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Forums - Website Topics - Why Ad Blocking is devastating to the sites you love

Mendicate Bias on 08 March 2010
pb1285n said:

I agree with the original post.

I would never use an ad blocker on a site I want to support. Anyone who understands what it takes to keep a site like this running would do the same.

 

Oh and AVG is a horrible anti-virus.

Really is that so? I guess I should listen to some random dude on the internet and not professionals whose job it is to test antivirus systems

http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/ 

http://www.consumersearch.com/antivirus-software 

http://www.top10list.com/top,10,antivirus,protection/top-ten-antivirus-protection.asp 

One simple google search and those were the first three links.

hmm maybe you should you know, not talk out of your ass?



                                           

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radiantshadow92 on 08 March 2010

^ yeah AVG is the shiz, i use it with MS essentials and it works great



Wonktonodi on 08 March 2010

If this issue is as widespread as you would have us believe then I imagine there might soon be some changes in the internet economy. Might be sites just block those that use ad blockers unless then turn them off, but there are a variety of types so who knows how well that will work.
Sites just might have to focus on getting less for add and budgeting what they do wit the money they get better or fill with a lot more adds.
Finding something other than adds as a main source of revenue.
More sites will have an ad feedback button right with the adds so people can easily say something immediately.
Less flashy adds that won't be blocked by something like noscript. Which I use it doesn't block all adds it blocks java and flash on all sites unless I trust the site an allow it.

Something that gets me is the idea that since a site has add a person viewing the site must have then viewable. It seems to me that by choosing to use adds that have javacript or flash you took the risk of them not being seen even without people with blockers. Some people don't use it period and they can't view some things on some sites but that is there choice. How is a person who can view the site but can't view the adds of those types different from one who chooses not to? Solution there use different adds. You might not make as much but you won't loose audience or generate bad will.

You've had at most just under 11,000 people on this site at once and usually when I'm on it's well under 2,000. So how much does it cost per person to view the site? Or does it work that way? Does it work that the infrastructure covers so many and it doesn't run at capacity? Yes I'm sure there is also the difference between just viewing and posting witch probably puts a little more strain on the infrastructure but how much really? I more than understand that that isn't really my business but I was just thinking that it's more like a theater or stadium where the building is there weather the seats get filled or not and there will be basic expenses as well that don't change with the number of people.



Wonktonodi on 08 March 2010
Kantor said:
Wonktonodi said:
There are numerous options. One would be a race of seeing who can make adds that can't be blocked vs who can block adds. Another is making other sources of revenue a bigger part of the revenue. You could just block the people from viewing the site but even in that regard it takes time and effort to do that as well, plus it could create some bad will. Another is keeping the site simpler, you had many volunteers before I'm sure you could get plenty again no one made you pay them.

The whole idea though of blocking being stealing is a tough argument. You made choices that had it that adds pay you by being seen and not just having them advertise on the site based on the number of visitors. Your choices of how you choose to set the site up let that be possible, maybe adds pay better of some type of another. I'm sure the ones that swell up and block out the page pay better than others but they also annoy people more. Maybe simpler adds wouldn't pay as much but if you don't have to worry about it being blocked it might be worth it. You took the risks by choosing certain types of adds one that is more risky. Is it stealing that people can block them or just the consequences of the risk you took? A lower income add that couldn't be blocked wouldn't make as much but you wouldn't loose anything since they couldn't be blocked.

Once you've started paying somebody, you can't stop. And we're not paid any huge amount.

no you can't stop paying those who are already paid.  but you can fire them and get new volenteers and it might not be a huge amount but it can add up over several people.



Hapimeses on 08 March 2010
Kenryoku_Maxis said:

Okay, I don't know what point the conversation is at, but here's a good example of what I was talking about previously.  I was just on the main page and clicked on the 'Forum' page and was redirected to this:

Seemingly a pretty standard ad page at first.  But if you notice, there's multiple annoying things here.  One, this is a redirect ad that basically made me wait to look at this ad or click the 'skip it' button.  Two, it did this while I had clicked on the forum page, essentially forcing me back to the main page again after I choose to 'skip' the ad (this usually happens when you go to the main page).  Finally, not only am I getting a redirect ad, but I'm getting a pop up banner ad at the bottom, once again forcing me to close it.

This is what I meant when I said the ads have become progressively more annoying and controlling over time on this site.  I've put up with it because I like the content and forum on the site.  But really now...I'd like to voice out and say this is getting pretty ridiculous.

Yup, this is exactly the sort of thing that inordinately bugs me and has driven me from the site more than once. However, as ioi says, we appear to be in the extreme minority.

As I said, adverts don't bother me, it's how they are deployed.



Hapimeses.com

 

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Faxanadu on 08 March 2010

I think the ads on here got better over time. Nowadays, there is actually some game ads which is great to see.

The getting ripped ad helps me remember to do sports and the dating ads help me see how the girls are wherever i am in the world.

So all is fine for me and Brett gets my views.



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The views expressed here may be personal and/or offensive and are not necessarily the views of Faxanadu.

impur1ty on 08 March 2010

I thought i'd take a look without adblock running, it didn't crash or infect me like some people were saying.

See comparison. (for larger:right click>view image)

 

Before adblock: (8-12 seconds loading/looks like I'm in Vegas)

 

After adblock: (2-3 seconds loading/looks calm and professional)

 

It's no competition in my eyes. Maybe if the adds were toned down a bit I'd make the exception for VGChartz.



NJ5 on 08 March 2010

I don't block ads, but I can definitely understand people who do, given the sheer amount of ads this website contains.

I mean, as I'm typing this post I can see in my screen (let me count).... 6 ads simultaneously, and if I scroll up a bit I can see 2 more. If I scroll down I see two more. It's quite crazy actually. It taxes the computer and makes loading quite slow.

 



My Mario Kart Wii friend code: 2707-1866-0957

FKNetwork on 08 March 2010
Mendicate Bias said:
The most frustrating thing about this thread is that ioi and his staff do not see or refuse to see what the major problem is.

Go read through the thread, the overwhelming majority of people are running ad block because of malicious ads on this website that cause their computers to get viruses or trojans, not because their some internet vagabond that like sticking it to the big guy.

Yet repeatedly ioi has said that the majority of users don't experience these malicious ads or that the level of threat from their ads is just the same as any other gaming website when this is so painfully not true. Just a quick read through this and many other threads shows you that these problems are affecting large numbers of the community.

I don't know what the problem is or why you can't find whats causing these ads but to blame your community for trying to protect their own personal property from harm is foolish to say the least.

Most people don't go out of their way to install ad block unless something is seriously wrong. Fix the problems people are clearly experiencing with malicious ads and people will stop using ad block and your problems are solved. Simply block people who have disabled ads without understanding the reason why and you will kill a large part of the community that keeps the forums alive and in doing so destroy one of the biggest draws to this website, the relatively level headed discussions about gaming.

^Totally agree



NJ5 on 08 March 2010
FKNetwork said:
Mendicate Bias said:
The most frustrating thing about this thread is that ioi and his staff do not see or refuse to see what the major problem is.

Go read through the thread, the overwhelming majority of people are running ad block because of malicious ads on this website that cause their computers to get viruses or trojans, not because their some internet vagabond that like sticking it to the big guy.

Yet repeatedly ioi has said that the majority of users don't experience these malicious ads or that the level of threat from their ads is just the same as any other gaming website when this is so painfully not true. Just a quick read through this and many other threads shows you that these problems are affecting large numbers of the community.

I don't know what the problem is or why you can't find whats causing these ads but to blame your community for trying to protect their own personal property from harm is foolish to say the least.

Most people don't go out of their way to install ad block unless something is seriously wrong. Fix the problems people are clearly experiencing with malicious ads and people will stop using ad block and your problems are solved. Simply block people who have disabled ads without understanding the reason why and you will kill a large part of the community that keeps the forums alive and in doing so destroy one of the biggest draws to this website, the relatively level headed discussions about gaming.

^Totally agree

That is a good point... and another thing that ioi is saying that doesn't make sense is "if you see a bad ad PM me". That would be fine if these ads were really rare, but audio ads and malware are apparently not that rare. I think it goes a bit too far to ask the users to actively hunt for bad ads and report them.

Maybe there could be a payout for people who found and reported bad ads? Say, each time you find a bad ad, ioi paypals you $2 or $3.

 



My Mario Kart Wii friend code: 2707-1866-0957