My fellow anime fans, good evening.
With the new year upon us, its time for The Herald to look forward to a bold new future. Starting today, we’re placing our fates into your hands.
We’re changing from our former ad-supported format, to appeal directly to you through Patreon.
Through the Herald’s history, we’ve done our best to work within the confines of a traditional media outlet. We’ve joined ad networks like Adsense, cold-called potential sponsors, and generally tried to work that general hustle to bring in the funds to keep the servers humming along.
And, really, over the years I’ve come to detest this.
I, as a writer, as a reader, and as a fan, have always held the belief that we should be able to exist independently. And, more important, I’ve always held a belief that you, dear reader, should be the core consumer.
You, yes you. The one in the chair. You’re an intelligent, charming person who deserves more than to have your news crushed into sterile soundbites. You shouldn’t need to suffer through that dry, soulless, sanitized mire that appears in a few leading publications. You shouldn’t have to suffer through pages that look like some NASCAR paint job barfed all over them. You shouldn’t be stuck dealing with ugly skins, blinking banners, or (gasp!) autoplay video adverts that compete for your attention when you’re just trying to get your daily dose of anime goodness.
In short: You. Deserve. Better.
We’re heading to Patreon to bring this possibility into the realm of reality. We’re crafting a simple sanctuary of all things geeky, where everything is clean and easy to find. There will be no skyscrapers, leaderboards, skins, or rectangles. There will be no flash ads, scrolling banners, or videos vying for your clicks.
All that will remain is a clean site, and the words of a bunch of anime fans who want nothing more than to talk nerdy to you.
So join us, dear readers, as we take this step into the future of Anime Herald. Back us on Patreon for as low as $1 per month, and we’ll keep talking nerdy for some time to come.
I should note that we have two short-term ad contracts at the end of their runs, One expires on January 19, the other runs through March 20. Once these expire, they will not be renewed. All ad infrastructure will be removed on termination of the final ad spot.
