# Screw Salon!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 31, 2003, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786 "2003-01-31T02:37:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SweetLucy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@SweetLucy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SweetLucy)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/1 "2003-01-31T02:37:59Z")
SCREW [Salon.com](http://Salon.com)! They decided to either make you pay to look at their online articles or look at tons of pop-up ads first. Salon, go jump in a lake of piranhas! :mad: From my point of view, most people are ALREADY PAYING to begin with when they have Internet access, so why make us fork over more and more $??? Money grubbing bastards. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/db5fbb/32.png) [@Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fred)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/2 "2003-01-31T02:42:38Z")
You realize that Salon isn’t getting the money that goes to ISPs, correct? Were it not for their premium membership, they wouldn’t make enough money to stay afloat, and then you wouldn’t be able to read **any** Salon articles - there wouldn’t be any - let alone articles with advertisements. People already pay a lot for televisions, why do we have to sit through these damned advertisements! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/3 "2003-01-31T02:43:49Z")
Yeah. I mean, it’s not enough that they put their site on the net-spending all the time out of the goodness of their dear little hearts. :rolleyes: Reporters need to eat and pay the bills too, you know? ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/4 "2003-01-31T02:50:04Z")
You’re wrong, you oppressive pieces of shit! Salon \*\*owes[/o] me! ---
**Author:** ![Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/db5fbb/32.png) [@Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fred)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/5 "2003-01-31T02:53:00Z")
What a semi-Freudian coding error: the “]” looks kind of like an L. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/6 "2003-01-31T02:55:28Z")
I really hope you were trying to be ironic in your OP. You’ll note they’re now giving you access to all premium content for free, whereas before you could only look at a fraction of their site. If you read Salon enough that this affects you so severely, perhaps you might consider coughing up the $30/year. I did, and it’s great – no ads. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weak\_Force](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9dc877/32.png) [@The\_Weak\_Force](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weak_Force)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/7 "2003-01-31T02:56:46Z")
> [@](#): > > From my point of view Yes, it does kind of suck from your point of view. But why don’t you try looking at it from their point of view? [Salon.com](http://Salon.com) never sees a penny that you pay for your internet service. Also, [salon.com](http://salon.com) needs to get funded somehow. How is it at all unfair for them to derive their funding from those who utilize their service? And is it really _that_ much of a pain to sit through the 15-second ad? I think you’re just forgetting that the people who put up and maintain that site are, in fact, people, just like you. Have you ever had a job? Would/do you expect monetary compensation for your work? I’ll assume your answer is yes, so does that make you a “money grubbing bastard”? ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/8 "2003-01-31T02:58:33Z")
Personally, I just sat through the Mercedes ad. It was pretty good - interactive (you could scroll over the parts of the car to see the fabulous features), about 10 seconds long, and I can’t afford a Mercedes anyhow, so I felt no guilt not asking for additional info. I got to read as much of Salon as I wanted, and they get $$ to continue to publish. What, exactly, was your complaint? You want something for nothing? Are you new in these parts? (The Earth, I mean). ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/9 "2003-01-31T03:05:13Z")
> [@](#): > > What a semi-Freudian coding error: the “]” looks kind of like an L. Uhh, yeah! Salon blows me! That’s what I meant to say! [sub]razzafrazzin fat fingers[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/10 "2003-01-31T03:21:26Z")
I thought that Salon was some sort of hippie, leftist outfit. Don’t they have some sort of commune dealie funding the site? ---
**Author:** ![RexDart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@RexDart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexDart)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/11 "2003-01-31T03:24:02Z")
I wouldn’t worry about it. You want [salon.com](http://salon.com) quality articles? Read a student newspaper. Same armchair socialists, same leftist ideology, but a student newspaper columnist at my university actually managed to ask Robert Novak a tough question, unlike that talking-head that [salon.com](http://salon.com) sends to CNN once and awhile. Anyways, you gotta understand them charging for premium membership. Even socialists gots ta get paid, my man. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/12 "2003-01-31T03:33:19Z")
Unfortunately, **Rexdart** , conservatives have already cornered the market on intelligent, unbiased reporting. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/13 "2003-01-31T07:16:29Z")
Yeah, the 15 second ad really is that much of a pain. And so, I’m reading Slate. The thing I really don’t understand is how Mercedes thinks that this is a good thing - something that will inspire me to buy a Mercedes instead of thinking (as I do) “Those cars are made by evil, annoying people. I had to sit through their stupid spam if I wanted to read an article. Let me avoid them like the plague.” It just seems like the stupidest advertising idea ever. They’re driving away customers. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/14 "2003-01-31T07:17:13Z")
I am SO HAPPY that salon has given us the ad option! I’m THRILLED. I think it ROCKS. Guess what…nobody owes you a single fucking pixel. Get over it. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/15 "2003-01-31T07:26:28Z")
…yeah, this was in the rumour mill a few months ago-they were going to go pay only. The rational was similar to why Gamespot went pay only: the ads and pop ups you occasionally see just didn’t pay the bills. I’m so glad that Salon have the “watch the advertisment” option, it’s hard to stay afloat as business’s, Salon has made a genuine attempt to keep their product essentially free… ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/16 "2003-01-31T07:27:26Z")
Salon owes us nothing. I am shocked that anyone thinks otherwise. While most are not on the same level of popularity as Salon, a lot of us host websites which offer free information. If we were suddenly to decide to charge for this information, or just to yank our sites offline and stop paying for their upkeep, that’s our right. I, for one, don’t “owe” my site’s visitors anything. I’d be astonished and outraged if any of my site’s visitors thought otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/17 "2003-01-31T07:41:08Z")
I’m with Stoid. Paying in Australian dollars for the $30US wasn’t gonna happen here and being able to view everything on their site for the cost of 15 seconds of my time is a fair trade. I like salon and I like being able to choose to read their articles. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Raven\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@The\_Raven\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Raven_1)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/18 "2003-01-31T07:50:36Z")
Howyadoin, It’s a nest of snakes 🙂 but I like the investigative reporting (once you pass it through **The Filter** ) and the serial fiction they had running “back in the day” was an interesting look into the eye of the hurricane… They are trying to keep their content available without having to sell your identity, that’s not a bad thing… -Rav ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/19 "2003-01-31T07:52:07Z")
I think that, in areas where prostitution is legal, “Screw Salon” would make a great name for a place of business. Their gig could be being a combination whorehouse and hardware store. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-salon/151786/20 "2003-01-31T10:26:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SweetLucy \* > \*\*SCREW [Salon.com](http://Salon.com)! They decided to either make you pay to look at their online articles or look at tons of pop-up ads first. Salon, go jump in a lake of piranhas! :mad: From my point of view, most people are ALREADY PAYING to begin with when they have Internet access, so why make us fork over more and more $??? Money grubbing bastards. :mad: \*\* Hear, hear! That’s what I told a potential employee. I already pay to begin with when I pay my corporate taxes. Damn bastard wanted me to pay him too!