Why Ad Blocking is devastating to the sites you love. (from 2010)

reply to post by yadda333


Those members have Adblocker, but have white listed ATS, therefore it's not a problem...

~Keeper

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


I personally see that as a fantastic idea...and indeed one suggested HERE earlier by one of the Members.

Seems to be a more *kinder* approach...a reminder and encouragement...

To be honest, I'm one of those people who tend not to overly pay attention to the Terms and Conditions of Discussion Forums I'm part of. ATS being an exception of course, and others I Moderate/Admin on.

But generally for other sites where I'm a Member I must admit to just doing the ol' "yeah yeah whatever" *click the Agree box* on signing up...

...so while officially I have agreed to the T&Cs of that particular site...well, I was just too lazy to bother reading what I was agreeing to at the time. Sure, ignorance is no excuse...but I'm also pretty sure many other people have done the same thing - just clicked that Agree box on sign-up without actually going through the specific T&Cs for that site.

This method will be a simple reminder...as chances are more than a few people may be 'Semi-Lazy Agree Clickers' like me and not be consciously aware of it.

Originally posted by yadda333

Originally posted by Springer
reply to post by Echo007

 

Imagine your boss telling you that he was installing "Paycheck Blocker" in the payroll department. Would you continue to work for him?

Only problem is that none of us work for you. Your sense of entitlement seems to be the one in need of a reality check (see next quote).

Your sense of entitlement is astounding.

Everytime one of these threads comes up, you and the Overlord start spewing statements like this.

Neither of you have any respect for members that disagree with you. How 'bout a little courtesy. That poster simply said they would be willing to pay a subscription and received that in response.

Somebody else brought up the fact that you only banned certain members for admitting they had an AD Blocker. What about the others?

I agree with what you said... it really is quite rude how some of the staff answer back to questions/posts of members.

I shouldn't have to feel intimidated or feel as if I may be banned for asking a question or explaining my side of the story. And whether or not you're going to admit it, that is exactly what you're doing to people here on ATS.

And I know what you may say "Well how come they haven't said anything about feeling this way?"

Well, if they're intimidated or scared to lose their account, why would they bother saying something about the issue in the first place? I think that the staff should have some more courtesy towards the members who are generating the money to keep the site running by clicking the ads and such. Banning people, especially to make a point of some sort, is not the way to go. Instead allow people to voice their opinions, if they are rude, then warn them or ignore them. It's common courtesy, period. And notice I didn't use any particular names, so I'm not calling out specific admins/mods here I'm talking generally, but I'm sure those who are apart of the staff know who they are.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord

Hey, did you guys try that out because of my suggestion? (Me being a conspiracy aficionado, I think so!).

I think that's awesome! It's actually helpful to get that kind of feedback because if I'm being an air-head and forget to allow all scripts to run while visiting ATS, that's the best way to make me correct that mistake: if I get a friendly reminder.

Originally posted by harrytuttle
[Hey, did you guys try that out because of my suggestion?

Ah... dunno.

Last night I was experimenting with several techniques that "claim" to detect adblockers, however, just about all were designed to restrict or deny content to users with adblockers... which isn't what I was looking for.

The removable overlay is running now, for users that have some kind of ad-blocking running.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Seems to work perfectly. Overlay shows up when AdBlock is turned on, and goes away when it is turned off. nice work.

(thanks)

Originally posted by Ionized
Overlay shows up when AdBlock is turned on

And more importantly... can be removed if the user is unable to turn-off adblocking for whatever reason.

I have seen other marketing campaigns like the "District 9" thing and I would guess if this site is willing to do that then other companies can probably buy other stealth or viral marketing strategies. Flash advertisements are not the only advertisements this web site sells. Another option would be to sell advertisement space in your moderator signatures.

Aside from advertisements ATS also has its swag store. Jim Marrs has royalties and unless you sold the trademark usage for a one time price that would be a small but re-occurring revenue source. I hope you take advantage of all the government grants and tax breaks available for this website

I see many other sources of income other then the advertisements blocked by ad-blockers. Of course the Ad-blockers may infringe on your maximum profit potential however insisting on users to disable their ad-blockers for you will most likely not result in the outcome your looking for.

The terms and conditions already ask much of members in terms of compliance. What you ask us to do now takes to a higher level many are uncomfortable with. Their is a better approach.

Okay,

A few things hopefully some may agree with upon consideration and learn from, esp new members or those who feel "Justified" to have a free lunch.

When ATS was in its original form, way before even most of the admins and owners now, and Mods it started out as a very very basic forum.

I read most of the site it was soo small as such with so little (but very very good quality) content, it would have fitted in a very small 200 paperback.

That was when I started first reading ATS and it was way "back in the Day", I joined after lurking for about 6 months under different name than I have now, but contributed I think only a few times, a paragraph here and there over a couple of years.

It was free no ADS very underground unknown unless you spent a lot of time searching for that sort of topic and part time as such.

The reason the quality was "Very Very" good was because even if the number of contributors was small, it was done in an old fashioned sort of way, a very very small community every user knew quickly every other user and it had the people who were the experts, in these fields as they were researching it when it was way more underground than any of these topics are now.

They had a passion for not only finding the truth but telling the truth to!

A thing most "conspiracy" sites do not take that seriously these days, taking truth seeking inquisitive people out there, and feeding them spin, fear mongering anything to sell the next book, tickets to the next conference, or plaster "Sasha Baren" type of "Russian Navy preparing to attack USA fleet" etc etc every day, as long as it got the traffic and hits for the ads.

It is nothing about the "truth" or "denying ignorance" at all.

They are hypocritical and create, and feed off as much fear they generate, as those they claim to be trying to undercover, whilst stating "fear is our biggest enemy" type of philosophy.

Those other sites never held on to their core principals, I know ive been browsing online boards like this since the internet first had them, and seen them all change and grow.

ATS as the rest has changed beyond recognition from those early days. However it has, within the best abilities of the "God Mod" lol the first being Simon Gray who started all this, and the Subsequent UNPAID Mods, and later Admins and SO and Springer etc, it has UNLIKE any others * of this type kept to that core principal. Its original ethics and reason are still being upheld.

That is an amazing feat and certainly a example of "Managing Change" not often seen.

There is over 10 yrs now? (lol memory) of research, experience and knowledge on this site on the subjects we all would like to find the truth about.

These subjects by their very nature are kept secret, covered up, spun about, discredited, by TPTB and used as I describe above by other "Fear" and Money and energy parasites in this genre, by some who are no better than wolves in sheep’s clothing.

The amount of false and spurious information out there on these topics outweighs the truth by at least x 20. Probably a lot more.

ATS is certainly not perfect, but it is the Best there is on these subjects in the world, even if a lot of what is posted is absolute BS or ramblings of the unstable, drunk or stupid, huge amounts. As said this is the nature of these topics. However it has as far as tens of thousands of hours of research and such like in these subjects shown me FAR LESS than any other comparable site.
Period.
That is a fact that can’t be debunked.

It also seems to have the best community to.

Hoax’s are labelled as such if proven, and also the excellent moderation and minimum requirements before posting as a member, along with the intelligent and varied members of ATS (we unlike most other forums self Moderate a lot more than you realise, because of that community) soon stop the spreading of ignorance, or at least show for all to see who look at that topic the opposite side to the claims, and very good critical analyses for it.

Therefore ATS is like the Google of the alternative scene, if you want the result you will probably find it here. If it’s been discussed or written about, or researched, and it’s of an alternative nature it will be here somewhere, WITH VALID critique of the story made by us.

So just like google you want to find something its on there, and the same on UFO,s Conspiracy News that’s Suppressed, etc etc for all the topics within the forums.

Do you think Google should not have the links on the right?

Why if you are using ad blockers on ATS do you use Google to, because I bet you do many times a day?

So it’s OK for large Corporations and Companies to make huge profits, but a mainly volunteer staffed, community can’t cover its costs, because you feel special or something?

The alternative as far as I can see, is for a forum that will not attract the quality of Moderators we have on ATS now, or keep the quality of members we have now as active (being contributing regularly) and therefore the end users experience will be lowered.

With the huge membership now at ATS, and invariably due to that the increase in those who have to be banned or managed to adhere to the sites core philosophy, this place would be a mess if it goes any other way than it is now. If ATS had to resort to the tactics of other similar "Truth Seeking" forums or organisations, it would be hard at the end of a days posting by users the difference between what they had written and was left unchecked, not moderated properly, and the writings from the literacy class at the nearest institute for the criminally insane.

So if you are interested in these topics because you want to find out as much, or get as close to, know the history of and players involved with any alternative subject, ATS is the quickest and easiest way to find it on the internet.

If these ads are not paying ATS expenses and research (gilliand wasn’t free you know guys!) traffic volume will be seeked rather than content and member quality, which will reduce the % of truth on these subjects, as sensationalism, and such like become supported and pushed.

In the end the ones who don’t want to see any ADS because of the time wasted loading, will lose hundreds of hours of their lives reading ramblings not sourced, critiqued or not Labelled as (Hoax) because the hit rate for the next "Confirmed WW3" start date is attracting, for a financially failing community.

You also will spend most of your time embracing ignorance not denying it as you read this drivel, and find it harder to get to truth because of the layers of BS on top of it.

You then being those who are against any form of advertising on ATS, obviously live in a bit of a self cantered world, so for all the princes and princesses out there, realise to that not just YOU but other members, and every human who searches for this same truth on these topics, will find it harder to get, and be feed more BS than they probably can take, and give up their quest research.

That is the Opposite of Denying Ignorance.

If you want to waste your life reading utter boll~~~~, with not even a hint of truth within it, that's up to you.

Whatever floats your Boat.

But don’t by that choice enforce it on me to, and any human being of the 6 odd billion now or in the future who may take their first steps of finding the truth.

I second an earlier poster and think a mass u2u should be sent out on this.

This thread has had me thinking and I don’t think ive said it enough, and with the recent other thread about Applause (never said thanks once as thought could be seen as ass licking!), well

To Simon all the decent members past and present, all the Mods and Mark and Bill, WOS and 128M hey guys all of you THANK YOU, for holding my hand in my musings and search for the truth.

Thank you all for the hard work put into keeping ATS unsullied from its original inception as far as possible, and for all making it what it is today.

It’s not broken, no need to fix it, if ATS needs Adverts that is a very very small thing for the priceless path to truth.

........................................................................

A few techy Questions now.

Is IOBIT Security 360 not good for ATS?

Advanced System Care has a function to check and block attack avenues in windows does that stop any ATS ads in the future?

Is Peer Gaurdian 2 a blocker of some of the ads?

If you are a member with no adds due to posts and flags etc....can we have running what we want as it does not matter anyhow?

Thanks for answering these queries.

...............................................................................

Kind Regards,

Elf

SkepticOverlord, thank you for putting in that script to notify us of adblocking software.

I run ABP on Firefox, as well as StopScript. I had "Allowed all this site" on my StopScript, and thought that would do it. Apparently it didn't.

I have gone in and set my ABP to allow this domain.

My apologies to ATS.

Originally posted by highlyoriginal
I shouldn't have to feel intimidated or feel as if I may be banned for asking a question or explaining my side of the story.

I don't think you should feel that way, and am sorry you do.

However... consider the various angles of this complex issue, and our side of the situation:


(1) We have six servers, all but one of which are exceptionally high-end systems that represent the most-expensive options/builds form our managed server & hosting provider

(2) We pay three professional firms to help keep all running in a manner that is designed to solicit your trust:
-a- A tech-support and server security firm
-b- A banner-ad compliance and scanning firm
-c- A server malware/virus/exploit scanning firm
(No site our size is investing at this level to keep their domain safe)

(3) Are facing a new round of upgrades and new servers in the very near future

(4) Have a growing list of fees for other professional services for many unannounced behind-the-scenes projects

(5) Are personally working long-hours most people would reject

(6) Have never (and never will) turned to our members for financial assistance, and only ask for your best posts

Clearly, because of our scale and aspirations for new offerings for our members, this is an increasingly expensive enterprise.

So now, with the above in mind, consider:

(1) We endure regular "flack" and various levels of indignation on many aspects of operations, including the necessity of advertising

(2) We are incredibly proactive about wanting to get information on misbehaving ads, yet endure countless vague complaints and accusations, with no assistance offered by those making the claims

(3) And we're somehow expected to endure those who angrily flaunt the relatively simple value proposition of: if you use ATS, please tolerate our ads?


A site this size is a lot of work and incurs a great deal of outside expense. At this time, advertising is the only viable option available to us that provides the level of revenue to enable us to continue paying the bills and maintaining our current level of service to all users: members and visitors alike. From time to time, our frustrations of those who demonstrate continued distaste over our efforts get the best of us. We're human. And we're often tired.

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord

Originally posted by oconnection
I said I'd be willing to pay out of pocket for access to this site?

It's not a viable option.

Subscription models have never worked, and have never provided enough revenue, for online-only publishers.

Also, within user-generated communities such as ATS, paid subscriptions result in more problems than solutions. Paid members inevitably "feel" superior to those not paying, not an environment we wish to enable. (not saying you would, but it's the nature of how things are)

Thanks for that info SO. Didn't know. ...and thank you too schrodinger's dog for the heads up.

...What can I say? The Free Web is on the table, and our choices count now.

Is economic censorship better than political censorship?

I don't think so.

reply to post by yadda333


That's EXACTLY RIGHT, we work for YOU and the membership.

Now try to consider the statement again.

Springer...

Trojan - Bloodhound Exploit 281

safeweb.norton.com...

Okay, I do NOT use adblocker nor any third party software except Norton Antivirus and I do my security updates daily for Windows.

Now, I got that thingie notice which really surprised me because I see the MSNBC ads on your website.

Okay, so, reading the thread, somebody mentioned Pop-Up Blockers. I checked and sure enough, IE has a pop-up blocker. So I added *.abovetopsecret.com and *.belowtopsecret.com

Guess what! When I next opened ATS to see if that fixed the problem - I got NORTON saying the trojan named above was caught! I saved proof but won't post it here. I'll send by email if you need it.

Anyway, the ONLY way I could get back in here to let you know was by removing the two wildcards (*.abovetopsecret.com and *.belowtopsecret.com) from my pop-up admit list.

So, perhaps you should tell us how to fix the situation because I'm a stickler about following rules.

Thanks!

Oh, and thanks for the very first virus in over 15 years online!

Advice please from Firefox with AdBlockerPlus users. How exactly do you allow adds on ATS? I've opened the blockers Preferences section and don't see anything on accepting adds from this site, etc.

Yep, been here since 2003 and I'm still puter illiterate to a large degree. Any help will be appreciated... hope the adds aren't annoying as all get out

reply to post by Trexter Ziam



I went to the Norton safe web site you linked. Here are the results I got for ATS:

is this site safe? AboutSafety & ThreatsCommunity Buzzlogin signup feedback
norton rating
SAFE
Site Owner? Click here

abovetopsecret.com
Summary
Norton Safe Web found no issues with this site.
•Computer Threats:
0
•Identity Threats:
0
•Annoyance factors:
0
Total threats on this site:
0


•Community Reviews:
0

The Norton rating is a result of Symantec's automated analysis system. Learn more.
The opinions of our users are reflected separately in the community rating on the right.
General Info
Web Site Location United States of America

Norton Safe Web has analyzed abovetopsecret.com for safety and security problems.

Threat Report
Total threats found: 0
Viruses (what's this?)
Threats found: 0
Drive-By Downloads (what's this?)
Threats found: 0
Malicious Downloads (what's this?)
Threats found: 0
Worms (what's this?)
Threats found: 0
Suspicious Applications (what's this?)
Threats found: 0
Suspicious Browser Changes (what's this?)
Threats found: 0
Security Risks (what's this?)
Threats found: 0
Heuristic Viruses (what's this?)
Threats found: 0
Adware (what's this?)
Threats found: 0
Trojans (what's this?)
Threats found: 0
Phishing Attacks (what's this?)
Threats found: 0
Spyware (what's this?)
Threats found: 0
Backdoors (what's this?)
Threats found: 0
Remote Access Software (what's this?)
Threats found: 0
Information Stealers (what's this?)
Threats found: 0
Dialers (what's this?)
Threats found: 0
Downloaders (what's this?)
Threats found: 0

...Not sure what you're on about...?

Originally posted by Trexter Ziam
I saved proof but won't post it here.

Please use the ATS malware reporting form to include the information.

How do the MSNBC ads from Pulse360 factor into this?

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


How do the MSNBC ads factor in? Isn't that one of the ads you are talking about? I see it; but, when I add ATS to approved on Pop-Up list - your site thinks I have ad ad blocker when I don't - AND it tries give me that trojan.

I have no ad-blocker and the MSNBC is the ad I see most often.

The website linked was what I found when searching the trojan's name.

I'm not a techie so whatever.

Will send the text file as you said to do. Sending the screenshots might not work (dialup here.)

I still need to know how to enable the Pop Up approval and make ATS work. It simply doesn't work at all when I add the wildcards mentioned.

Thanks for the help!

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
And in any event, why aren't you informing us about these?

Excellent - what's the consultancy fee like on providing feedback on potentially dangerous adverts?

-m0r