Adblock

in the context of linux reporting specifically.... If the relatively small set of people interesting in solid linux reporting overlap significantly with the small group of people who use adblock..then that's a real problem for the future of linux news reporting. If the lost revenue from adblock users is just noise, then the added revenue from users interested in linux could be in the noise as well. And I would daresay that our little niche microculture is more prone to using adblock than other niche groups (like for example pet llama owners) making our little revenue contribution even less influential or noteworthy.

If the vast majority of people who don't use adblock are far more interested in celebrity gossip than solid technology reporting then the economics dictate that we are going to see vastly more celebrity gossip news and vanishingly little solid technology reporting. Until we find a way to get Brad Pitt to use an Android phone and our interests crossover with mainstream interests.

-jef