For awhile now Google has been sending me notices that it refuses to serve ads on various pages. But there is no compulsion to do anything about this, although they do is suspend the display of ads on these pages. However today I have deleted a discussion started by <strike>TTBN</strike>Bazz (see discussion below) entitled "Police Arrest a Hardened Pregnant Mum". Apparently the discussion violated their community policies, although how, I'm not sure.

It raises the issue as to what I should do in a financial sense. We make very little money from Google ads - maybe $1800 pa - but they do pay for most of the cost of the servers.

Is there a better way to make this site sustainable? Is Patreon an answer, for example. Of course there are other advertising companies, so maybe I should see what they offer.

So I'm letting you know what has happened on our site, and if it is happening here, then it is happening on other sites as well. You might want to discuss that, or make suggestions on the monetisation front.

I beg your pardon, Graham, but TTBN did not start that discussion; neither did ttbn. I think it was Bazz, but as you have deleted it, I can't be sure.

How about a paywall? Say, like Quadrant Online, where anyone can read the content free of charge, but to comment, you have to be a subscriber. Newspapers do it, but you have little hope of getting a letter to the editor published. Just a thought. I, of course know nothing about running a blog, nor what Graham's reason for doing it is. $1800 p.a. from Google shouldn't be hard to replace.

To Graham Y- this is very concerning.

This sounds like something similar to a Sleeping Giants campaign.

I'm sorry to see you put in this difficult position. I know that Dick Smith and others are sympathetic to the cause of free speech even if Google isn't. Maybe I'll put a good word in for you.

I'm sad I didn't save the thread knowing that it has upset someone

I would accept a paywall up to $50 per annum

I would not like anyone besides Graham decide what is allowable. I also would not like anyone's voice stilled because they didn't have the money to pay for the forum. If Graham decides on a pay wall I will try to pay it.