A few days with Google Contributor

2015-04-28 1 min read

    Near the end of last year, Google announced the Contributor program - a way to pay a monthly fee which would then be distributed across the websites you visit. In return, you’d start seeing fewer ads. Earlier this week I got off the waitlist and decided to give it a shot. The signup process was amazingly simple - choose a monthly dollar amount and you’re good to go. The effect is noticeable - on many sites I’ll see a blank spot where an ad should have been. The best part is being able to see how much I’ve contributed to the various sites I visit. Over the past couple of days I’ve spent a little over 60 cents removing 51 ads. An unforeseen effect is that I’m more aware of the content I consume and the sites I visit - seeing that some of my money is going towards shady sites makes me more conscious of my browsing behavior. I’m definitely curious to see where this approach goes.

    Some Google Contributor stats