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

The fact that someone has decided to rely on ad revenue for income is their own fault. It's not my responsibility to ensure the money keeps flowing for you while my online experience is bogged down by adverts. I pay a substantial amount per month to access the web and if I decide to block ads then oh well. If your lone source of income is ad revenue I am sure you have factored in what percentage of visitors will be using ad blockers and thus have planned accordingly.

I started ad-blocking when you guys put sponsored links in the left/right margins of the pages, where I would click to start scrolling. I don't need a Russian wife nor do I need help "getting ready for intimacy."

While I appreciate your desire to make some cash off this place, it's important to remember it only exists because of the users. If you're going to start asking for monthly fees/donations, what are you going to do for those who make significant contributions here? Do what you will with the site but remember who brought you to the point where you can live off the revenue from a forum.

I usually check this site once a day just to see whats up. I don't start threads because they never go anywhere and I rarely comment because a lot of people have become overly sensitive.

I wonder how many of us opposed to the ads will mysteriously have our passwords changed so we can't log in?

a reply to: kaylaluv

Have you heard the arguments that all those other people say about those commercial skipping, fast-forwarding, etc? Basically it's the same thing, just worded better.

When the message boils down to the same thing, I disagree that it matters at all if it's for-profit or not-for-profit.

I know plenty of sites that have gone through the same pain and found alternate ways of getting their revenue without insulting the members and equating them with scoundrels and criminals.

My father ran his own business and during the slow times, he didn't pay himself to keep things running. When you run a business and times are lean, you sometimes have to do that until you come up with a way to bring in the revenue. When I had issues with my own sites, I had to pay a pretty penny to in order to support them. Them's the breaks, as they say. It's not all wine and roses when you're the owner. You still don't do that by alienating your client base.

Irritable is fine, but taking it out on members - there's just no good excuse and you pay the piper when you do. I've done that before too and regretted it. It happens, life is messy and passion about something can make you say things you shouldn't. That's still no excuse though. Maybe he won't regret it - and I hope he doesn't...but his words had effects on people.

And again, not everyone is against paying...I certainly wouldn't have been - but I explained my stance...and it's one I've been in of my own making, so I certainly don't excuse it from anyone else when I didn't excuse myself.

a reply to: skoalman88

I wonder how many of us opposed to the ads will mysteriously have our passwords changed so we can't log in?

Seriously??

That's funny. In all of my time spent here, I have never heard of anything like that happening to anyone...EVER.

The fact is nobody likes ads. Not in our mail, on TV or websites. Across the board ads RUIN the experience. Ads degrade performance, sometimes break functionality, and drain batteries on mobile devices. I understand why its necessary, though I'm astounded that it even works because ads are the vermin of all communications-- and there are too many good reasons to block them.

I don't block ads to ATS mainly because I use Microsoft Edge and the ability is not there. Marketers and ads need to come up with a better way. It clogs bandwidth, it's a waste of paper, a waste of time, and they are obstacles to objectives.

It's a tough spot. There has to be a better way.

Withdrawn

What's happening is... the people are speaking and saying WE DON'T WANT ADS. It's nothing personal. It's just... not wanted. Anywhere. There is no whitelist in my mind when I turn on an adblocker. That so-called whitelist is really a battle with marketers to get around my preference to not see them. No means no.

I don't hire an exterminator with an acceptable whitelist of roaches or spiders that have been deemed okay to soil my home.

We fast forward, skip commercials, block ads, request do-not call lists. Quit with the marketing rape. No means no. The people have spoken. Sorry, marketers. As much as you may think your product ads are witty and awesome, we want none of them and will keep finding ways to make them go away.

I feel for ATS, but ads suck.

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.

Look at it like this.

If there was only one single website in the whole wide world that had adverts, and it was also the only website in the whole wide world that asked for a subscription to remove those adverts, and the subscription only cost $1 a month, and adblocking software cost $10 a month...

...I'd still buy the adblocking software just so I could go to that website and not see adverts.

I'm a deliberately contrary person.

Yeaaah not a fan of the ads, put up with the added background images, the ATS TV rubbish taking up top spots on the home page and the site change but no more. On the home page alone I count over 10 ads! Turned adblocker off and the ads started sucking resources like no one's business. Have turned the adblocker back on now. It's like a breath of fresh air. How about something like opt in newsletter advertising or a podcast that digests the threads of the week and people can sign up to it like Mysterious Universe? What are annual hosting costs?

originally posted by: payt69

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.

HA! Because you contributed such thought provoking material. If I ran the show, I wouldn't pay you a cent for that chemtrail rubbish...

Before anybody jumps down my throat about the content I've created here. I'm not the one who thinks they should be paid for what I have written here.

I have always heard if you cant adapt your species will go extinct. Maybe you should skip the middle man and the standard add delivery system. Approach some companies directly about product placement and home grown adds. You do have an awesome community here. Maybe you could use a little more entertainment like ATS shows and keep in mind its perfectly ok to not always follow the theme of your site. People literally tear up nature documentaries, but you must keep them coming.

Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences. It wont be long and browsers will ship with add blockers.

Do you have staff Skeptic?

ATS,

Just show us the actual accurate yearly cost. Display it like a yearly donation requirement on the site somewhere with a due date. If we all see the donation requirement hasn't met the yearly bill, maybe enough of us will be inspired to donate or watch the site go offline.

I don't know. It's a sh*t idea, to a sh*t situation. All things should be ad-free, donor financed. Whether encouraged by conscience, special thanks, permissions, or gratitude.

Ads need to go away.

a reply to: spiritualzombie

You can get a pair of servers each with dual quads more ram and HDD than you ever need etc.. for around $400.00 per month at the High Velocity datacenter.

originally posted by: TheAmazingYeti

originally posted by: payt69

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.

HA! Because you contributed such thought provoking material. If I ran the show, I wouldn't pay you a cent for that chemtrail rubbish...

Before anybody jumps down my throat about the content I've created here. I'm not the one who thinks they should be paid for what I have written here.

If you have an issue with what I wrote about chemtrails, feel free to debate me on it in the chemtrails section It's been awfully quiet there for the last few weeks so we could use a bit of action anyway

But anyway, whether or not the content is rubbish in your opinion doesn't matter, it still is part of what makes you go to ATS.

First off let me say, I love this site. Whatever SO decides. I will be fine with. I basically do not care which way the site goes. If it stays with ads, keeps the ad block message, goes back to no ad block message, or asks for a subscription to get rid of ads.

I will be here as long as the site exists. Well as long as the site exists and the membership is as diverse and strong as it is. The diverse and strong membership is what keeps ATS going. It is what allows ATS to make money off of advertisements.

So while I personally am fine with whatever ATS does. I do understand why people are upset. If 80 percent of the bandwith goes to non members. Why alienate the membership at all. Why put the ad block message up or take things away from the membership. All putting up the message has done is make members mad.

It has probably damaged the reputation of the site and I have already seen some members say they are not coming back. Who knows if that is true, or if the site will actually lose members. But the perception that it might, is now out there.

The ad block message might have gotten a few members to turn off ad block. But was it worth it. Most will just find a new way to block the anti-adblock.

I think the site should just take away the anti ad block and go back to how it was for the members of the site. The members who are only 20 percent of the bandwith. Who are the reason ATS makes money off of advertisements.

Keep the ad block message for non members. Since they are 80 percent of the bandwith and are not currently contributing to content. They are where the site should be looking for the bulk of the ad revenue from. If they become members then the message goes away. And just like now, the more they contribute the less ads they see.

If the site just did that. Without alienating the membership. Then the prospect of paying a low monthly or yearly fee to go ad free might of gone over better. Without the fiasco of the big ugly ad block message and the perceived punishment of the membership. The membership that makes the content. The content people come to read. The reading that generates ad revenue.

Basically I am saying the site should of just offered the option of subscribing for a strictly ad free version of the site and maybe a chat room thrown in. No ad block message for members. No extra forums or anything like that, so people won't complain of a class system being implemented. The membership would probably of taken everything better and ATS would still make more money than they are now.

originally posted by: payt69

originally posted by: TheAmazingYeti

originally posted by: payt69

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.

HA! Because you contributed such thought provoking material. If I ran the show, I wouldn't pay you a cent for that chemtrail rubbish...

Before anybody jumps down my throat about the content I've created here. I'm not the one who thinks they should be paid for what I have written here.

If you have an issue with what I wrote about chemtrails, feel free to debate me on it in the chemtrails section

It's been awfully quiet there for the last few weeks so we could use a bit of action anyway

But anyway, whether or not the content is rubbish in your opinion doesn't matter, it still is part of what makes you go to ATS.

Back so soon?

2nd line

I'm not bothered about ads on ATS.

What I am bothered about though is paying to talk to people which is basically what we are doing.... talking! Talking is free... we are all blessed with that... mind you maybe tptb will start taxing what comes out of our mouth one day.

It's the same with 'dating' sites. Why should we have to pay to talk to someone? These sites popped up to scam singletons and there are a lot of fake profiles on those sites! Same with those other ones... like Adultfriendfinder for example. Facebook and Twitter are free to talk and so is email and skype!

And another thing.. I don't like to give out personal information which includes name, address, phone number, credit card details...

AT~S could basically become a Forum on facebook for free if the site owners actually wanted that.

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.

Welcome to the real world of the internet bud . Some people crap on you from a great hight .

But you could always turn this into a cometition , something like having your own lone gunmen 3 amigos

I think with all the great minds here so someone should be able to figure a workaround for this , just ignore all the nasayers .

I no nothing really of computers or anything to do with them ,but my quick fix for this would be to put ALL the ads on a thread we had to click on to and stars for the best , keeping them away from the regulars here most of the time , say 1 minute per day for regulars

And if you are anon you have to spend 2 minutes , yip pretty lame

But every little helps for everything else there's tequila

Good luck and may the force be with you

originally posted by: TruthxIsxInxThexMist
I'm not bothered about ads on ATS.

What I am bothered about though is paying to talk to people which is basically what we are doing.... talking! Talking is free... we are all blessed with that... mind you maybe tptb will start taxing what comes out of our mouth one day.

It's the same with 'dating' sites. Why should we have to pay to talk to someone? These sites popped up to scam singletons and there are a lot of fake profiles on those sites! Same with those other ones... like Adultfriendfinder for example. Facebook and Twitter are free to talk and so is email and skype!

And another thing.. I don't like to give out personal information which includes name, address, phone number, credit card details...

AT~S could basically become a Forum on facebook for free if the site owners actually wanted that.

So go out outside and talk to people. Why complain about it on a platform that costs money to maintain? Code needs to be written, servers need power, DDOS protection needs to be in place... etc etc

originally posted by: SkepticOverlord
a reply to: PeterMcFly

I just think ad-blocking in general is unethical and overly-paranoid.

I've never blocked ads. I've never had problems.

Of course, I have intimate direct knowledge of how the ad technology works, and it's nothing like the FUD the ad-blocking companies feed you.

I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time believing the "in general" part. Look, I know you want your money, but don't go accusing people of being "unethical" or that they are blocking ads because they're "over paranoid" or paranoid at all for that matter, or even that the only reason we use ad blockers is because of what a company told us(who ever installed an ad blocker for any other reason than because it blocks ads period?)

I have one reason and one reason alone for blocking ads, and it ain't got nothing to do with conspiracies or bandwidth waste or wanting to stick it to website revenue. It has everything to do with preventing system compromise and losing data to thieves. Years ago and to this day, MMORPGs were assaulted by hackers and countless millions of gamer accounts were stolen. Depending on the game it was a breeze or a nightmare to recover from it. The main culprit was hacked ads on webpages that once downloaded by your computer would unload dirty code to hack your system and farm for data to steal, and I have no reason whatsoever to accept the assurances that it won't happen on this site or that site, especially this site being a conspiracy site which is prime time for dirty ad behavior. I am sorry but your website income is not more important than protecting what is mine, and I am positive you have the same exact opinion about what is yours when compared to what is mine.

I guess you must have next to zero internet life, which is a good thing imo, but I however have alot of internet life and so I have many more chances of being infected than you do. I'm glad you've never had a problem with allowing ads, supposedly, but that's just you. One example does not speak for the world's experiences.

Now, perhaps I feel comfortable enough to allow ATS access because I visit it all of maybe 20 times a month for about 5 minutes per trip looking for any news not coming out on MSM, but I just assume not bothering coming here anymore.

I do sympathize. It's obvious that "in general" people are only blocking ads because they don't want to see them and it is selfish for them to continue doing it when it is brought to their attention the harm they are causing. But not everyone does it just because ads.

I think I will just not bother coming here anymore. At least it will save you some bandwidth and I will have peace of mind that my # stays protected while in deep web. Peace out.

originally posted by: stargatetravels

originally posted by: TheScale


Edit: i still dont agree that we are the product. the best example i can give is to look at television and the way it works. u have companies like comcast who provide a platform for companies to provide content for. comcast doesnt produce any of the content but they provide a platform for other people (this would be us on ATS) to put their content on.

Yes buy both comcast and the content provider make money, they are both the owners/businessmen.
On ATS there would be no content and ergo no site with(going to imagine that u meant without) Joe public posting about Obama's race or Trump's Hair or whatever.
ATS sells advertizing space based on the number of Joe Public's they get on here.
I don't see the two models as similar.

ATS is identical to that. viewership determines the cost of the advertising, which btw we can bypass with things like DVR these days. what im pointing out is that the product ATS supplies (this platform and the moderation for it) if as good as they believe it is, should be marketable beyond just the ad space. if we the product and content provider like the material and the way they curate the experience then it should be able to stand on its own two feet in the free market and they can charge accordingly.
Edit: meant to add but forgot. The only real difference between television content providers and ATS is that they have to pay for their content so that they can use it to generate the ad revenue. whereas at ATS we provide that content free for them to then generate ad revenue.