First, it was the YouTube requirement that you have 1000 subscribers and 4000 annual hours of viewing. This will probably cut my income by $25 – $30 a year. Now, Google is going to reduce the likelihood content will appear where it presently appears in search results unless your server is using https. I am trying to figure out exactly what it would cost to add this service to my site (Learning Aloud). My site does include ads, but unlike the ads embedded at the beginning of YouTube videos, web page ads require that users click on an ad to generate revenue. Clicking an ad on an education site is a very rare event. I can go months without a click. So, this situation is about paying more money than I do now just to increase the odds a teacher searching for a resource would find my content. My uncertainty regarding what my cost would be comes from my lack of understanding as to whether I must purchase a certificate for the entire site or for each source (I have three blogs and two separate content resources on my rented server). Will it be another $35 for the site or $35 for each separate resource.
I like running my own server because it gives me greater control of my content and allows me the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of how servers work. I miss the days of working at a university and running a server from a machine on my desk. I could probably simplify my approach using blogger for blogs (Google will certainly make certain its own blogging services meet its requirements) and perhaps move to a service such as SquareSpace for pages. These options feel like giving in – don’t be evil should mean something.