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

The only issue with ads here was a few weeks ago. There was a time when all ads opened up a new, solid white page with no page back. It made reading threads impossible always having to refresh and get back to where I was reading...and a few posts later, repeat.

I WANTED to block those until I figured out viewing them in desktop mode instead of mobile was av temporary fix.

The ad(s) that caused the bug are gone now.

I ignore ads. As long as they don't play automatic sound, I don't care. You protect your system and know where you are browsing...and if ads help sites I enjoy, who cares?

If all an ad does is sit there quietly, it can be ignored. I can't even tell you what I have seen an ad for on this site actually...so if it is paying for my use here, win win.

originally posted by: HolgerTheDane2
And it is not unethical for a site like ATS to actively provide a few tracking cookies?

There's no "tracking" associated with the cookies we set and use.

I use an ad-blocker on most of the internet purely for the reason that I live in a rural location and our net is slow at the best of times, in peak times having ads not loading can mean the difference between me calmly perusing the internet and throwing my computer into a pond.

Having said that I enable ads on ATS as I know that's what keeps this site going and, quite frankly, I think I would lose my # if I didn't get a daily dose of ATS. Occasionally my browser will update my addon and for some unknown reason reset the exceptions meaning that I have to double check every so often - but apart from that I keep ads enabled on ATS.

Anyway, good on you S.O. for involving us in the conversation and, for my part, I fully support whatever measures you need to take to ensure ATS remains online and functioning and gives you guys an income.



(EDIT: Not that I see too many ads on ATS anyway as I think Ive reached a posting level were they do not get displayed as much.)

originally posted by: machineintelligence
Stick a fork in it SO this site is done. It was a good run. Cheers in best of luck with your next effort.

I'm with you. ATS was nice, while it remained clean, but I'm done with any site which forces me to look at stupid ads (again an aspect of retardedness and disintegration of our society). Cheers.

originally posted by: anotherdaytoday

originally posted by: machineintelligence
Stick a fork in it SO this site is done. It was a good run. Cheers in best of luck with your next effort.

I'm with you. ATS was nice, while it remained clean, but I'm done with any site which forces me to look at stupid ads (again an aspect of retardedness and disintegration of our society). Cheers.

Do you honestly think ATS is able to stay online because money "magically" appears in S.O.'s bank account to pay for its hosting and upkeep?

No, seriously mate. Where do you think websites get their funding from if not from ads or membership fees (which ATS does not have)?

I'm curious to know what planet you live on that money just "magically" appears to pay for these things?

When i'm signed in, no problems with ads on my desk top. auto sign in.

Yesterday i came here on my phone and had ads up the yingyang.

Then i realized i wasn't signed in.

As usual, I don't know what's going on.

What's a white list ad?

Okay, I try using ATS without Ad-Blocker. Right now, it is not tooo ugly.


If the ads annoy me more than the "you bad! you using ad-block!", I will start using it again.


If ATS refuses to produce an entertainment to me anymore, I will refuse to visit ATS. Simple as that.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

I'll admit sense the "update" I have noticed an improvement regarding the security of the ads allowed on this site. A couple years ago I would've recommended an ad blocker to any user, but I think it's fairly honest and harmless now. I don't see any loss in security or functionality, what is allowed really seems bare minimum. So thanks at least for that.

a reply to: Kryties

His mom n dad take care of that..
it didn't even cross his mind...
"You have to pay for things?"

I would suggest a paid subscription too for the ones that really don't want ads. And then not only payable with a method that can trace identity, it is a conspiracy forum after all. Just give the option to use cryptocurrency orso.

When is this about to start? My router blocks all ads at the entrance so I'm bound to see that message I guess

originally posted by: 5StarOracle
Sounds to me like you need 5k a month...

My thoughts exactly.

2nd line. We are such suckers to emotion.

Kind regards bally.

Most people who block ads would never click them anyway. Clicking ads if for the average-joe who is not smart enough to know about ad blockers...

a reply to: ManFromEurope

Extreme, but I understand.

We are not protected.

Kind regards,

Bally.

One of your cat-based window pleas has a "K" in "stealing" and reads as "stealking". For me, it was the one before I logged in. Hope that helps.

I don't appear to be getting ads after unblocking, so maybe I've surpassed the requirement.

As for the issue, I'm really on the fence about it and am trying to learn about why I'm seeing this more and more.
As I've been using the internet for about 16 years regularly now, I've watched the ads multiply like flies on sites and recall the time it wasn't necessary. The internet was supposed to be relatively free in general, right?

I do have a smattering of understanding regarding bandwidth and the struggles that sites are enduring. You've done an excellent job of stating your reasons and all else here.

Yet, I'm highly concerned about this trending increase of ads on sites and the ever-growing power of the companies that control our internet. One of my largest fears is being slowly realized and that's the internet becoming more like cable all the time. I don't think that succumbing to these demands now are going to make things any easier in the future and worry that it's precisely what the big boys want to happen to bring about and undermine Net Neutrality.

I'd love to see a revolution of sorts where people/communities rise against the giant ISPs and create their own, but if history teaches us anything, I shouldn't hold my breath.

Any suggestions to reverse this trend? Any explanations/good articles for me I should know?
Thanks.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

Are you telling us to not block any ads on ATS?

I guess you are loosing thousands of legal tender since people found Adblock & Ghostery ;D

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

In theory would it help if someone wrote a macro (me) and had this site constantly refresh, would that give you more income in the long term? My pc is powerful enough, as is my friends, to allow this to happen constantly in the back-ground.

Is that a viable way to make this site some money, or are the payments made on a purely timelocked ip basis? As in, my comp logs in you get paid for that log but then there's a timer on the next one?

originally posted by: anotherdaytoday

originally posted by: machineintelligence
Stick a fork in it SO this site is done. It was a good run. Cheers in best of luck with your next effort.

I'm with you. ATS was nice, while it remained clean, but I'm done with any site which forces me to look at stupid ads (again an aspect of retardedness and disintegration of our society). Cheers.

I don't normally post or log in but I always lurk and this post really got me wanting to get my password reminder to say my bit.

I love ATS and have been here since 2008 viewing threads daily.

I expect to pay a fee for this in some way to cover server/hosting cost's.

I remember ATS in 2008, It was clean with no ads if I remember but was probably a lot cheaper to run. As ATS has grown so has the cost to supply. I'm happy to have ads in the banners that don't' intrude over the screen as a payment towards the server cost.

I must say one ad that got me laughing was the Russian brides that pop up when I have been searching google for Russian news, always get's the wife asking dodgy questions.

I'll crawl back to where I came from now.

Great site and keep going, unfortunately people want everything for free these days.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

Hi SO, I have adblock specifically disabled for ATS because I understand you need revenue to keep the site up, however I have never seen an ad on this site so what is up with that ?

Also I read the contribution link, however I have a question, there is no mention that if you contribute you could browse ad free, perhaps it might an idea to offer a yearly subscription to the site for users at a reasonable price which comes ad free and possibly some other perks ?

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

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

I understand that you as a site owner need those ads to sustain the site. But calling ad-block unethical...really man.

You are infact telling me that it's unethical for me to choose the content I want to watch. I should just spread my buttocks and let them fill me in.

Also...if a TV channel is cutting movies or TV shows every 15 minutes for a commercial break...I should stay put and not change the channel...because...that would be unethical of me ?

originally posted by: HolgerTheDane2

And certainly not unethical to present large click baiting sections that leads to scam sites?

Like this?



ETA:
I wasn't logged in at the time though, and from reading the thread it seems that makes a difference.

I do use an ad-blocker but when I saw the message it was disabled for the domain. I got no problem with ads on your site, you gotta make a buck somehow, or just pay the hosting bills