Forum:Optional ads. WikiHow model

Maybe Wikia can use the opt-out ad model of WikiHow. It is a for-profit business, and uses an opt-out model for ads. It pays for all its operations with ad money. Non-registered readers normally see ads, but can opt out of ads. When a button was created for readers to opt out of ads for 24 hours ad revenue fell less than one percent. WikiHow says they "were the first high traffic website to offer a 'hide ads' button."

Readers can block ads for 24 hours by clicking the button. Those who are registered and logged in do not see ads. WikiHow had 15.5 million unique readers in April 2009. The advertising money has been sufficient to allow charitable donations also. For example; $48,000 to the Wikimedia Foundation.

A Jan. 30, 2009 Wall Street Journal blog article reported (emphasis added):


 * While all of wikiHow’s revenue comes from advertising, Mr. Herrick found that when he created a button that turns off the ads for 24 hours, revenue fell less than one percent. “‘Opt-out’ ads are the good netizen thing to do for users,” he said. “It doesn’t actually hurt revenues that much anyway. And users love it. So why not do it?”

WikiHow considers itself to be a hybrid business and organization - a 4th organizational structure combining features of 3 traditional organizational structures: businesses, non-profits, and government. Some other examples of hybrids are Wikia, Wikitravel, Firefox, Red Hat Linux, MySQL, Craigslist, SNPedia, and Newman’s Organics.

All of the above hybrids are for-profit. "Firefox – the open source browser has a very profitable commercial operation and a non-profit foundation simultaneously."