Ask HN Readers: Advertising on HN?

Woah, wait a minute. Put the fangs away, True Bloods. In the measly 174 days (actually longer, just didn't create an account) I have been hanging out around here and enjoying your company, insight, intelligence and humor, I might have missed this topic being discussed.

I think the YCombinator news aggregator, the quality of the submissions and the quality of the community compel me to news.ycombinator.com as the first stop when I want some intellectual stimulation. Some visit gossip sites when they have a down minute or bored moment on the internet, I turn to you and here.

But what brought the majority of core users here--if I may assume--was YCombinator the firm, which kicked off this community with like-minded people who set the tone that this will not become a site for spam, memes, or flames, rather thought provoking and conversation provoking news, information and discussion.

YCombinator "the firm" is a trusted venture group that funds the early stage startups--something utterly invaluable to economic growth.

So I ponder this: Digg has struggled with monetizing their site (something that is a must for their long-term survival) and you can make your arguments as to why. BUT, I do not believe that YCombinator would have the same problem. Why? Because they do not need to monetize this community off-shoot they created to survive. In fact, I'm sure they have absolutely no interest in making money from ads here whatsoever.

So, instead of serving ads for the purpose of monetizing, what if for the purpose of funding?

Huh? What? Yes, for funding. What if that money was put into funding startups in some way shape or form? Either traditionally or rewarding startups for winning contests?

I'm sure there are tax and business implications in doing this, but throwing out a ridiculous idea isn't always ridiculous.

Lastly, there seems to be a very niche (yet diverse) demographic that uses this site which would yield higher rates to collect on ads and I'm sure we can trust that YCombinator wouldn't place irrelevant ads in our face. I'm sure there are a few businesses/entrepreneurs in this community alone who would want to buy time/space.

I leave you with that and hope that I did not 1. repeat something that has been discussed a million times before and 2. wasted your time.

Cheers, James