Hello bitcointalk,
I'm a long-time lurker, seldom poster. Thanks to so many of you for your clear thinking and exposition over the years. I am posting here because I do not know where else I might share this idea and it seems (to me, at least) to be very important.
Right now, advertisers have enormous influence over the public narrative and they shouldn't be trusted. They are a necessary evil who facilitate the conversion of page-views into revenue for most web-based companies. Users universally hate advertising and go to great lengths to avoid exposure to it (e.g., ad-blockers, DVRs, etc). These users end up being leeches that consume content but do not support the content creators. The users might not mind supporting the content creators, they just hate seeing ads and other routes of paying for content are too tedious.
This is where in-browser mining comes in. Imagine a browser plug-in, which is open-source and therefore publicly auditable, that allows users to allocate some portion of their CPU for javascript mining, anywhere from 0 to 99%, it's their choice. Then, on a per-site basis, the user can contribute, say, 10% of their allocated resources to site A, 50% to B, and 40% to C, or any other ranking/weighting scheme. Sites A, B, and C would have to opt-in by including javascript that is validated by the plugin (preventing sneaky attempts to use more resources than the user wants and serving as an incentive for sites to opt-in). Users running the plugin would form a mining pool that would pay-out to the sites based on addresses that they would include in their javascript.
The important part is to have this functional layer be trustworthy (i.e., open-source, nothing proprietary). I say this because of the recent issue with the pirate bay, in which they enabled a javascript miner that used up 100% of visitors CPU, and the response to it. Many people felt that what they had done was sneaky and unethical. This is how entrenched interests (i.e., advertisers) will try to frame this potential competitor: as a malicious script aimed at stealing from you. Therefore, a trusted intermediary that is opt-in for both users and websites is the best way forward. This should appeal to web-businesses because it will turn leeches (i.e., folks using ad-block) into paying customers and it should appeal to users because it allows them to passively pay for internet content and services by way of their power bill while still avoiding exposure to ads.
Listen bitcointalkers! This is the future, I am certain of it. I have read through
a calculation and recognize that, right now, javascript mining is not lucrative enough to truly challenge online advertising,
but we all know that will change. The future connects content creators straight to content consumers with no middle-men trying to convince me my life sucks because I haven't bought their product. This is a foundational plank in the future shaped by the crypto-revolution. A world without advertisers pressuring websites to filter their content to fit their desired narrative.
I am posting this in hopes that someone might be able to help me think through how to proceed. Despite my clumsy language here, I am not a complete moron. I have some skill as a programmer and will likely try to make this happen whether anyone else thinks it's a good idea or not. But, if you're reading this and see the potential here like I do, please tell me your thoughts. The important part is that the vested interests don't hijack the narrative and convince your average ad-blocking Joe that javascript mining is inherently malicious. This idea needs marketing and polished execution, I hope you all agree!
