Report claims ad blocking is costing an estimated $21.8 billion in 2015

[evilarceus]

*turns off adblocker*

(real ad btw)

[biggiebody]

What adblockers don't or even refuse to understand is that these more annoying and more obtrusive ads are a near direct result of your actions, because fewer people are viewing ads, ads have to get bigger to outweigh it. Because you are blocking ads, users who don't are affected and content creators are affected. In the long wrong, adblockers are a bigger, more annoying problem than the companies publishing ads in the first place.

I'd show more respect to adblockers if they didn't already appear to have a lack of for everybody else.

 

I would agree with you if it weren't for the fact that adblocker was the result of what you described, websites were making obtrusive ads long before adblocker ever existed.  Adblocker became a thing because ads were being obtrusive and downloading malware onto your computer.

 

Sure I can see how more websites think that because there is adblocker that they must put more obnoxious ads, but isn't that the same as games with obnoxious DRM because of "pirates"?

 

So instead of putting some blame on the websites you put all the blame on adblockers,  I am still in the camp of if the ads were non-intrusive than adblocker wouldn't be as big as it is today.  The same goes with DRM on games, some people pirate games just to avoid DRM.

[Linusinium]

That feeling after setting up a new/formatting an old PC and using a stock browser just as you realize you forgot to install adblock.
 
I let ads slide on my favorite sites which ironically have the least annoying ads, it's the borderline hostile online ad practices that drove me to a adblock first, questions later attitude. 
It was back in 56k days that I last saw them but I remember "wrestling" ads trying to load ESPN for control over the IE, forced to shut the browser just to stop the ad that was guzzling all the bandwidth anyway.
 
We see examples out there so I still think there is a way to do ads without even the need for an adblock but advertisers don't stop short of wanting full control over your browser as proof of having your attention which has the opposite effect of what they tried to do to begin with, sell a service/product, more likely to aggravate potential customers. Don't forget that these guys thought it was OK to raise your TV's volume to get your attention to ads. And it was not OK, not OK to the point of FCC having a regulation against it, known as the CALM Act or Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation. They can chain proprietary browser like on consoles but good luck doing the same thing you've been doing and expecting different results, ad industry.

[Murdoch]

Most ad blockers either don't think or are just assholes.

 

In fairness, most people that "don't think" are the ones that haven't even thought of using an adblocker. Or are too stupid to work out how to install it on Mobile. Or are barely proficient enough to use a browser, let alone install an extension.

 

Most people that have actually thought it through, are savvy enough to know that there's enough people out there not using adblocker, to enable them to use adblocker themselves without consequence. I've said this many times, if a website or content creator is relying solely on Adsense style advertising, then quite frankly they should god damn know better.

[oldgamer4life]

Well I am anti-commerce so I could care less if ad blocking cost an estimated $218 billion in 2015 in sales or whatever.  Now as for using ad blocking I don't because I want to see certain content providers on the net get paid but really can't commerce just go away?  Can we not share the world?

[Curufinwe_wins]

They can go fuck themselves or learn to make less intrusive adware because in the most literal and complete sense these ads literally cost consumers time and money (and god forbid being allowed to suck up precious data on metered connections without our consent for shit we don't want.)

I honestly don't agree whatsoever with 'content creators' that oppose adblock.

You want to lock down your platform? Fine, but good luck keeping it off the internet for free... You're welcome to try, I won't hold it against you.

To LMG and all other makers, keep up those integrated adds/sponsor spots. I'll watch those. You make them part of the presentation, not some random aside and this way the ads you keep up actually mean something to me as they are products you are pleased enough with to allow to sponsor you instead of something some computer algorithm decided to push on me.

Seriously though when companies/universities can report up to 40% reduction in data usage by using a simple adblocking software, the issue is unequivocally NOT CONSUMERS TRYING TO CHEAT YOU, but ad providers being absolutely insane and ridiculous.

Btw 40% is totally legit...

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150708005046/en/University-Tests-Adblock-Enterprise-Network-Finds-40#.Vcl6pZko7qA

Not the best link but I just pulled it up.

[Curufinwe_wins]

I apologize to LMG and all others for the harshness of my previous post, but I feel it makes a very very important point.

The idea that it is somehow consumers fault or ethically wrong to use products that straight up make us more productive (even when doing something as simple as watching a video) or actually safer (you'd be amazed how many of the very malicious pop ups and click through ads get singlehandedly stopped by adblock) is absolutely crazy.

Again I don't mind if you try to lock down your content, I do mind however irrelevant and intrusive content being shoved down my throat.

[Kamina]

They should ban ads that hijack your browser.

[Curufinwe_wins]

They should ban ads that hijack your browser.

Lol you'd have a better chance banning adblock. But until then... That's one of the single most important uses of adblock, and one that I would never allow friends or family to do without.

[JerkyMcDilerino]

If adblock is not exist, million of users would get infected of ads load onto their browsers. A lot of cyber security experts state that cyber criminals can deliver malware and virus onto your PC by using a cheap dirty business ads as an excuse.

[Rekx]

Is there anyway to make "Adblock" only block ads on certain sites? Instead of just auto blocking them unless you whitelist the site?

I think you can get premade white lists for ad block.

[TJStamp]

Broadband speeds in the UK are pretty variable and even in major cities it can be poor sometimes, when browsing advert heavy websites they can add huge amounts to the loading times and on older PCs without much RAM inflict serious performance hits. I use adblocking plugins for this reason. The recent paid-for whitelisting drive by adblock means I can no longer support it and have switched to uBlock instead, it has a much smaller memory footprint than adblock and allows much better control of allowed advertising on sites you wish to support.

[AxelRantila]

MFW im a part of the statistic of people losing money

 

 

MFW atleast some of the users in this thread contributed to the F@H or Boinc teams

 

 

 

Not supporting at all is kinda poopy - being really good members of the community, being a contributor, supporting folding/poinc teams, etc are all great ways of being awesome if you just REALLY don't like our ads which honestly I don't feel are all that intrusive but.. anways

Hey slick, I at least don't block ads because I actually want to support you guys. And I ALSO did some folding last spring.

[RexinOridle]

I don't care about all the ad revenues, adblock saves me from all the popups and random craps on the pages.

[Michael McAllister]

-snip-

 

I agree.  Blocking ads altogether is pretty shitty.  I think LMG has done a pretty good job of distributing the ads in a reasonable fashion.  I'm not sure why anyone here would block them.

I also appreciate that your viewpoint on ad blocking software is reasonable.  Users of AdBlock should not be held in the same circles as criminals as I have seen some other reviewers do.  I think my views on the whole thing align very closely with @jimsterling.

 

[Miguel Batista]

I use adblock and will not look back. Internet is just so much better this way... I donate. Prefer to. Wikipedia is a good example on how to run a free website through crowdfunding. Also, when you spend 1000 pounds using affiliate codes for amazon or other, I kind of feel I did my part. Plus, I unblock ads for websites I deem worthy or that ask nicely. On youtube I watch integrated ads at all time and I sure as hell keep the others off. When I am watching a tech video on youtube, last thing I care is for a commercial telling me how great a certain shampoo is.

[mr moose]

I agree.  Blocking ads altogether is pretty shitty.  I think LMG has done a pretty good job of distributing the ads in a reasonable fashion.  I'm not sure why anyone here would block them.

I also appreciate that your viewpoint on ad blocking software is reasonable.  Users of AdBlock should not be held in the same circles as criminals as I have seen some other reviewers do.  I think my views on the whole thing align very closely with @jimsterling.

 

 

A very good video, more people on here should probably watch it.

[Solkia]

I agree.  Blocking ads altogether is pretty shitty.  I think LMG has done a pretty good job of distributing the ads in a reasonable fashion.  I'm not sure why anyone here would block them.

I also appreciate that your viewpoint on ad blocking software is reasonable.  Users of AdBlock should not be held in the same circles as criminals as I have seen some other reviewers do.  I think my views on the whole thing align very closely with @jimsterling.

 

 

I like Jim, and this video is probably the best one on the subject.

 

Then we have people like Pat Contri who are complete fucking boneheads...

[kacper]

Could somebody enlighten me why Youtube allows blocking their ads? Not that it's bad , just curious.

[ShadowCaptain]

While I do not support ad blockers, I do understand them and cannot blame people for using them

 

But there has to be some sort of solution, content that is "free" still has to be supported with revenue somehow, equally people should be expected to have a clean and enjoyable browsing experiance

 

 

 

Personally I still do not use adblock, honestly for the sites I visit and use 99% of the time, I have no issue with adverts, but I can understand that some sites people visit can be very fustrating

 

I would say if people want to use adblock. that they white-list every site they find that does not have intrusive adverts, not just a handful of "favourites" but every site that does not annoy you, should not be blacklisted since you could potentially be harming them 

[The_Strict_Nein]

The day that I can visit a download page and not be bombarded with 100,000 adverts that all say download on them is the day I will uninstall adblock.

 

As long as adverts carry a risk of malware, you can bet it stays on (not for LTT and other trusted sites, of course)

[The_Strict_Nein]

While I do not support ad blockers, I do understand them and cannot blame people for using them

 

But there has to be some sort of solution, content that is "free" still has to be supported with revenue somehow, equally people should be expected to have a clean and enjoyable browsing experiance

 

I mean enforcing it would be impossible, but there needs to be some kind of independent body that forces standard for advertisements. No auto-playing adds with sound, can only take up X% of the screen, no adds that say 'Download' on them on a download page, etc.

 

Then, I can feel safe leaving adverts on, and can report sites that breach it. Just like advertisements on TV or on billboards in real life.

[LAwLz]

I mean enforcing it would be impossible, but there needs to be some kind of independent body that forces standard for advertisements. No auto-playing adds with sound, can only take up X% of the screen, no adds that say 'Download' on them on a download page, etc.

 

Then, I can feel safe leaving adverts on, and can report sites that breach it. Just like advertisements on TV or on billboards in real life.

That's kind of what AdBlock Plus has tried to become.

What they do is by default is allow ads that have been verified to be good by them.

Here is a list of their criteria for a good ad:

• Static advertisements only (no animations, sounds or similar)
• Preferably text only, no attention-grabbing images
• Ad placement:
  • Ads should never obscure page content (e.g. require users to click a button to close the ad before viewing the page).
  • For pages featuring a reading text ads should not be placed in the middle, where they interrupt the reading flow. However, they can be placed above the text content, below it or on the sides. The same applies to search results pages: paid search results cannot be mixed with organic results.
  • When ads are placed above the content of a main page, they should not require the user to scroll down. The available vertical space is likely to be at least 700 pixels. Advertising should not occupy more than one-third of that height. Paid search results on search pages are allowed to occupy more space, but they should never outnumber organic results.
  • When placed on the side ads should leave enough space for the main content. The available horizontal space can be expected to be at least 1000 pixels, and advertising should not occupy more than a third of that width.
• Advertising should be clearly marked as such with the word "advertising" or its equivalent, and it should be distinguishable from page content, for instance via a border and/or different a background color.
• Marking and placement requirements do not apply for hyperlinks with affiliate referrer IDs embedded in the content of the page. Additional criteria for hyperlinks with affiliate referrer IDs:
  • Redirects originating from the hyperlink should not present any other webpage than the destination page.
  • In texts, not more than 2 percent of the words can be hyperlinked for monetization purposes.
  • Hyperlinks should not be formatted or behave differently than other links.
  • Hyperlinks should not be misleading, in either content or placement.

Pretty long list and some parts of it are a bit too strict in my opinion (no attention-grabbing images) but other than that I think it's very good. If everyone followed these rules when designing and implementing ads then I certainly wouldn't use it.

But sadly we have lots of websites with fake download buttons that are actually ads, auto playing audio, splash screens before you get to the actual content and many more things like that which has caused me to use AdBlock.

[sannukas0016]

It's 2015 already and we're still getting our ads shoved down our throat like we're watching television.

 

Seriously, ads don't matter in a world with Google. Oh, you want to buy that new graphics card but can't decide on the brand? Here are 50 review/comparison sites that answer your question perfectly fine. No need for intrusive banners and interruptive videos to pop up and annoy the shit out of me.

But google only exists because of ads. Pretty much all of money that google makes comes from ads, without ads there is no google.

[escape093]

Well, maybe if a larger amount of these companies' online advertising wasn't atrocious and if they finally learned that it isn't possible for online advertising and TV advertising to work the same way, then the story would change. Seriously, basically all forced advertising I see on the internet makes me actually hate the product in question. A little animated 400px ad for desktop users or a smaller one for mobile on the side of the screen doesn't hurt anyone, and it can actually work a lot of the time, if done well.