I don't use an adblocker and haven't had any problems with this site.

Of course not. It's more like going to a private school and not paying for it.

Double post.

Considering the ads on this site are not only annoying, but often block the content (posters text, articles, other images), frozen my internet browser on numerous occasions and I have personally gotten a Trojan from an ad on this site, should I really listen to this article?

Hmm...

I think this is where you are wrong, ioi. I am not going to discuss whether or not it is moral or immoral to block ads on a website you visit, but technically, you put your content out in the open, into the public, on the internet.

There is no access restriction, so anyone can access the data on your site through any interpreter they'd like, if they want to view your website through a text-only browser, they can, if they want to load the website in a normal modern browser but without pictures, they can, and if they want to block ads, they can.

You cannot legally enforce anyone to view your website in this way or that way, you put it out into the public, whether each user wants to give you anything in return for this service is entirely up to each user (fortunately/unfortunately).

It's sort of like watching TV on the open airwaves, if the user turns to another channel every time there is a commercial break, he is perfectly allowed to do so, and even though it cannot be monitored in the same way, fundamentally it is the same thing.

The nature of advertising will always be that the user can choose whether he wants to consume the ads. It is frustrating for anyone trying to make a business on ad revenue, of course, but you cannot just say "I put this website out in the open, but you can only view it on my terms". That's not how it works.

If I go to a restaurant and there is a problem with the food that's a major problem because that's what they sell, food and probably drink.

Therefore I have no reason to go back for food if for some reason I dislike it or it has caused me illness in the past.

I might however buy a drink there providing I felt the staff were courteous and considerate when my original food problem occured.

There is  nothing wrong with the content on this site that you provide which is what I come here for, and because of this I have no reason to stop visiting. (this is my drink)

But because the ads (my food) have caused me problems in the past I do not wish to consume them.

Unfortunately for you there is no money to be made from the 'drink' as it is essentially and currently legally free and all your income is from the 'food', which I have had problems with.

If however in a year or so on I hear from other customers that the restaurant has really put an effort in to improve their food I might be persuaded to try it again, which is why I asked if there were still problems here.

How am i personal?

Im talking about this as a business model in general. Dont get so upset (this is exactly my point though). I like this site, i dont block all form of ads and i contribute to the expansion of this site by spreading the word. No need to take the internet so serious, im not trying to sit on some high horse and tell you how to run your business. But rather trying to discuss why You are making people upset, the same people who makes this site prosper. I mean, its not like this thread has 300+ posts of people saying "Lovely, great idea".

Well if you're able to have a paid staff, and send 20+ people to E3 you're obviously making money off of your advertisment. And life is good. Then why would you as the president of this site go out and publicly say that your users are stealing your money, that their thiefs and dont have the fundamental right to block ads. Just for the sake of geting a rise out of people? Stuff like that should be behind closed doors.

And if you later feel like the current situation dosent work, and the reason being adblockers, then force out the people who block ads. Like i said from the first post, my main issue was the attitude and in the way you approached the topic. I mean, i should be able to disagree with your views on things without having !!!! thrown in my face and threats of bans? I've been nothing but civil, apart from that "for the love of god.." part maybe.

So, the fundamental issue of this whole 300+ thread is, as you said, a discussion on principals. But since its not illegal in anyway, i dont see how one can demand that people should act and think a certain way for the benefit of someone else. But if you want to change the rules of membership to "watch ads or get out" than its absolutly in your right to do so. But keep it behind closed doors and dont lash out at the people who makes this site grow.

As for the last part in your reply. Im not telling you how to run your business. Ive even written replys on how to view this from VGC perspective. You seem to take this whole thing too personal.. and if you feel that ive crossed some sort of line, im sorry. I just don't see what i've done wrong tbh?

Unfortunately, yeah.  I didn't have any other sites open, was viewing one thread, and opened another thread in a new tab, and that's when it came up.  Added to the fact that its the exact same page that came up on a different computer on a different network from earlier in the week... (If you can think of another way this could happen, I suppose I can't say with 100% certainty it came from vgchartz, but it seems very, very, very likely.)

Edit:  I just realized I never said in my email or message - I run a 64-bit OS and IE.  I don't think that matters but trying to give as much info as possible. /Edit

That being said, I came right back and haven't experienced the issue again.  And I had no problems for the 4 or 5 days in between attacks. 

If this helps - I run microsoft security essentials.  It caught it immediately (and a second time when I told it to "restore previous windows" after I killed the process and it came up again).  I have the history for what it caught:

Trojan Downloader:JS/Renos  Alert Level: Severe  Date: 3/6/2010 10:00AM  Action Taken: Removed

If a company provides you with water coolers for the sake of making your workers happy and the working enviorment a good one, and 4 years later the CEO of that company gathers all his workers at the family picnic and goes - "if you dont start paying for the water i'll fire you!" - you dont see a problem in that approach? Wouldn't been better to just throw out the water coolers an buy vending machines?

In the first situation 10 times out of 10 your workers are going to start talking trash about the company, drink water anyway, search for a new job etc. In the second situation 10 times out of 10 your workers would go "ooh sweet... snacks!"