If You're Blocking Ads While On ATS, You Get A Big Ugly Message

Might I suggest 'no ads' for those that donate?

a reply to: JackReyes

but they do it to get into paradise.

It is motivated by an eternal reward,

S.O. will have to be our god.

originally posted by: KnightFire
Might I suggest 'no ads' for those that donate?

originally posted by: Flint2011
a reply to: SkepticOverlord

Okay, I am a bit disappointed in your response. I actually OPTED not to take food off your table by stating that I would simply not come here anymore. I like how you skewed that quote to take a piece of what I said out of context as well.

Theft? Grow up. It's not theft. It's a choice you idiot. Now I am done. I thought I would never ever have to speak to someone I respected so much like this. I disagree with your ethical stance. I didn't disagree with your doing what you have to do. I acknowledged that in the entire post that you so crudely quoted a snippet from.

Life is full of choices. I made mine. Deal with it. This is my last post for sure. I really do wish you the best though even though you acted like a bully here. I will forgive but I won't forget.

Lol. so youre cutting off your own nose to spite your face then right? Sheesh how hard is it to whitelist ATS. If you have a certain amount of flags you dont even get ads. I dont get ads and i only got around 300 flags. Everyone making a big deal out of this is over reacting.

HEY its your choice to leave but dont think we will miss you when you are gone. HAve fun.

originally posted by: Springer
a reply to: StargateSG7

$1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.01

That's what it's worth to us after all these years, sweat, and tears...

Thoughts?

Take this to sharktank. i hear mr wonderful loves to buy shares in profitable businesses.

originally posted by: SkepticOverlord

originally posted by: Flint2011
I won't under any circumstances disable my adblocker for anything though. Not for ATS or anyone else.

Why don't you just come and take the food off my table then? It's the same thing.

This disturbs me.

You are a businessman who has taken a risk and is now feeling the pressure of the fickle consumer. It's a risk thousands have taken before you. Some businesses fail.

Have you put all your eggs in one basket? I hope not.

I am mulling over turning off ABP. It honestly makes me very nervous to do so.

As for paying to avoid ads, I don't think I would. The content recently isn't that good. I'm sorry, but ATS' best days are behind it.

originally posted by: Eilasvaleleyn
a reply to: EvillerBob

Sorry, my avatar is pretty much as big as it can possibly be. At least it's pretty, though. Right? RIGHT!?

I'm sure it is, however I have avatars disabled (as a result of the increasing number of giant avatars on the board) so I can't see it!

originally posted by: Eilasvaleleyn
a reply to: EvillerBob

Did you actually get an ad for the Deluxe Black Mamba Throb-o-matic 3000? I've been looking for that thing for ages!
(This is a joke. Though I am seriously asking if you got that sort of ad.)
You tend to get ads based on your online activity, but sometimes the software seems to go a bit haywire.

My post may have contained just the tiniest smidgen of hyperbole. I don't see any ads at all, thankfully.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: gosseyn
Our brain does many things that we are not consciously aware of, ads use that fact to manipulate us.

Since the ads are based on your search history they are not showing you something that you have not already looked at. Once again, are people that mush-minded to not be able to resist compulsively buying everything in their search history?

It sounds like everyone is a walking id that cannot control themselves due to rampant ad placement. Oh, Lawdy, save me from da click bait!

well the fact that mcdonalds, coke, pepsi and so on are billion dollar companys yes ads work. ads can sell u dirt.

I singed up for this USER created forum in 2005 when add blockers were non existent, I've never gotten an email or update about the changes in the T&C of this website. The T&C's i signed up for made no mention of add blockers...so i will continue to use them (addblock and Ghostery), want to ban me for this go ahead...

Add blockers are the choice of the user.
I think many advertisers have forgotten that the web browser is the _user agent_ — software under control of the user, chosen by the user, and meant to carry out the user’s wishes. Advertising renders at the users sufferance, which can be withdrawn at any time. To say that a site (or third party) by serving particular HTML is entitled to have it appear in a particular way inverts the relationship between user and browser software. Indeed some users’ browsers don’t render graphics at all (eg the screen readers used by the blind) and this is deliberately and enthusiastically allowed in the web’s standards.

If the advertisers would like browsers that render HTML in ways that they prefer, they should create such a standard and such a product and compete in that market. They can then discover for themselves whether users wish the browser to remain the user agent or become an advertiser-controlled platform.

originally posted by: Zen64
well the fact that mcdonalds, coke, pepsi and so on are billion dollar companys yes ads work. ads can sell u dirt.

Well thank Jesus and the Baby Jesus that I am not some oatmeal-brained simpleton whose will is so easily overcome by advertising since I cannot tell you the last time I ate at McDonalds or drank a can of soda.

originally posted by: zazzafrazz
Why would you look at all them socialist -hand- me- out -for- free- People here in thread

Other wise known as Europeans

Using an ad blocker is a necessity for me. Even if I turned it off, I block ads at a deeper system level so that still usually nothing loads, though if something does I add it and don't have that problem.

- I go places on the internet where it's best I don't allow ad's to even have a chance of loading.
- I use my pc from across RDP or other remote connection services when I am at work and not only do ads slow down the connection and pages loading but borderline and NWS ads have come up before.
- I also don't like to be overwhelmed with ads and that has happened here and at other places before I was using any ad blocking techniques and plugins.
- I don't trust the big ad companies that push such aggressive ads all over the place and use techniques that cause my browsers to lock up or create windows I can't close or any number of other problems I've had.

What disturbs me the most though are the sentiments expressed by the owner of the site. Equating ad blocking with theft and stealing food off his table. I guess anytime I don't watch a commercial on TV, cable or YouTube, fast forward through it, get up for coffee or go to the bathroom, it's the same thing - I am stealing and taking food off someone's table for not watching that commercial. I find that line of thinking insulting and irrational.

That it is unethical and paranoid to use an ad-blocker? I find that comment naive and reminiscent of a whole Us vs Them mentality at best, which is never healthy for a site.

Oil companies are going crazy trying to keep the landscape of their industry from changing into other forms of energy use. I am sure this situation is something akin to that. The landscape of the internet is changing and rather than trying to come up with other/better revenue models, people are trying to get craftier and cling to the old ones and are becoming more aggressive in the process. Look at the RI/MP/AA people complain about - they are doing the same thing.

I run more than one website and I get the expense of doing business and the burden that is, but being antagonistic and insulting members who believe they need to use reasonable safeguards and the like for their activities is both unprofessional and alienating and certainly won't engender people to buy subscriptions.

I would have paid for some type of low-end subscription access if it was offered - because there are months at time where I don't visit this site, there's even been over a year in between visits (I wasn't always signed up) - but I certainly will not give a dime now.

and for what it's worth, I've lost users and revenue expressing my opinion as well before. Damned if you do, damned if you don't and you can't please everyone. But I always liked to know why none-the-less. So that's what I am doing here. Not sure whether I will stop visiting yet or not. I don't generally like to go where I'm not wanted (and I know it won't matter in the scheme of things here, I'm one little user who doesn't even visit regularly).

However I decide, thank you for your site and for all the hard work you and your Mod's have put in. Off and on over the years, I have certainly appreciated it. I wish you and yours the best of luck with this problem.

-sigh-





I don't even know where to begin. I seriously didn't expect all the wrath expressed here.

I simply don't understand how the same people that thank me/us for the site and all our hard work, yet are perfectly happy to proclaim they block our only means of assured continuity, ad revenue.

This has site been my 12-year passion, and this is the most demoralizing discussion in which I've been involved.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

Just remember, it's not aimed at ATS,
ad blockers are aimed at the entire internet,
but I hear ya.

The only blockers I have ever used are pop-up blockers,
and that is a necessity anywhere online.

Don't let people get you down, some of us LOVE ATS and everything you have done for it.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

The internet has changed. People want everything for free and they don't care how they get it. I say ban the idiots and move forward. If they can't respect the work you've put into creating this playground, why let them play in the sandbox?

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

Being passionate about a site can be a double edged sword. I've been there. No wrath from me. I know you are in between a rock and a hard place.

The problem is that you alienated me from the get-go and basically lost any support you would have ever gotten from me the moment you essentially called me unethical, overly paranoid and a thief and compounded it by basically refusing to acknowledge that there are plenty of perfectly legitimate reasons to block out ads.

You and your team may go to great lengths to make them safe, but I don't trust the companies behind the ads and I know things slip through none-the-less...you can read plenty of complaints about that....but you lost the good will of you doing that right from the beginning post for me.

I will certainly stop my visits here...I don't know if there is a way to disable my account here, but you may go ahead and do so. Thanks again and I am sorry if i made you feel bad

originally posted by: SkepticOverlord
-sigh-

I don't even know where to begin. I seriously didn't expect all the wrath expressed here.

I simply don't understand how the same people that thank me/us for the site and all our hard work, yet are perfectly happy to proclaim they block our only means of assured continuity, ad revenue.

This has site been my 12-year passion, and this is the most demoralizing discussion in which I've been involved.

It's demoralizing to be post-banned for having an unpopular opinion.

Why would I pay you money to participate here when I could be so easily banned? That's like buying a lottery ticket.

It's a loser every time.

Oh man advertisements. They're like a cancer that creep up everywhere you go or look. They're literally over every avaliable surface, and it seems there's hardly a way to escape them.

I used to have a nice view to the south of my house, with some nice trees and some fields.. quite enjoyable. Now thee've raised this giant tower with an enormous display flashing advertisements all day and night on top along the highway, and it blocks part of my nice view to the south, as well as causing light-pollution at night. This is not a subtle thing.. it's intrusive and and annoying.

I also used to like watching TV, but as of the last few years, this has become a horrible experience. Every few minutes, whatever you're trying to watch is interrupted by those damn commercials! It came to the point that I stopped watching TV, and got rid of the thing.

The internet used to be pretty much commercial free until a couple of years ago, but of course the cancer has gotten a hold of that too, and now it's everywhere. For me it's impossible to watch youtube anymore without adblocker.. I just can't stand having to watch all this unwanted junk. I never asked for it, I don't want it. It eats up all my bandwidth (which I pay for) too, especially on my phone.

Since I am the owner of this computer, I get to determine what I do with it, what content goes on it and what I watch. I have no need for commercials that track my behaviour, and which constantly display what they think I want based on what I recently bought or what sites I frequent. To me that is creepy, and it should be to those who visit this site too, since it goes against privacy principles.

So to me the option to have an adblocker is a God-sent. Once again I can experience the internet on MY terms, which is what drew me to it in the first place. I'm sorry if that means that some sites are going to miss out one way or another, but so be it. I'd rather have fewer websites to visit, but at least they'll be free of the cancer of commercialism.

If a site is going to force me to enable advertisements and block my access to it if I don't, that is the end of the line for me. Maybe I'll come back if you start paying us for generating part of the content that draws people to this site in the first place.

originally posted by: Thanatos0042

What disturbs me the most though are the sentiments expressed by the owner of the site. Equating ad blocking with theft and stealing food off his table. I guess anytime I don't watch a commercial on TV, cable or YouTube, fast forward through it, get up for coffee or go to the bathroom, it's the same thing - I am stealing and taking food off someone's table for not watching that commercial. I find that line of thinking insulting and irrational.

Not the same thing at all. Those people are trying to make a profit. SO is trying to keep a non-profit site running. When the ad revenue is taken away, he has to take money out of his own pocket to keep the site running. I bet it's a lot more than 5 bucks a month. I'd get a little irritable too if I was having to pay so much of my own money when the people who take advantage of my site are griping about having the choice of looking at ads with a free website or paying a small amount to not look at ads.

Small, unobtrusive, static ads. No videos.

I'm on-board.