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We think (@pagefair) it's clear that adblock is being promoted just fine by word of mouth. It's the ad industry that's got to change somehow. We're trying to be

We think (@pagefair) it's clear that adblock is being promoted just fine by word of mouth. It's the ad industry that's got to change somehow. We're trying to be part of that. What's shocking to us is how the ad industry mostly doesn't even recognise how fast adblock is growing. To them, it just looks like more people have switched off their PCs, because they just can't see that segment of the audience anymore. Therefore, they're having a really hard time figuring out that this is even happening to them.

ciaranm 12y ago
> To them, it just looks like more people have switched off their PCs That's a really interesting comment. I don't think people are moving away from laptops (desktops maybe) anywhere near as quickly as I so often hear. Anecdotally, almost everyone I know uses predominantly laptops for their computing/browsing needs. They almost all also use Adblock.
- seren 12y ago
  I think you are on to something. If you are "savy" internet user, you probably hang a bit longer on the desktop than the average population because you are also a power user. If you are a "casual" internet user, mainly checking some social site status, etc, using a mobile is enough. Or to say otherwise, prosumer vs consumer. And it is more likely that you will use an adblocker if you belong to the first part of the population.
  - ciaranm 12y ago
    I'm one of a handful of people I know who still use a desktop on a (mostly) daily basis outside of work. They're all either devs or heavy PC gamers. Having said that, I don't know a single person who doesn't at least use a laptop every other day or so. Most of my friends have smartphones, but I don't know anyone who relies on that as their only access point for online services.
scholia 12y ago
Are you including Adblock Edge? How is that doing?
- seanblanchfield 12y ago
  Adblock Edge is included, as is every plugin or proxy that acts to remove advertising from web pages. Unfortunately, we can't specifically distinguish adblock edge from the others right now.
  - scholia 12y ago
    OK, thanks for the info!
- valarauca1 12y ago
  Pagefair is basically "Clean ads as a service." If they detect your using Adblock plus, they'll server you an ad, adblock plus won't block, because they pay adblock plus. (And because they claim to follow adblock plus's policy of 'good ads'). Which is annoying, because if you aren't using adblock plus, you don't get decent ads (just the standard ads), so ultimately it defeats the goal of adblock which is to make all ads non-obtrusive, for all users, not just the chosen few who use adblock. Adblock edge will block pagefair ads, because adblock edge is a not-for-profit adblocker, unlike adblock plus. Also hosts blocking remains a completely viable option.
  - coldpie 12y ago
    > adblock plus won't block I was wondering if this is true. It is! Take a look: Here's ABP's policy on "acceptable ads": https://adblockplus.org/en/acceptable-ads https://adblockplus.org/en/acceptable-ads From there, you can find the "acceptable ads" whitelist: https://easylist-downloads.adblockplus.org/exceptionrules.txt https://easylist-downloads.adblockplus.org/exceptionrules.tx... And indeed, PageFair has a few domains listed. Fascinatingly, there's also a link to a forum thread where the whitelist was requested: https://adblockplus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=20718 https://adblockplus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=20718 That thread links to a page that uses PageFair. After enabling a bunch of JavaScript domains (what, you're still not running NoScript?), an ad does indeed show up: http://forums.utopia-game.com/forumdisplay.php?1583-Suggestions http://forums.utopia-game.com/forumdisplay.php?1583-Suggesti... Rather hilariously, the ad is for a "Free Mp4 Player" and links to Ask.com or something. If this is PageFair's idea of the future of quality advertising, I don't think their company is long for this world.
coldpie 12y ago
I'm interested to see how the web business model changes in the next decade. I think it's likely that web advertising is a dead end. There's been a number of articles about how Facebook advertising is a waste of money, ad impressions are down in general, and like this article describes, Adblock is really taking off. I think, and desperately hope, that we're going to see more voluntary subscription type services like Patreon, where the content itself is released for free. I personally loathe advertising. When watching YouTube videos on my phone, where I can't use Adblock, I actively mute and set the phone aside during ads that can't be skipped, or that I choose to let play to support the content creator. Then I come back 30 seconds later to view the content I wanted. I recently switched to using Firefox on mobile because it's the only mobile browser I'm aware of with an Adblock plugin. I put up with mobile advertising for several years--I understand that's how web content creators get paid in 2014, even if I think it's a crummy business model. But advertisers crossed the line when my phone started talking about construction contractors at me out loud. Instantly switched to Firefox, installed Adblock, and didn't look back. Advertisers have no one to blame but themselves for the rise of Adblock. Sorry, advertisers, but your ilk are simply too scummy to put up with. You abuse otherwise valuable technology, you waste my time and bandwidth, you manipulate feelings and entire cultures, and you convince people to buy crap that is useless and often actively harmful. I'm done with advertisers and I hope Adblock hastens their demise. Content creators will figure out a different business model without your horseshit. This post became progressively more angry the more I thought about advertisers :)
- m0nty 12y ago
  > I personally loathe advertising. I've always had issues with the constant brain-washing with trivial rubbish, stupid humour and idiotic themes so often used in TV commericals. I tend to download movies/television now, or buy them on DVD, and so I hardly ever watch television per se. When I do, I find it jarring to be taken out of a story to be told about lavatory cleaner or some novelty foodstuff. I have the same feeling when browsing without AdBlock. How am I supposed to read the article with so much stuff dancing around my peripheral vision? Oh, I'm not, it's the ads which are the important thing. In terms of practical effects, I find I am far less materialistic than many people I know, and less likely to buy things for the sake of it. I think this is because constantly being told you want a new car or consumer electronics will inevitably cause you to believe it. I don't mean this to be rude, btw - it's just how advertising works. Constant repetition combined with all the tricks of the trade like social proof, limited offers, etc.

ciaranm 12y ago

> To them, it just looks like more people have switched off their PCs That's a really interesting comment. I don't think people are moving away from laptops (desktops maybe) anywhere near as quickly as I so often hear. Anecdotally, almost everyone I know uses predominantly laptops for their computing/browsing needs. They almost all also use Adblock.

seren 12y ago
I think you are on to something. If you are "savy" internet user, you probably hang a bit longer on the desktop than the average population because you are also a power user. If you are a "casual" internet user, mainly checking some social site status, etc, using a mobile is enough. Or to say otherwise, prosumer vs consumer. And it is more likely that you will use an adblocker if you belong to the first part of the population.
- ciaranm 12y ago
  I'm one of a handful of people I know who still use a desktop on a (mostly) daily basis outside of work. They're all either devs or heavy PC gamers. Having said that, I don't know a single person who doesn't at least use a laptop every other day or so. Most of my friends have smartphones, but I don't know anyone who relies on that as their only access point for online services.

scholia 12y ago

Are you including Adblock Edge? How is that doing?

seanblanchfield 12y ago
Adblock Edge is included, as is every plugin or proxy that acts to remove advertising from web pages. Unfortunately, we can't specifically distinguish adblock edge from the others right now.
- scholia 12y ago
  OK, thanks for the info!
valarauca1 12y ago
Pagefair is basically "Clean ads as a service." If they detect your using Adblock plus, they'll server you an ad, adblock plus won't block, because they pay adblock plus. (And because they claim to follow adblock plus's policy of 'good ads'). Which is annoying, because if you aren't using adblock plus, you don't get decent ads (just the standard ads), so ultimately it defeats the goal of adblock which is to make all ads non-obtrusive, for all users, not just the chosen few who use adblock. Adblock edge will block pagefair ads, because adblock edge is a not-for-profit adblocker, unlike adblock plus. Also hosts blocking remains a completely viable option.
- coldpie 12y ago
  > adblock plus won't block I was wondering if this is true. It is! Take a look: Here's ABP's policy on "acceptable ads": https://adblockplus.org/en/acceptable-ads https://adblockplus.org/en/acceptable-ads From there, you can find the "acceptable ads" whitelist: https://easylist-downloads.adblockplus.org/exceptionrules.txt https://easylist-downloads.adblockplus.org/exceptionrules.tx... And indeed, PageFair has a few domains listed. Fascinatingly, there's also a link to a forum thread where the whitelist was requested: https://adblockplus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=20718 https://adblockplus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=20718 That thread links to a page that uses PageFair. After enabling a bunch of JavaScript domains (what, you're still not running NoScript?), an ad does indeed show up: http://forums.utopia-game.com/forumdisplay.php?1583-Suggestions http://forums.utopia-game.com/forumdisplay.php?1583-Suggesti... Rather hilariously, the ad is for a "Free Mp4 Player" and links to Ask.com or something. If this is PageFair's idea of the future of quality advertising, I don't think their company is long for this world.

coldpie 12y ago

I'm interested to see how the web business model changes in the next decade. I think it's likely that web advertising is a dead end. There's been a number of articles about how Facebook advertising is a waste of money, ad impressions are down in general, and like this article describes, Adblock is really taking off. I think, and desperately hope, that we're going to see more voluntary subscription type services like Patreon, where the content itself is released for free. I personally loathe advertising. When watching YouTube videos on my phone, where I can't use Adblock, I actively mute and set the phone aside during ads that can't be skipped, or that I choose to let play to support the content creator. Then I come back 30 seconds later to view the content I wanted. I recently switched to using Firefox on mobile because it's the only mobile browser I'm aware of with an Adblock plugin. I put up with mobile advertising for several years--I understand that's how web content creators get paid in 2014, even if I think it's a crummy business model. But advertisers crossed the line when my phone started talking about construction contractors at me out loud. Instantly switched to Firefox, installed Adblock, and didn't look back. Advertisers have no one to blame but themselves for the rise of Adblock. Sorry, advertisers, but your ilk are simply too scummy to put up with. You abuse otherwise valuable technology, you waste my time and bandwidth, you manipulate feelings and entire cultures, and you convince people to buy crap that is useless and often actively harmful. I'm done with advertisers and I hope Adblock hastens their demise. Content creators will figure out a different business model without your horseshit. This post became progressively more angry the more I thought about advertisers :)

m0nty 12y ago
> I personally loathe advertising. I've always had issues with the constant brain-washing with trivial rubbish, stupid humour and idiotic themes so often used in TV commericals. I tend to download movies/television now, or buy them on DVD, and so I hardly ever watch television per se. When I do, I find it jarring to be taken out of a story to be told about lavatory cleaner or some novelty foodstuff. I have the same feeling when browsing without AdBlock. How am I supposed to read the article with so much stuff dancing around my peripheral vision? Oh, I'm not, it's the ads which are the important thing. In terms of practical effects, I find I am far less materialistic than many people I know, and less likely to buy things for the sake of it. I think this is because constantly being told you want a new car or consumer electronics will inevitably cause you to believe it. I don't mean this to be rude, btw - it's just how advertising works. Constant repetition combined with all the tricks of the trade like social proof, limited offers, etc.