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Possibly everyone uses free, ad-based services on the Internet. Whether it's email, sports results or current news, nearly every free offer relies on ads for financing. This shouldn't be a problem, it's simple give-and-take and no-one would offer a service out of charity alone. But that's just pure theory as long as an essential element is missing: common sense. In this case that means a reasonable dose of advertising.
Naturally, it doesn't work. If the world was full of smart people it would be a different story. But if you ever tried to visit an ad-laden website you know the unbearable horror that is slow, jerky, lagging websites with nagging popups. Professional websites may be within reasonable bounds with a few ads either on their borders or neatly embedded into their text contents. But once you stumble upon a page that exists outside the realm of well-established media and service sites you are opening Pandora's box. More breasts than Facebook would have to delete in an entire year, ads for illegal downloads and the inevitable potency-enhancing drugs. Layers with minuscule close buttons that appear on top of valuable content are particularly annoying. Quite the let-down when you're looking for musical advice in a forum and are presented with "ripe, voluptuous women from your neighborhood" instead - at the very moment your girlfriend comes in. There may be an urgent need for clarification afterwards.
Tracking cookies and supposedly personalized ads are a real nuisance. I once bought a history book with the best of intents but have been considered a Nazi from one of those ever since - no hope for redemption. From movies about exciting dogfights to mugs decorated with famous tank commanders, I was bombarded constantly. So I deleted the cookie and searched for a gift for my better half and, what do you know, this time I was bombarded with shoes, clunky purses and gruesome earrings. Hint: Even if your tent is broken don't make the mistake of searching for latex or there will be an aftermath! What could be more annoying? Interactive ads! A creepy frog trying to sell me a cellphone tracked my every mouse move with alien eyes - enough to trigger delusions of persecution even in the most rugged of characters. While my mouse pointer wandered aimlessly during reading, a Santa Claus got reanimated and promptly drew my attention to the positive aspects of credit cards along with a snappy Hohoho! from my loudspeakers - in July! After 5 minutes, I'd had enough.
As entertaining as it may sound, it utterly ruins any web surfing experience. Not to mention that it can cost a pretty penny on cellphones and tablets because ads increase loading times and happily eat away at your cell phone plan. And it gets worse as close buttons are frequently placed outside the visible area forcing you to wait until the page finished loading. So you finally give in and install one of those ad-blockers to get some peace and quiet. From now on, web pages look cleaner, even barren sometimes and load a lot faster. All's well.
But only for a moment since many web sites will simply cease to exit because of that. Many smaller sites that offer interesting news, entertainment and funny anecdotes are already struggling to survive. Because, once you passionately invest time and money in a project you don't want to go away empty-handed or end up in debt. This would be the end of trash sites - but also kill many of the sites I don't want to go without anymore! Sure, this is not a new problem but user numbers are rising steadily - and so is the number of no longer viewed ad segments. But each ad display earns page creators a little money, even more if you click on it. In short: Without ad views, the Internet will change - and possibly become bleaker. From newspapers that offer articles online to useful services, everything has to be financed.
How can you support those that deserve it? I go to the trouble of manually enabling ads for each affected page. Every ad-blocker supports this feature either calling it "allow on this page" or "disable on this page". It's a case-by-case decision but it matters. Great sites deserve our support and two simple clicks really isn't asking too much. So here's the deal: Offer great content and I will gladly view your ads. But I certainly won't tolerate any more creepy frogs.
на рахунок реклами...при совку вже жив,реклами по ТБ не було,однак показували лише про врожай зернових у колгоспі ,,Заповіт Ілліча" (Ілліч-це той,червоний упир,у його колгоспі техніка ржавіє).тому,щоб мати якісний продукт на телебаченні чи у мережі без реклами не обійдешся.на рахунок блокування реклами на власних сторінках-це чисто технічна проблема споживачів.біда у тому,що не у всіх (в усякому разі у колишньому сесесері) швидкісний інтернет чи комп'ютер.на переносний модемах у сільській місцевості поки ФЕЙСБУК відкриє можна спокійно перечитати Біблію.тому і блокують рекламу,щоб хоч про погоду довідатись.
I wholeheartedly agree, I don't mind some relevant adds. However, don't take over the whole page.
For many years I "subscribed" to *This Is True* for free. It had a few adverts (which I could and did ignore). Recently my conscience got the better of me and I changed (quite easily) my free subscription (hence the inverted commas) into a paid one. That's a model I wish more sites would follow (the paid subscription gets me (a) more stories each week and (b) no adverts with them). I wouldn't actually mind the adverts being included - as I said I could, and did, ignore them anyway.
Keith
PS Although I do recommend This Is True I have no connection to it other than as a very satisfied customer
I have little problem with ads normally - I simply switch them off. However, recently, researching the possible purchase of a software item, I decided not to proceed with the purchase. Could I get rid of the imperious descriptions of the software and the instructions on how to purchase it?? I could not and needed to rely on the classic 3 key press to stop it running. Now THAT was annoying and I shall beware of any products from that particular company in future.
I agree with previous poster - although I do use some Ashampoo products, I get really annoyed that every time I open a product, I get bombarded with adverts.
Even when I have set it not to keep me informed, I still get notifications about upgrades, new versions, or other products completely.
I just want to open the software, and use it. If I want to know about upgrades, I'll look for them - I don't wish to be proactively told about them. At least give me the choice.
But at least they don't (yet) use creepy frogs.
We don´t want to annoy you, Mr. Brading. :) Please go into the settings of the affected applications, adjust the Service Channel settings and deactivate the news.
Sven, that was an interesting read, but there could one day be another way. If I read something I particularly enjoyed or found useful, I would be happy to pay a tiny amount, called 'appreciate'. We would of course need an appreciate account which does not exist yet but it is food for thought. Much better than wasting time on ads for financing reasons alone which waste time and could open up vulnerabilities. Unfortunately at the moment to pay any donation we have the lengthly paypal system, too much trouble. We need to be able to load up our appreciate account with maybe a fiver once a month and spend it gradually till it needs topping up, Maybe a proportion would automatically go to our favourite charity or that of the author. This would make the internet a better place and advertisers would get a better deal, not attracting folk who have not the slightest chance of their click being from any genuine interest. What you have advocated mainly helps google ads revenue not advertisers who want genuine sales.
This is an interesting approach indeed! I too believe that a simple(r) way to pay for articles might change a lot. Since I’m already getting paid by Ashampoo, this one will remain free, though. :)
Well done . my friend, good article.
I remember the early days when the WWW just started to get popular. Before that it was the Electronic Bulletin Board systems used mostly by computer geeks and a very small number of businesses. Ads were few if at all. I really wouldn't mind the ads that much if there were not so many. I have a high-end computer I built myself with newer high quality and expensive CPU and GPU and on some web pages the ads so numerous the web pages takes ages to fully load and you are constantly distracted by pop-ups. I wish the websites that go overboard with the ads tone it down or go away. BTW, why do I always get ads on my paid for Ashampoo programs of which I have many. Everytime I open an Ashampoo program I get an ad to update to a higher version or another program. It's really a pain in the butt to me.
These offers are not supposed to nag you. Just go into the settings of the affected applications, adjust the Service Channel settings and you will no longer be plagued by ads. You may want to leave update notifications on, though.
I've been using adblockers on Windows, Android, ipad for several years already and I find the web a nice place.
Meanwhile I was surprised to read some recent statistics that only a relatively small number of people uses adblocking, and I know people who, even if they wanted and if it was one click away, they would not be able to switch it on (yes, they lack that basic computer literacy).
However, the biggest surprise I had recently was to meet someone who browses ads just for fun... and, sure, she doesn't buy anything, is like window shopping....
I agree the trend is that adblockers and content blockers are spreading faster than ever, but I think is a good incentive to re-think that agressive ad-based business model.
Popup-blockers some years ago did not kill advertising, they just changed it.
So, I would not worry that much about it. I am sure the market will find a balance, there will be some norms for "acceptable ads" and so on... But junk pages must die, even it there would be "civilian casualties", too
Aggressive ads in large quantities are counter-productive without a doubt. We (that includes everyone in our company) need to work on keeping our users informed but not irritate them in the process.
Bleak? I DREAM of bleakness pervading the internet; it was supposed to be for research, education, information and knowledge, but someone told the marketing people about it, and BAM, it was unbleaked...
Ads from now on will never be free, you will PAY to see them - do not think you do not pay for them, whose line are they on anyway? Yours. Your data, your time, your money, and frankly, you are addicted and unable to stop. How can you?
Use what used to be called a "phone" if you can find one - they just do voice calls.
"Smartphone" has become an oxymoron, because they ain't!