There is a lot of talk going around this week about the new YouTube terms of service, in particular some crackdowns on content that isn't "Advertiser Friendly." From what I've seen so far I'm not aware of YouTube REMOVING content, they have just disabled monetization on some content based on the new criteria. I know it's a bummer but it's hard to fault YouTube for this; advertisers want to advertise on "safe" content and Google is simply trying to comply.

Here at NG we are very familiar with this reality. Newgrounds has never been an attractive site to brand advertisers, which is why most of the ads you see around here are performance-based ads promoting on-line games. I think we have done an honorable job at properly rating content and ad placements but to this day we are still blacklisted by Google's ad exchange and Google has been very firm that this will not change.

Being blacklisted by Google disallows us from running Adsense ads on both Newgrounds and our YouTube channel but it goes much broader. Google also acquired DoubleClick, the web's largest ad exchange. A majority of internet advertising companies tie into some sort of Google / DC service and when that happens, it becomes a dead end for Newgrounds. An ad company will approve us but their ads will show up blank; they'll dig around and say "Oh, it's Google."

This is also why we've had a number of starts and stops with video pre-roll ads. We're locked out of the main ad exchanges and when we work with what is left, users end up sitting through ten seconds of blank space while multiple ad companies are queried for ads that too often turn up nothing.

Even with the ads we DO have, more than half our visitors are running some form of adblock. So there's that too.

This is why we created the Supporter upgrade and why I keep bugging people to check it out.

The short-term goal of the supporter upgrade is to cover our expenses but the larger vision is to tie it into our rev-share system. With enough supporter revenue, we can properly reward artists and developers based on the merits of their content and not whether advertisers approve. Our Google problems would be irrelevant. Our Ad block problems would be irrelevant.

It takes a lot of people to move this needle. Right now we have 1,431 active supporters and that number continues to rise. We will keep trying different things to make it rise faster. I'd love to gain ten monthly subscribers per day, for starters.

What we would like from web animators.

It is always my goal for NG to be ready if the day ever comes that a mass-exodus of animators leave YouTube for Newgrounds, the way they once left NG for YouTube.

HOWEVER, if you come here expecting big bucks with web animation, you'll have to manage your expectations. We have our rev share system and we are TRYING but it continues to be a challenge. All I can say is we obsess over web animation more than any other website and success in this space is a goal that torments us around here.

What you should do is continue to share your animation anywhere you like and hopefully include NG. If you can monetize on YouTube and are getting a better CPM than NG, clearly you have good reason to promote your YouTube releases. If you can't monetize on YouTube, why not try promoting your releases on NG for a change? We could use the word of mouth and a rising tide lifts all boats around here. Some animators already release their latest works on NG ahead of YouTube and that is SO DARN APPRECIATED. Also tweet about your stuff on NG and you might get a re-tweet! I search for NG-related tweets daily.

What we would like from everyone who appreciates web entertainment.

If you enjoy coming to NG for original animation, games, art and music, please consider committing $3 per month to become a Supporter. We need every person possible. If 1% of our monthly visitors were monthly supporters, we'd have a warchest of over $250,000 per month, mostly going towards sponsorships and revenue share. That would bring SERIOUS CHANGE to web entertainment. Much less than that would still move mountains around here.

NG has been in it for the past 21 years and we hope you will join us for the long haul so we can all get where we're trying to go. NG is uniquely qualified to pull this off and what a great story it would be if we did, right?

Viva la Newgrounds!

so your saying... im your father in law?

It's kind of crazy to think that Newgrounds has been alive for just as long as I have. I love that you're fighting for a sustainable future for creators. Don't give up!

At 9/1/16 04:30 PM, NightBlade401 wrote: You know what I think I will become a supporter and I already upload to NG before DA or Tumblr so I'll be happy to help.

Thanks for considering!

Very well said, Tom. I hope Newgrounds thrives for web content as well, because I feel like no other site on the web really cares as much as Newgrounds does. Newgrounds already offers a ton to creators, and if it gets tons of support, I am really fucking excited to see what kind of cool things could happen. I know for a fact that my next cartoon will be on Newgrounds before I put it anywhere else, NG exclusive is another possibility.

The big reason users enable ad block is because of malvertising, that is, using ads as a vector to tunnel in viruses and in some cases, the advertisers themselves are the ones doing it. I used to not use adblock until my browser started getting attacked by ads because the site in question was desperate to drum up revenue or because Adsense, of all companies, was so negligent that they refused to filter who advertised with them. Youtube's latest solution are sponsorships where the creator is expected to make the ad for them, so it's not that surprising to me that Google is seeking to control a major artery of the system.

Maybe NG could ape the sponsorship program from Youtube?

At 9/1/16 04:53 PM, SarcasmRabbit wrote: I will always prefer Newgrounds over Youtube for the sheer community, talent and criticism on this site. I have whitelisted Newgrounds on my adblocker so hopefully that helps in some way.

Everybody counts, you definitely help in some way! I have this site whitelisted as well.

At 9/1/16 04:53 PM, SarcasmRabbit wrote: I will always prefer Newgrounds over Youtube for the sheer community, talent and criticism on this site. I have whitelisted Newgrounds on my adblocker so hopefully that helps in some way.

Thank you, much appreciated! We try to keep the ads from being TOO obnoxious, although I sure would love to not cover the sides with skin ads in places.

It's your lucky day, Tom! And sure, we'll support this website to make this community a better place.

I'm amazed how this website is still going!

I support Newgrounds and so should you!

Newgrounds is amazing, Tom you rock!

I am a long time [Not really] Newgrounds user and newgrounds is one of the only websites i disabled adblock on. The amount of entertainment it gave me when i was a kid / teenager until now is beyond measure and that's one of the ways i can contribute to it.

I whitelisted Newgrounds starting from this year, and I usually adblock nearly every other website. Honestly it never occurred to me to get "attacked" by ads or any kind of malware here, not even by mistake, so whatever.

PS: Youtube's new terms of service are BS.

At 9/1/16 05:41 PM, IceBreak23 wrote: Newgrounds is amazing, Tom you rock!

Thanks! Nice Cuphead art :)

At 9/1/16 05:42 PM, JackMike16 wrote: I am a long time [Not really] Newgrounds user and newgrounds is one of the only websites i disabled adblock on. The amount of entertainment it gave me when i was a kid / teenager until now is beyond measure and that's one of the ways i can contribute to it.

Thank you! I love seeing older accounts make their first post, always a treat to know they are out there.

<3
^___^

At 9/1/16 05:47 PM, TomFulp wrote:

At 9/1/16 05:41 PM, IceBreak23 wrote: Newgrounds is amazing, Tom you rock!

Thanks! Nice Cuphead art :)

Wow Thanks! <3

If i had a damn job or some sort of income i would honestly pay not just for a Supporter upgrade but i would consider giving a donation to newgrounds to keep it up.. I Love the whole idea of what newgrounds is.. I Love how it helps new developers pretty much helping sculpt the next generation of Game developers and artists .. But theres no good in an 'IF' person am i right? Hopefully i find a way for a source of income lol

At 9/1/16 05:53 PM, TheRealMuerte wrote: If i had a damn job or some sort of income i would honestly pay not just for a Supporter upgrade but i would consider giving a donation to newgrounds to keep it up.. I Love the whole idea of what newgrounds is.. I Love how it helps new developers pretty much helping sculpt the next generation of Game developers and artists .. But theres no good in an 'IF' person am i right? Hopefully i find a way for a source of income lol

It's totally understandable, don't sweat it!

Well said Tom. Ive had monetization disabled from my YouTube account as well, not like it was paying much anyways haha. I think it's awesome your still trying so hard to keep new grounds up to date, I will always keep submitting my stuff here!
Dreams can't come true if you don't let them!

My account doesn't reflect it, but I've been poking around NG since Pico's School and I'm happy to see this place still rocking despite animation being pretty much dead on the youtubes outside of Gamegrumps animations.

Thanks for keeping it OG.

At 9/1/16 06:16 PM, Greenskullkid wrote:

At 9/1/16 03:58 PM, TomFulp wrote:

Do you think Google sees NG as a competitor to Youtube and made the decision to deny you ad service in a act of retaliation or maybe just to perhaps thinking it would make NG get shutdown altogether?

I'll never know if we're even a blip on their radar. It has always felt odd to me but maybe they just have some really harsh note in their system from years ago, like, "NEVER APPROVE THIS SITE."

At 9/1/16 06:13 PM, Jason-H wrote: My account doesn't reflect it, but I've been poking around NG since Pico's School and I'm happy to see this place still rocking despite animation being pretty much dead on the youtubes outside of Gamegrumps animations.

Thanks for keeping it OG.

Thanks!

At 9/1/16 06:10 PM, DavidJMoore wrote: Well said Tom. Ive had monetization disabled from my YouTube account as well, not like it was paying much anyways haha. I think it's awesome your still trying so hard to keep new grounds up to date, I will always keep submitting my stuff here!
Dreams can't come true if you don't let them!

I want to be a satisfied old man some day and not a grumpy old man.

Love this post, Tom.

That really sucks that you're blacklisted by Google. Do you know why? Perhaps the adult rated content here originally and then they just didn't want to work it out? I'm assuming you've tried talking to them.

Anyway, Newgrounds is the first place I started uploading games and stuff like that, so it's awesome that this place has been up for *gasp* 21 years?! Jeez.

May NG live on.

(PS: Once I start making 'the big bucks' as a game developer, I'll be sure to support Newgrounds. :))

Newgrounds turned 21 this year? Holy cannoli.

In honor of Newgrounds reaching U.S. drinking age, I will buy the first person to @ me a supporter upgrade if you don't have one already! I'm a monthly so I don't remember if you get it for a full year or if it's only until the end of 2016, but it goes to this dear ol' website for her 21st anyway so I don't give a hoot.

GO NEWGROUNDS

thanks tom exactly the post i needed to read about this stuff.

does your relationship with Google also effect search results, do you think? because i feel like not showing up in search results when you should would have a huge impact on potential traffic. it's kind of sickening, really, to think one company blacklisting you, for whatever made up reason, could have such a long lasting impact.

In my entire life I've purposefully clicked 2 ads, and never actually bought anything from the sites they've lead me to. I permanently block all ads on all sites unless doing so prevents me from using the site properly. I don't understand how ad revenue is a sustainable feature for websites and no one I've ever talked to has ever admitted to clicking an ad on a website and buying something. Obviously, I know people sometimes click on the ads and buy things, if they didn't then obviously the system wouldn't work but I just don't see how it can be sustainable here as the main method of income, especially when as you've said you've been blacklisted and as far as you can tell that will never change. Making the supporter section was a decent idea, but I'm not sure that has what it takes in the long run either, there's also very little benefit to it other than supporting the site from the perspective of the person who has invested in being a supporter. It doesnt by itself make the site better, or more relevant, its just a band-aid for the funding problem.

I know there are a lot of factors at play here in the business world that I am likely ignorant of regarding this site and how its managed, but it seems to me like your current model is unsustainable in the long run, or stagnant in the long run at the very least, instead of being actively successful and making you, the owner, a clear and sustainable profit. If i were you I would try to create an area of the site that is valuable that is members only, premium content that you yourself have commissioned from content creators for the sake of making a demand to be a 'premium member' so people have an incentive to become a supporter, rather than it mostly being NG pride. This content would be professional cream of the crop stuff, it would be the equivalent of what netflix does when it produces original series. I understand this idea costs capital but from my limited perspective I dont see how this site could otherwise rise above its more or less obscure and niche level until it become relevant to the masses again with premium exclusive content.

Alternatively just become a full blown porn site.