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I wouldn't go as far as to say "the internet needs ads", but clearly if you're running an ad blocker, the sites you visit do need ads. Ad blocking is textbook

by ryandvm 12y ago

I wouldn't go as far as to say "the internet needs ads", but clearly if you're running an ad blocker, the sites you visit do need ads. Ad blocking is textbook prisoner's dilemma. As long as it's only being done by a minority, it's no big deal - but if we all do it, we're fucked.

modzoo 12y ago
i was harsh.. i do in fact know some people who depend on ad revenue to keep servers running. but ads on the internet are generally out of control and i think its a huge bubble, even the ad revenue that my friends rely on is just garbage that i would never want anybody to click on... anyway the main point stands - if you publish an ad blocker it should block ads. suddenly a simple concept gets really complicated when there is an "application process" and set of "criteria" by which ads can be whitelisted -- who defines this criteria? is it always published? am i donating to a project that is actually commercially supported? etc also was anybody else confused by this (from https://adblockplus.org/blog/acceptable-ads-by-the-numbers https://adblockplus.org/blog/acceptable-ads-by-the-numbers): "Over 50 percent [of applicants] rejected because ads not acceptable. In all, we accepted only 9.5 percent of applicants." That math seems weird...
- mhaymo 12y ago
  > who defines this criteria? is it always published? The ABP developers define and publish them here: https://adblockplus.org/en/acceptable-ads#criteria https://adblockplus.org/en/acceptable-ads#criteria The "acceptable ads" whitelist is accessible here: https://easylist-downloads.adblockplus.org/exceptionrules.txt https://easylist-downloads.adblockplus.org/exceptionrules.tx... > That math seems weird... From the page you linked: The actual acceptance rate is only 9.5 percent – there are a good amount of fake applications or communication breakdowns that account for this discrepancy.

by ryandvm 12y ago

modzoo 12y ago

i was harsh.. i do in fact know some people who depend on ad revenue to keep servers running. but ads on the internet are generally out of control and i think its a huge bubble, even the ad revenue that my friends rely on is just garbage that i would never want anybody to click on... anyway the main point stands - if you publish an ad blocker it should block ads. suddenly a simple concept gets really complicated when there is an "application process" and set of "criteria" by which ads can be whitelisted -- who defines this criteria? is it always published? am i donating to a project that is actually commercially supported? etc also was anybody else confused by this (from https://adblockplus.org/blog/acceptable-ads-by-the-numbers https://adblockplus.org/blog/acceptable-ads-by-the-numbers): "Over 50 percent [of applicants] rejected because ads not acceptable. In all, we accepted only 9.5 percent of applicants." That math seems weird...

mhaymo 12y ago
> who defines this criteria? is it always published? The ABP developers define and publish them here: https://adblockplus.org/en/acceptable-ads#criteria https://adblockplus.org/en/acceptable-ads#criteria The "acceptable ads" whitelist is accessible here: https://easylist-downloads.adblockplus.org/exceptionrules.txt https://easylist-downloads.adblockplus.org/exceptionrules.tx... > That math seems weird... From the page you linked: The actual acceptance rate is only 9.5 percent – there are a good amount of fake applications or communication breakdowns that account for this discrepancy.