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I both make a small amount of money from ads and also use AdBlocker. The thing is, I don't mind ads. The problem is that the people providing content should ow

I both make a small amount of money from ads and also use AdBlocker. The thing is, I don't mind ads. The problem is that the people providing content should own and manage what ads they show me. This idea of allocating page space and then bidding it off? It only leads to click fraud, malware, and all sorts of other problems. Instead, write things I find useful, then provide me links -- text links -- to ways I might continue my investigation. Ads are fine when they help people. When we start focusing on the money instead of the experience, however, it all goes to crap. I don't think ads are something you can outsource if you want to be a quality content provider. They're just as important as any other content on the page. By the way, this also means that mostly-plain-text pages could work fine for both creators and consumers in the vast majority of cases.

euske 11y ago
This. I tend to think ads only work when people don't care or even notice them. If an ad annoys its viewers, it's already a failure of the ad and they don't deserve money, whether or not it's blocked. Many obscene ads failed silently. Ad blocking is just a visible part of their failure.
daemin 11y ago
You mean like in some of those fancy fashion magazines where the ads are actually part of the content that people buy. Yes that would be good for websites to do, but it also requires a dedicated ad department to organise it all, and consumers of that content that would want to buy the goods that are being sold.
- Tyr42 11y ago
  Penney Arcade had good ads. They actually play the games that were advertised and it was also a stamp of approval.
  - milesvp 11y ago
    This. It's the only website I've found that actually has ads relevant to the site, ads I want to see and am receptive for. My understanding from what I've gleaned from their blog, is that this really worked out for them (though PAX revenue now dwarfs their site revenue).
jimktrains2 11y ago
> The problem is that the people providing content should own and manage what ads they show me. I started building something that would do this, but was never able to generate any interest and gave up eventually. Do you think there is interest outside of us and I should continue that? Where would I find interested parties? Does it already exist?
13thLetter 11y ago
> Ads are fine when they help people. It's really easy to forget this. Ads can be a good thing! Anyone ever pick up Computer Shopper magazine in the '90s? It was a giant phonebook full of practically nothing but ads for computer hardware and software. And not only did people voluntarily read it, they paid money for the privilege, because it was useful to them.

euske 11y ago

This. I tend to think ads only work when people don't care or even notice them. If an ad annoys its viewers, it's already a failure of the ad and they don't deserve money, whether or not it's blocked. Many obscene ads failed silently. Ad blocking is just a visible part of their failure.

daemin 11y ago

You mean like in some of those fancy fashion magazines where the ads are actually part of the content that people buy. Yes that would be good for websites to do, but it also requires a dedicated ad department to organise it all, and consumers of that content that would want to buy the goods that are being sold.

Tyr42 11y ago
Penney Arcade had good ads. They actually play the games that were advertised and it was also a stamp of approval.
- milesvp 11y ago
  This. It's the only website I've found that actually has ads relevant to the site, ads I want to see and am receptive for. My understanding from what I've gleaned from their blog, is that this really worked out for them (though PAX revenue now dwarfs their site revenue).

jimktrains2 11y ago

> The problem is that the people providing content should own and manage what ads they show me. I started building something that would do this, but was never able to generate any interest and gave up eventually. Do you think there is interest outside of us and I should continue that? Where would I find interested parties? Does it already exist?

13thLetter 11y ago

> Ads are fine when they help people. It's really easy to forget this. Ads can be a good thing! Anyone ever pick up Computer Shopper magazine in the '90s? It was a giant phonebook full of practically nothing but ads for computer hardware and software. And not only did people voluntarily read it, they paid money for the privilege, because it was useful to them.