4 ms·

Blocking ads is not stealing. Get a better business model.

11 points by quoderat 19y ago

notauser 19y ago
Serving adverts from your own servers, especially as plain text, is a good way to make sure they don't get blocked. At the least it will probably require positive user intervention. It is more work though as you won't be able to deal with a network. The ads might be of a higher quality and more interesting to your readers though.
DanHulton 19y ago
Blocking ads isn't stealing, nor is it immoral. Those who go to the trouble of blocking advertisements tend not to be the ones who would click on an ad or, once said ad is clicked on, purchase the product advertised. But DDOSing a site is immoral, and can be illegal. Shame on the author for suggesting it. It absolutely ruins what could otherwise been a decent argument.
quoderat 19y ago
As the author, I didn’t suggest that anyone, including myself, DDOS a site. I said it “made me want to,” which is quite a different thing. I’ve never done that, nor would I ever. First of all, it’s not worth my time. Second, have you never had any dark thoughts that you haven’t acted on, and had no intention of acting on? If you say you haven’t, I know you’re not telling the truth. That is a rant blog, not a PhD thesis. As such, it has many rants, that one included.
- dhimes 19y ago
  Seems to me that if it's stealing to block ads, it must also be stealing to click on an ad when you have absolutely no intention of making a purchase. I'm with you--it's not stealing. However, when my competitors click on my ad, it pisses me off. But is it stealing?
axod 19y ago
Blocking people who block ads is fine as well IMHO
daniel-cussen 19y ago
I feel so guilty. I realize I was stealing when I pulled the curtain on highway ads as I rode the bus to the beach.
- sharksandwich 19y ago
  That reasoning doesn't hold water - highways don't count on billboards for funding
  - daniel-cussen 19y ago
    Good point. I'm not sure if the highway used billboards for funding.
dejb 19y ago
True. Is embedding ads deeply into the content stealing from the viewer? Like a product placement in a movie? The more people block ads the more content producers will move in this direction.
mattjung 19y ago
Blocking ads is a more and more widely required feature by users that advertisers as well as product companies will have to deal with. Demonizing doesn't seem to be the best strategy...

11 points by quoderat 19y ago

Serving adverts from your own servers, especially as plain text, is a good way to make sure they don't get blocked. At the least it will probably require positive user intervention. It is more work though as you won't be able to deal with a network. The ads might be of a higher quality and more interesting to your readers though.

DanHulton 19y ago

Blocking ads isn't stealing, nor is it immoral. Those who go to the trouble of blocking advertisements tend not to be the ones who would click on an ad or, once said ad is clicked on, purchase the product advertised. But DDOSing a site is immoral, and can be illegal. Shame on the author for suggesting it. It absolutely ruins what could otherwise been a decent argument.

quoderat 19y ago

As the author, I didn’t suggest that anyone, including myself, DDOS a site. I said it “made me want to,” which is quite a different thing. I’ve never done that, nor would I ever. First of all, it’s not worth my time. Second, have you never had any dark thoughts that you haven’t acted on, and had no intention of acting on? If you say you haven’t, I know you’re not telling the truth. That is a rant blog, not a PhD thesis. As such, it has many rants, that one included.

dhimes 19y ago
Seems to me that if it's stealing to block ads, it must also be stealing to click on an ad when you have absolutely no intention of making a purchase. I'm with you--it's not stealing. However, when my competitors click on my ad, it pisses me off. But is it stealing?

axod 19y ago

Blocking people who block ads is fine as well IMHO

daniel-cussen 19y ago

I feel so guilty. I realize I was stealing when I pulled the curtain on highway ads as I rode the bus to the beach.

sharksandwich 19y ago
That reasoning doesn't hold water - highways don't count on billboards for funding
- daniel-cussen 19y ago
  Good point. I'm not sure if the highway used billboards for funding.

dejb 19y ago

True. Is embedding ads deeply into the content stealing from the viewer? Like a product placement in a movie? The more people block ads the more content producers will move in this direction.

mattjung 19y ago

Blocking ads is a more and more widely required feature by users that advertisers as well as product companies will have to deal with. Demonizing doesn't seem to be the best strategy...