What Nine Dollars a Month Actually Pays For
An unusually specific breakdown of where membership money goes, and why we do not take advertising.
Communities that take advertising end up optimising for time on site. Communities that take venture money end up optimising for growth. We took the third option, which is asking members to pay, and it comes with an obligation to say exactly where it goes.
The Moderator Fund
Just over half of membership revenue is paid out to moderators. Volunteer moderation works until the community is big enough that it becomes a second job, at which point it either gets paid or it gets abandoned. We would rather pay.
Infrastructure, Which Is Cheaper Than You Think
Hosting, search and email come to a small fraction of the total. Anyone claiming they need advertising to cover server costs for a text forum is describing a business model, not a constraint.
The Grant Pool
A slice funds free memberships, no questions asked, for anyone who asks. Roughly one in fourteen members is here on a grant. Nobody is told who, including the moderators.
What We Do Not Spend It On
Growth marketing, sponsored placements or data brokerage. This is not a moral position so much as a structural one: every one of those creates a reason to make the room worse for the people already in it.