Online Ad(s) and Crypto
April 14, 2021
Before you begin suspecting that this is clickbait in an attempt to get you to download or sign-up for something, it’s not. This post does not contain any “get rich” or “make money” quick schemes. I’m going to discuss about the web browser: Brave and the Brave Rewards system and how it’ll influence the future of online advertisement.
Since the inception of smartphones and the rise of online retailers, most users remembered when ads were primitive in delivery. For instance, Apple’s website dating back to 1997 has a clean and direct way of placing ads on site. Below is a screenshot from the site, within the green outline are the ad placements. As you can see, its non-invasive and less spammy.
Whether ads are subtle or not, it still takes some part of your attention while browsing the web. It’s rather ironic with regards to today’s mobile apps. Most phone apps present ads if you’re using a free app, with most apps, once paid, you have an ad-free version of the app, no distractions and nuances while using your app. Analogous to web browsing, you can’t buy a website to receive the ad-free version, unless if its a news publishing site then you would subscribe to the monthly/annual fee. In all of this, it’s fair to say that the users whether using a smartphone or web browser, there’s really no incentive for users to be on a website if ads bombarded them at every scroll. Well, there’s good news, Brave is the equalizer for users and content creators.
With Brave, you’ll be browsing the web with more control. Your private data will no longer be transmitted without your consent to unknown advertisers. Moreover, if you’re unaware or not tech-savvy, downloading web browsers without fully understanding their privacy policy allows the tool to act as an invasive ad technology. Brave wants to do the opposite of said ad tech. With respect to your valuable time and private data which is kept private, you can get rewarded for your attention. You may be wondering, what’s being rewarded? and why am I being rewarded?
Per your time and attention, Brave rewards you with the Basic Attention Token (BAT). Once you join Brave rewards, your browser automatically starts tallying the attention you spend on sites you visit. Each month, Brave Rewards sends the respective amount of BAT, divided up based on your attention, from your local browser-based wallet to the sites you’ve visited. But this reward system is not limited to just gaining BATs via attention, you also have the ability to remove sites you don’t want to support, and tip content creators directly too.
There are many web browsers to choose from out there but none pays you to stay. At the moment, Brave is the only browser that rewards you for your attention. I believe this is a niche browsing experience that’s still in its infancy and will have more features/enhancements in the future. Other web browsing applications should take note as users are becoming more aware of their privacy being traded for ad money and will switch browsers with no hesitation to protect their privacy. But don’t just take my word for it, try out the Brave browser and reward system for yourself.
(Brave)
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