Solve : Ad Blockers - A Force for Good??

1.	Solve : Ad Blockers - A Force for Good??
Answer» Hey everyone, I've been thinking about this lately and just wanted to throw the question out there. What is your stance on ad blockers? I've used Adblock Plus for some time now, and it works really well for my browsing experience - far fewer annoying popups, banners, and so on. It's great for avoiding ads before YouTube videos as well. Thing is, so many smaller website rely on their ad revenue to keep running, so I find myself questioning just how reasonable it really is to use it. So, the question is, do you use an ad blocker yourself? Do you think it's sustainable for so many people to keep using them, or should we put up with irritating ADVERTS to support those websites that actually need the revenue? I use badadjohnny. I just whitelist the websites that I believe need the revenue from the ads. For the rest of the websites, I just block all the annoying popups and ads. If I didn't then I would be continuously annoyed by the amount of popups a.Whitelisting individual websites seems a very good way to go, but do you think most ad blocker users actively do that? Just thinking from the perspective of a website owner - you can't guarantee that people will be responsible with how they use ad blockers. Then again, perhaps it's down to advertisers to change their practices and MAKE theirs ads generally less obtrusive and irritating. Not to mention the privacy element, with so many trackers out there... As you say, web browsing is a far less irritating experience when you use an ad blocker. Because for websites at the moment it basically seems to be a choice between asking visitors to turn off their ad blocker and outright banning them from entry, like it explains in this article: https://www.1and1.co.uk/digitalguide/websites/web-design/adblockers-impact-on-web-development/ For a burgeoning website struggling to cover its costs, this risks losing a fair amount of traffic from people who simply refuse to do so. It's a tricky one - the internet needs advertising in a certain sense, but it can also dilute the experience!This is all based on empathy for people who make money from ads ? ? Or have a poor business model to begin with ? I don't get it.There is a concept that there is an implicit moral contract whereby if a site has ads, then you must view those ads to view the website. There is a certain logic to the idea. But as far as product is concerned, I don't think it holds up. The basic idea is that if you consume what they are providing, you must also consume some advertisements that the content provider places on the site. Let's see how logical and reasonable that concept works when applied to, say, produce. Suddenly, No company charges for the STRAWBERRIES, but some strawberry distributors have contracts with Dried Goat Turds Inc., and when they sell you strawberries, they will also include a selection of random dried goat turds, and they get paid based on how many of these dried goat turds you eat. Like a good customer you are expected to finish all your goat turds. Nobody ever wants to eat goat turds. They taste like, well, goat turds. Sometimes, goat turds make you sick. Too bad. That's the price you pay for strawberries. Blocking ads is like ignoring and not eating these goat turds, and only eating the strawberries. People see you have a goat turd filter, and call you a strawberry thief. But in such a world- is it immoral to not eat goat turds? I say no; I say that if a company provides you with a bundled product, free or otherwise, you are perfectly free to pick and choose what components you want to accept and consume, regardless of their business dealings. Nobody gets bent out of shape when somebody picks off the pineapple from a Hawaiian, going on about implicit social contracts, but picking out the goat turds from the web content you access is some sort of immoral act by evil content thieves. I say what we are seeing with adblock is in some sense analogous to the change in business model that the record industry was forced kicking and screaming into the digital age. websites, STILL adhering to the idea that they can make money for ads, throw up full-page banners, make contracts with shady advertising companies who track users across the web. So users block it. Then they throw a fit and start detecting ad blockers and throwing up pathetic "Plz disable ads" banners or even prevent you from visiting the site altogether. Eventually, it's going to become clear that Merely delivering web content through HTTP is not a business model, and needs to be part of something larger to contribute to one.I spent 1 1/2 hours working on eliminating the 2nd generation ads...IE: those sites that state "please dis-able your ad-blocker" to view content... This infuriates me even more than the Ads do... Happy to report it's been about 75% successful...so i have more work to do. *Info Page...*you are right it's annoying when they don't let you view content unless you disable adblocker but some websites like novel translators website runs on donations and revenues from ads. So I think websites like those need to be whitelisted if you are not donatingDoes anybody remember when cabled TV first stated years ago? The promised if we pay for cable there would be no commercials.Quote from: Geek-9pm on February 21, 2017, 11:31:16 AM Does anybody remember when cabled TV first stated years ago? The promised if we pay for cable there would be no commercials. Would you like to document that? I'll bet nobody in the industry EVER made that claim.They did...it lasted less than 2 1/2 years though...Quote from: patio on February 21, 2017, 01:10:45 PM They did...it lasted less than 2 1/2 years though... This is honestly why I'm worried about the Future of Netflix like services. Eventually someone is going to come along and say "Hey Netflix i know you are making tons of money but add this very non intrusive ad and you can make more money!" My only hope is they think "No thank you our viewers don't like ads" Rather then "Oh well if its non intrusive then sure!"Netflix would not let a chance to make more money go. They most probably will allow such ''NON-intrusive" Adds on their videos.Quote from: Lorraine walsh on February 21, 2017, 11:53:04 PM Netflix would not let a chance to make more money go. They most probably will allow such ''NON-intrusive" Adds on their videos. On one hand i definitely agree because Netflix likes money and I can see them justifying it many ways. On the other hand they have to know that if they have ads people will stop subscribing.. And if they were to Include Ads why not have them already? I'm sure with its popularity they aren't short on offers.Netflix makes its own shows now. Their popularity is ever increasing. they will not start suddenly in my opinion. They will do this slowly over time. They will start by doing adding just one at the start and then add more in future. They know people wont leave as their shows have a loyal fanbaseQuote So, the question is, do you use an ad blocker yourself? Do you think it's sustainable for so many people to keep using them, or should we put up with irritating adverts to support those websites that actually need the revenue? I use adblocker for firefox, but sometimes turn it off. Some sites will pop up stating you cant use their site unless its disabled. I feel that the majority of people I know who browse the internet dont use adblockers and so there is still a good amount of people visiting the sites. In all the ads I have watched online. None have made me want to buy something when visiting a website and the advertising before the streaming video etc. Pretty much when I make purchases online, I am there because I intend to buy something. Such as at newegg to see what they have in their bargain bin on discount or clearance or steam for a new game on the cheap that is on sale. If I am to watch a music video or streaming show, the ads never apply to me. Even when some have interactive ads where they ask which you'd rather see its just wasted time for me to have to go through the process. I suppose some materialistic people might see some new SUV or easy clean vegetable chopper or axe body wash etc and think that they need to have that product. as far as products go i stick with the same consumables I have for years. Only if there is a really good coupon would I ever change from say Tide detergent etc. And coupons dont pop up for printing in these ads. If they wanted to get me to take ads more seriously, they should have some sort of benefit for me to waste 20 seconds of my life watching it or instead of random ads that 99.9% of them never apply to me have a way to register for ad content that I wouldnt mind watching... for example if the ad has humor to it, I like those. I probably would never buy the product but at least the 20 seconds was entertaining and I got a laugh about it. Some examples of commercials I enjoyed was the one where muscle relaxant gets accidentally dumped into a vat of gatorade and foot ball players are totally wasted on the football field and the entire crowd is quiet like in shock at whats happening yet one guy jumps up screaming WoooHOOOOOOOOO... he won on a lottery ticket and that was the whole point of the commercial.... others I liked was the Hertz Rental Car company showing ideas to improve rental car service and a jet pack to get them to the rental car faster is proposed. In the next scene a guy in a jet pack shot up into power lines and BOOM. Then they are like yeah thats not such a good idea as well as the aroma therapy candles lit in the back sill of the rental car and a bunch of executives were so calmed by the aroma therapy that the car is drifting off the road with them asleep crossing into oncoming traffic. As well as the Trunk Monkey commercials that when this guy has a problem he pops the trunk release and a monkey jumps out with a tire iron to deal with the problem and then high 5 and the monkey goes back into the trunk for another commercial which I forgot what they were selling. Captain Obvious is not bad in latest ads with him. Some of the DOS EQUIS Guy commercials were good too... sadly the guy retired.. "Stay Thirsty My Friends"... and while I do like to drink on occasion, I dont care for DOS XX Beer.

Answer»

Hey everyone, I've been thinking about this lately and just wanted to throw the question out there. What is your stance on ad blockers? I've used Adblock Plus for some time now, and it works really well for my browsing experience - far fewer annoying popups, banners, and so on. It's great for avoiding ads before YouTube videos as well. Thing is, so many smaller website rely on their ad revenue to keep running, so I find myself questioning just how reasonable it really is to use it.

So, the question is, do you use an ad blocker yourself? Do you think it's sustainable for so many people to keep using them, or should we put up with irritating ADVERTS to support those websites that actually need the revenue? I use badadjohnny. I just whitelist the websites that I believe need the revenue from the ads. For the rest of the websites, I just block all the annoying popups and ads. If I didn't then I would be continuously annoyed by the amount of popups a.Whitelisting individual websites seems a very good way to go, but do you think most ad blocker users actively do that? Just thinking from the perspective of a website owner - you can't guarantee that people will be responsible with how they use ad blockers. Then again, perhaps it's down to advertisers to change their practices and MAKE theirs ads generally less obtrusive and irritating. Not to mention the privacy element, with so many trackers out there...

As you say, web browsing is a far less irritating experience when you use an ad blocker. Because for websites at the moment it basically seems to be a choice between asking visitors to turn off their ad blocker and outright banning them from entry, like it explains in this article: https://www.1and1.co.uk/digitalguide/websites/web-design/adblockers-impact-on-web-development/

For a burgeoning website struggling to cover its costs, this risks losing a fair amount of traffic from people who simply refuse to do so. It's a tricky one - the internet needs advertising in a certain sense, but it can also dilute the experience!This is all based on empathy for people who make money from ads ? ?

Or have a poor business model to begin with ?

I don't get it.There is a concept that there is an implicit moral contract whereby if a site has ads, then you must view those ads to view the website. There is a certain logic to the idea. But as far as product is concerned, I don't think it holds up. The basic idea is that if you consume what they are providing, you must also consume some advertisements that the content provider places on the site.

Let's see how logical and reasonable that concept works when applied to, say, produce.

Suddenly, No company charges for the STRAWBERRIES, but some strawberry distributors have contracts with Dried Goat Turds Inc., and when they sell you strawberries, they will also include a selection of random dried goat turds, and they get paid based on how many of these dried goat turds you eat.

Like a good customer you are expected to finish all your goat turds. Nobody ever wants to eat goat turds. They taste like, well, goat turds. Sometimes, goat turds make you sick. Too bad. That's the price you pay for strawberries.

Blocking ads is like ignoring and not eating these goat turds, and only eating the strawberries. People see you have a goat turd filter, and call you a strawberry thief.

But in such a world- is it immoral to not eat goat turds? I say no; I say that if a company provides you with a bundled product, free or otherwise, you are perfectly free to pick and choose what components you want to accept and consume, regardless of their business dealings. Nobody gets bent out of shape when somebody picks off the pineapple from a Hawaiian, going on about implicit social contracts, but picking out the goat turds from the web content you access is some sort of immoral act by evil content thieves.

I say what we are seeing with adblock is in some sense analogous to the change in business model that the record industry was forced kicking and screaming into the digital age. websites, STILL adhering to the idea that they can make money for ads, throw up full-page banners, make contracts with shady advertising companies who track users across the web. So users block it. Then they throw a fit and start detecting ad blockers and throwing up pathetic "Plz disable ads" banners or even prevent you from visiting the site altogether. Eventually, it's going to become clear that Merely delivering web content through HTTP is not a business model, and needs to be part of something larger to contribute to one.I spent 1 1/2 hours working on eliminating the 2nd generation ads...IE: those sites that state "please dis-able your ad-blocker" to view content...
This infuriates me even more than the Ads do...

Happy to report it's been about 75% successful...so i have more work to do.

Info Page...you are right it's annoying when they don't let you view content unless you disable adblocker but some websites like novel translators website runs on donations and revenues from ads. So I think websites like those need to be whitelisted if you are not donatingDoes anybody remember when cabled TV first stated years ago?
The promised if we pay for cable there would be no commercials.Quote from: Geek-9pm on February 21, 2017, 11:31:16 AM

Does anybody remember when cabled TV first stated years ago?
The promised if we pay for cable there would be no commercials.

Would you like to document that? I'll bet nobody in the industry EVER made that claim.They did...it lasted less than 2 1/2 years though...Quote from: patio on February 21, 2017, 01:10:45 PM

They did...it lasted less than 2 1/2 years though...

This is honestly why I'm worried about the Future of Netflix like services. Eventually someone is going to come along and say "Hey Netflix i know you are making tons of money but add this very non intrusive ad and you can make more money!" My only hope is they think "No thank you our viewers don't like ads" Rather then "Oh well if its non intrusive then sure!"Netflix would not let a chance to make more money go. They most probably will allow such ''NON-intrusive" Adds on their videos.Quote from: Lorraine walsh on February 21, 2017, 11:53:04 PM

Netflix would not let a chance to make more money go. They most probably will allow such ''NON-intrusive" Adds on their videos.

On one hand i definitely agree because Netflix likes money and I can see them justifying it many ways. On the other hand they have to know that if they have ads people will stop subscribing.. And if they were to Include Ads why not have them already? I'm sure with its popularity they aren't short on offers.Netflix makes its own shows now. Their popularity is ever increasing. they will not start suddenly in my opinion. They will do this slowly over time. They will start by doing adding just one at the start and then add more in future. They know people wont leave as their shows have a loyal fanbaseQuote

So, the question is, do you use an ad blocker yourself? Do you think it's sustainable for so many people to keep using them, or should we put up with irritating adverts to support those websites that actually need the revenue?

I use adblocker for firefox, but sometimes turn it off. Some sites will pop up stating you cant use their site unless its disabled.

I feel that the majority of people I know who browse the internet dont use adblockers and so there is still a good amount of people visiting the sites.

In all the ads I have watched online. None have made me want to buy something when visiting a website and the advertising before the streaming video etc. Pretty much when I make purchases online, I am there because I intend to buy something. Such as at newegg to see what they have in their bargain bin on discount or clearance or steam for a new game on the cheap that is on sale.

If I am to watch a music video or streaming show, the ads never apply to me. Even when some have interactive ads where they ask which you'd rather see its just wasted time for me to have to go through the process. I suppose some materialistic people might see some new SUV or easy clean vegetable chopper or axe body wash etc and think that they need to have that product. as far as products go i stick with the same consumables I have for years. Only if there is a really good coupon would I ever change from say Tide detergent etc. And coupons dont pop up for printing in these ads.

If they wanted to get me to take ads more seriously, they should have some sort of benefit for me to waste 20 seconds of my life watching it or instead of random ads that 99.9% of them never apply to me have a way to register for ad content that I wouldnt mind watching... for example if the ad has humor to it, I like those. I probably would never buy the product but at least the 20 seconds was entertaining and I got a laugh about it. Some examples of commercials I enjoyed was the one where muscle relaxant gets accidentally dumped into a vat of gatorade and foot ball players are totally wasted on the football field and the entire crowd is quiet like in shock at whats happening yet one guy jumps up screaming WoooHOOOOOOOOO... he won on a lottery ticket and that was the whole point of the commercial.... others I liked was the Hertz Rental Car company showing ideas to improve rental car service and a jet pack to get them to the rental car faster is proposed. In the next scene a guy in a jet pack shot up into power lines and BOOM. Then they are like yeah thats not such a good idea as well as the aroma therapy candles lit in the back sill of the rental car and a bunch of executives were so calmed by the aroma therapy that the car is drifting off the road with them asleep crossing into oncoming traffic. As well as the Trunk Monkey commercials that when this guy has a problem he pops the trunk release and a monkey jumps out with a tire iron to deal with the problem and then high 5 and the monkey goes back into the trunk for another commercial which I forgot what they were selling. Captain Obvious is not bad in latest ads with him. Some of the DOS EQUIS Guy commercials were good too... sadly the guy retired.. "Stay Thirsty My Friends"... and while I do like to drink on occasion, I dont care for DOS XX Beer.

Solve : Ad Blockers - A Force for Good??

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