month ($72/year)
3. Free Registration that includes commenting $0 (but shows ads)
This is how it looks when you visit the options for membership page:
Since we implemented the registration system a few months ago we picked up thousands of users who were then able to comment as well as view all content. All of our previously registered users have been grandfathered in with their existing registration and are able to view and comment as before except they will see ads.
Tests over the last month have proven the membership registration/purchase system to be successful and some early adopters have signed up. Thank you.
So as of today, we are turning everything on. This post will remain at the top of the website for a couple of weeks so that late-comers will see it. I thank all of you for your patience through this process, and I sincerely appreciate your support of the work we do here.
More to come, stay tuned!
– Anthony
I’ve been a reader for decades and was ready “sign up” for a year but there was no paypal option.
Give me that and you will get a yearly subscription.
Seriously? We spent hours and significant money to bypass paypal.
Yes – seriously. Like paypal or not they supply a good service – no need to spread a CC number, address etc, far and wide and wait for one of those places to be hacked. You accepted my donation via paypal back in August 2021. Why did you spend money to bypass them?
Sorry – I’m not trying to be a pest or contentious but the home page still has paypal as a donate option. Guess I’ll send a donation instead.
Just signed up for free version, I will probably switch to the annual sub, if that is allowed during the year?
Just to comment that, living in the UK, WUWT is my main source of the other side of the argument from what I am told by mainstream media here.
just to be sure I understand…the money I donated in 2022 and last Sept when you were requesting funding help…which was more than the annual fee…so that is not involved in this membership.
That is fine, if that is the case, I just want to be sure I understand, so I can join correctly.
Deacon
Just signed up to become a member for a year. Keep fighting the good fight!
Done. Frankly, a steal.
I paid the subscription fee by credit card, and got a message from the card people saying that my payment to EverythingClimate looked dodgy and they wanted confirmation that it was legit. Is it? I thought my payment was to Watts Up With That, not to EverythingClimate. Or is that the way it works, and I should authorise the transaction?
Howdy again, y’all!
Just subscribed with assistance from Mr. Rotter – Charles thank you for the personal attention, much obliged!
Just a test to see what all is displayed now after re-registration. Recently retired, will have a few more free minutes to log on and comment.
Looking forward to interacting with (most) of you again soon,
Regards,
MCR
Another peculiarity. You let me create a login but when I try to update my profile (notice my display name issue) you are requiring a physical address. Why?
On the day before I spent my good $66, someone gave me a red downvote, which I think was the first time in a decade that my reds outscored my greens.I mentioned Exxon and uranium in my comments, so now I have to decide who hates one of these.
Have a beaut Easter break (if you can) Charles, Anthony, Kip, Eric and others who know who you are.
Geoff S
Seriously, those are the worst set of clickbait junk ads possible. It makes the site look like a fact free tabloid comic.
Easy decision to join, with ad free commenting. $66 seems like a bargain.
Site becoming unusable.
First, I pay, and I’m signed in, and I still get ads.
Then, I get a blank screen covering ad that won’t go away, and has no X box to remove it.
I’m subscribing for a year, before CBDC are enforced and paying to wattsupwiththat will put my social credit below zero 😉
So I’ve signed up for one year add free…when will the RSS feed emails start again? They’ve been missing for weeks now and I’m feeling much less informed…help!