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Are there common domains to Instagram sponsored posts? I'm wondering if blocking DNS on routers / devices would give some temporary relief for this situation.

Are there common domains to Instagram sponsored posts? I'm wondering if blocking DNS on routers / devices would give some temporary relief for this situation. I'm sorry that you're being bombarded with this, it'd be nice if Facebook provided topic blocking for ads beyond alcohol and parenting.

na85 9y ago
I believe this highlights a problem with the web in general: ads are a blight and should be excised from it entirely. If some ad-supported sites have to go under, well, that's just the cost of social progress.
- dominotw 9y ago
  What about highway Billboards, how can we bring progress there?
  - soundwave106 9y ago
    Different business models and different focus. In the US, billboards are banned in four American states (Vermont, Maine, Alaska and Hawaii) and various other counties or cities. Generally speaking, these are places that put high value on tourism driven by natural beauty (which, of course, roadside billboards tend to undermine). In photo sharing communities where there is less focus on the "social" aspects, ads are often less of a problem. From what I see, for instance, Instagram is not used as a primary resource by a lot by professional / semi-pro photographers. Many of them build online portfolios to catalog their work, and I imagine most photographers would not be terribly thrilled to see bra ads or any other ads being inserted into their portfolio of works. So these people more go to sites like Smugmug and Zenfolio. Which as far as I know is ad-free, but also isn't zero cost to set up either. Intrusive, often creepily-targeted advertising seems to be the norm now for any large social-focused Internet business. It's what keeps things "free". The question, I guess, is what is a good alternative model? Something has to pay for the server / bandwidth costs and upkeep. Coming up with a better business model (or at least one that focuses on different values, such as the atypical billboard bans) is the only real way to "get rid of the ads".
  - na85 9y ago
    Not sure. What's your point?
  - tomc1985 9y ago
    Far less intrusive. There's that one city in Brazil that did away with them...
    - 659087 9y ago
      > Far less intrusive. Then you must not have yet had the pleasure of being exposed to the massive, blindingly-bright displays playing animated ads near many major cities.
      - tatersolid 9y ago
        I almost had an accident when the ancient “Budweiser” sign on I94 near Armitage in Chicago was replaced with an 80-foot electronic billboard. It was a darkish night, and while I was looking the board board switched to an ad with a mostly-white background. It was like looking into 1000 suns. I was temporarily blinded with those purple spots in my vision and actually rolled onto the shoulder near the wall before recovering.
  - clouddrover 9y ago
    Join the Billboard Liberation Front: http://www.billboardliberation.com/ http://www.billboardliberation.com/ Their website could use some work so maybe that'd be a good way to contribute.
- derimagia 9y ago
  I think you are really underestimating how much the internet is paid from ads
  - na85 9y ago
    Well, if they're so insignificant, why all the fuss every time someone suggests getting getting rid of them?
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
- davefp 9y ago
  Hackernews would probably be among them. Don't forget there's always a job ad on the front page for a YC company.
  - na85 9y ago
    In that event, I am certain that I could find another place to read about javascript frameworks and watch people misuse the phrase a priori. The people who come to HN are what's valuable to me, not the specific web property.

na85 9y ago

I believe this highlights a problem with the web in general: ads are a blight and should be excised from it entirely. If some ad-supported sites have to go under, well, that's just the cost of social progress.

dominotw 9y ago
What about highway Billboards, how can we bring progress there?
- soundwave106 9y ago
  Different business models and different focus. In the US, billboards are banned in four American states (Vermont, Maine, Alaska and Hawaii) and various other counties or cities. Generally speaking, these are places that put high value on tourism driven by natural beauty (which, of course, roadside billboards tend to undermine). In photo sharing communities where there is less focus on the "social" aspects, ads are often less of a problem. From what I see, for instance, Instagram is not used as a primary resource by a lot by professional / semi-pro photographers. Many of them build online portfolios to catalog their work, and I imagine most photographers would not be terribly thrilled to see bra ads or any other ads being inserted into their portfolio of works. So these people more go to sites like Smugmug and Zenfolio. Which as far as I know is ad-free, but also isn't zero cost to set up either. Intrusive, often creepily-targeted advertising seems to be the norm now for any large social-focused Internet business. It's what keeps things "free". The question, I guess, is what is a good alternative model? Something has to pay for the server / bandwidth costs and upkeep. Coming up with a better business model (or at least one that focuses on different values, such as the atypical billboard bans) is the only real way to "get rid of the ads".
- na85 9y ago
  Not sure. What's your point?
- tomc1985 9y ago
  Far less intrusive. There's that one city in Brazil that did away with them...
  - 659087 9y ago
    > Far less intrusive. Then you must not have yet had the pleasure of being exposed to the massive, blindingly-bright displays playing animated ads near many major cities.
    - tatersolid 9y ago
      I almost had an accident when the ancient “Budweiser” sign on I94 near Armitage in Chicago was replaced with an 80-foot electronic billboard. It was a darkish night, and while I was looking the board board switched to an ad with a mostly-white background. It was like looking into 1000 suns. I was temporarily blinded with those purple spots in my vision and actually rolled onto the shoulder near the wall before recovering.
- clouddrover 9y ago
  Join the Billboard Liberation Front: http://www.billboardliberation.com/ http://www.billboardliberation.com/ Their website could use some work so maybe that'd be a good way to contribute.
derimagia 9y ago
I think you are really underestimating how much the internet is paid from ads
- na85 9y ago
  Well, if they're so insignificant, why all the fuss every time someone suggests getting getting rid of them?
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
davefp 9y ago
Hackernews would probably be among them. Don't forget there's always a job ad on the front page for a YC company.
- na85 9y ago
  In that event, I am certain that I could find another place to read about javascript frameworks and watch people misuse the phrase a priori. The people who come to HN are what's valuable to me, not the specific web property.