Please let me pay for your service. Please.

Everyone is screaming that everything on the web should be free.  The only way to do this is by ad supporting the service in some manner.  There are some great services out there that do ad supporting right, like Gmail & Hulu.com.  I use both of these everyday and love them.  Their ads are short and not very intrusive, and their services are top notch.

Sadly this can not be said of most ad supported web services/software.  Have you seen MySpace and Youtube recently? The ads are out of control.  Facebook isn't near as bad yet, but it's probably coming, and what happens when Twitter starts showing ads?  

Would I seriously pay for Youtube, Facebook and other services I get for free now?

Yes.

Why?

1. I do get annoyed by ads all over the site, some even look like buttons on a website to trick you into clicking them.
   
   
2. I hate wasting time and being distracted by ads.
   
   
3. As you'll see below, most services could make more money without ads, which means they could continue developing and growing.
   
   

It's true their are ad blockers available, but I do want these services to survive, so they must make money somehow.  Blocking their ads doesn't solve the root problem.

So how much are my eyeballs worth?

I roughly calculated the value of what my glancing at all those ads on web pages was worth, and came to .15 cents per ad I see (also know as an impression).  I'll explain how I got to that # in a future blog post, but for now let's continue.

Merely paying $5/month for a service would be equivalent to viewing 3000 ads per month on their page.  I don't use any web service that much, so they would be making more money off me, and I would be happier with the ad free environment.  More money and happier customers, who doesn't want that?

I do understand why these services are free...because not enough people will pay.  Most people want everything on the web for free, and that's why we see ads EVERYWHERE.  At least some services offer a "pro" version without ads, but I wish more realized there is a growing group that would gladly give them more money than their advertisers.

Some of the best services I pay for: 

• Audible.com ($22.95) - This is best money I spend yearly.  I have been able to listen to more books in the last few years, than I have read my entire life.  Driving in the car is never boring again, nor do I mind cleaning the house, since with Audible, I also will be listening to a great book.
  
  
• GoToMeeting ($49/month) - Show your desktop to multiple people all over the city, state, nation or world. Great for training people on software, showing a PowerPoint presentation or even trouble shooting your mom's computer.
  
  
• Carbonite ($54.95/year) - If you aren't backing up your computer, you're an IDIOT.  Install Carbonite on your computer and it will backup all your important documents, photos and anything else to a secure location.  It's that easy, and only cost $54.95/year. Please pay for this and don't be an idiot.
  
  
• Basecamp ($149/month) - Online project management & to-do lists.  I have the unlimited projects plan, but most users will only pay $20-$50 per month.  

Services I use a lot, and wish I could pay for:

• Facebook - Facebook is a great tool to catch up with friends and build relationships.  I'd be glad to pay $5/month for an ad free Facebook.
  
  
• Digsby - A great tool to manage all your instant messaging accounts (MSN, AOL, Facebook, Gtalk, etc...).  You can also use it to check email accounts and social networks.  They're experimenting with ways to make money and I'm worried they are going to screw up a good thing. I'd pay $20-$30 for this software.
  
  
• Hootsuite - I use this to manage all my Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook accounts.  I can't figure out what their business model is yet, but I'd be glad to pay $5-10/month to keep it around. Also I'd love to pay them to allow me to use another URL shortner (like bit.ly).  They're built in URL shortner (ow.ly) stinks.
  
  
• Lifehacker.com - One of the most useful & interesting websites you'll find.  I would kill to pay $5/month for an ad free version.
  
  
• Youtube.com - Everyone knows about Youtube and for the longest time the ads weren't too bad, but they are getting ridiculous.  Please let me pay to remove the ads.
  
  
• Newspapers - I would pay for some local papers and maybe a national paper.  Some papers like Wall Street Journal are offering paid versions, however they're priced ($20-$30) a little too high at the moment.  I'd pay $5/month for a local paper and $10 for a national paper.  Ad free of course.