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Many people forget there is another option - you don't have to read these sites. If you don't like their business model, don't visit those sites. They can off

Many people forget there is another option - you don't have to read these sites. If you don't like their business model, don't visit those sites. They can offer ad-free paywalls instead, and if the content isn't worth paying for, that's probably because their content was of no value in the first place. It's actually negative value, because you've lost a few minutes of your life reading it.

leereeves 11y ago
You'd have to be a little bit obsessed to research and keep track of the business model of every site (including the tracking, which may not be obvious).
DanBC 11y ago
Or the fourth option: Allow users to have a bit of control over the ads they see. I never ever want to see ads for alcohol or gambling[1]. The fact I can't opt out of that advertising means I installed an ad-blocker. I turn it off for everything, and turn it on if a site shows me an ad for alcohol or gambling. (I also try to tell the site). [1] I either never want to see them, or I want to see as many as possible and click all of them to increase click-fraud rates and discourage their use.
- SyneRyder 11y ago
  Brilliant. I completely agree - there are some ads I like (I'm so glad I saw ads for Harvest Accounting and 10 Cloverfield Lane), but I never want to see an ad for Zoosk ever again. Telling the site is a great idea, but they probably don't have enough control in their ad tools to block them. Google at least gives some user control via http://www.google.com/settings/ads/ http://www.google.com/settings/ads/ and Google Contributor in the US, but nowhere near enough to block specific advertisers.
- dspillett 11y ago
  The problem with that is it requires tracking, which is one of the key things people object to. For your preferences to be respected, you need to be tracked so they know it is you they are showing ads to.
  - DanBC 11y ago
    Yes, a lot of people hate the trackin and use ad blockers because of that. But here I'm saying I'm happy to view ads, even with all the tracking. The two things that made me install an ad blocker are i: alcohol and gambling ads ii: ads that ignore English regulation
buserror 11y ago
That's what I do -- any page that tries to 'engage' me into signing up for their newsletter (or other clickbait to force me to click on their page before reading anything) get closed immediately instead. Likewise with autoplay videos. Poof.

leereeves 11y ago

You'd have to be a little bit obsessed to research and keep track of the business model of every site (including the tracking, which may not be obvious).

DanBC 11y ago

Or the fourth option: Allow users to have a bit of control over the ads they see. I never ever want to see ads for alcohol or gambling[1]. The fact I can't opt out of that advertising means I installed an ad-blocker. I turn it off for everything, and turn it on if a site shows me an ad for alcohol or gambling. (I also try to tell the site). [1] I either never want to see them, or I want to see as many as possible and click all of them to increase click-fraud rates and discourage their use.

SyneRyder 11y ago
Brilliant. I completely agree - there are some ads I like (I'm so glad I saw ads for Harvest Accounting and 10 Cloverfield Lane), but I never want to see an ad for Zoosk ever again. Telling the site is a great idea, but they probably don't have enough control in their ad tools to block them. Google at least gives some user control via http://www.google.com/settings/ads/ http://www.google.com/settings/ads/ and Google Contributor in the US, but nowhere near enough to block specific advertisers.
dspillett 11y ago
The problem with that is it requires tracking, which is one of the key things people object to. For your preferences to be respected, you need to be tracked so they know it is you they are showing ads to.
- DanBC 11y ago
  Yes, a lot of people hate the trackin and use ad blockers because of that. But here I'm saying I'm happy to view ads, even with all the tracking. The two things that made me install an ad blocker are i: alcohol and gambling ads ii: ads that ignore English regulation

buserror 11y ago

That's what I do -- any page that tries to 'engage' me into signing up for their newsletter (or other clickbait to force me to click on their page before reading anything) get closed immediately instead. Likewise with autoplay videos. Poof.