ReadWriteWeb

Imagine a world where users aren't irritated by online ads, yet publishers still make money from their content.

When you're done laughing, go check out CancelAds. The basic idea behind their not-so-revolutionary but certainly unheard-of monetization scheme is to have blog subscribers pay small amounts on a recurring basis to read ad-free content online. In a world where free content is a given and what's not free from publishers is made free by pirates, how could a concept like CancelAds survive? Read on to find out what we and CancelAds' founders think.

Nothing better illustrates the brokenness of the Internet's most traditional revenue model than the recent crop of ad-stripping services.

"Users want to have a clean layout to read a blog or news site," said TidyRead developer Matthew Chen. His Firefox add-on creates a sweet, hyper-relevant overlay as users browse through content, blocking out all the noise and distraction while leaving the cream of the content fully intact.