Ask HN: Would you sign an anti-ad pledge?

#1

Post by evanwarfel » Wed, Apr 17, 2019, 7:06 PM UTC

I don't know about you, but I have personally committed to never (or so rarely as to practically be never) respond to advertisements. I'd love to be able to tell advertisers that they are wasting their money trying to buy my impressions and clicks. I'm also willing to pay for an ad-free but otherwise identical version of a product, and I think many of us here might be in the same boat.

If there were an easy way to do so, would you sign a pledge / publically commit to being "anti-ad"? One version of such a pledge could involve committing to buy a competitors product if you see a relevant ad.

(Note: Given that only a subset of online users might sign such a pledge, this might actually save the advertisers money, which you may or may not want to have a hand in.)

Re: Ask HN: Would you sign an anti-ad pledge?

#2

Post by Someone1234 » Wed, Apr 17, 2019, 7:22 PM UTC

> I'm also willing to pay for an ad-free

It has been tried multiple times, particularly in print media. Most people, regardless of what they claim, aren't willing to pay for ad free. Just the pure fact that it used to be free, often makes it even harder to convert them.

You say you're willing to pay for ad-free, but I'd ask why you aren't paying for ad free already. Many websites now offer it, and few pay it (e.g. almost all online news, Reddit, Google's ad network, YouTube, etc.

Re: Ask HN: Would you sign an anti-ad pledge?

#3

Post by afarrell » Wed, Apr 17, 2019, 7:32 PM UTC

No. I would be willing to give google/amazon/facebook a list of my life problems every 3 months if it would get me ads that were actually relevant.

Re: Ask HN: Would you sign an anti-ad pledge?

#4

Post by stfwn » Wed, Apr 17, 2019, 7:32 PM UTC

What is an ad exactly? Friends/non-friends telling/mailing/phoning/showing paid/free products/ideas/events irl/online? I need to know the specifics before committing.. Better yet, I'll stay away from extremes and judge case-by-case.

Re: Ask HN: Would you sign an anti-ad pledge?

#5

Post by DanBC » Wed, Apr 17, 2019, 7:36 PM UTC

Have you heard of the Boulder Pledge?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Ebert#Personal_life

> During a 1996 panel at the University of Colorado Boulder's Conference on World Affairs, Ebert coined the Boulder Pledge, by which he vowed never to purchase anything offered through the result of an unsolicited email message, or to forward chain emails or mass emails to others

Re: Ask HN: Would you sign an anti-ad pledge?

#6

Post by evanwarfel » Wed, Apr 17, 2019, 7:58 PM UTC

DanBC wrote: post #5

Have you heard of the Boulder Pledge? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Ebert#Personal_life > During a 1996 panel at the University of Colorado Boulder's Conference on World Affairs, Ebert coined the Boulder Pledge, by which he vowed never to purchase anything offered through the result of an unsolicited email message, or to forward chain emails or mass emails to others

I have not heard of the Boulder Pledge, thanks for linking to it. I imagine Roger Ebert was on the receiving end of a lot of unsolicited offers, being a public figure and all.

Re: Ask HN: Would you sign an anti-ad pledge?

#7

Post by evanwarfel » Wed, Apr 17, 2019, 7:59 PM UTC

stfwn wrote: post #4

What is an ad exactly? Friends/non-friends telling/mailing/phoning/showing paid/free products/ideas/events irl/online? I need to know the specifics before committing.. Better yet, I'll stay away from extremes and judge case-by-case.

Great question / good points! I don't mean to single out word of mouth recommendations. Perhaps the pledge could be individually modified so that one could specify per-platform definitions.

Re: Ask HN: Would you sign an anti-ad pledge?

#8

Post by evanwarfel » Wed, Apr 17, 2019, 8:00 PM UTC

afarrell wrote: post #3

No. I would be willing to give google/amazon/facebook a list of my life problems every 3 months if it would get me ads that were actually relevant.

Ah yes, the other end of the spectrum, which I also find not unattractive.

Re: Ask HN: Would you sign an anti-ad pledge?

#9

Post by evanwarfel » Wed, Apr 17, 2019, 8:02 PM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #2

> I'm also willing to pay for an ad-free It has been tried multiple times, particularly in print media. Most people, regardless of what they claim, aren't willing to pay for ad free. Just the pure fact that it used to be free, often makes it even harder to convert them. You say you're willing to pay for ad-free, but I'd ask why you aren't paying for ad free already. Many websites now offer it, and few pay it (e.g. al…

In all honesty, it's because I did not know that paying for Reddit / Youtube would turn off the ads.

Re: Ask HN: Would you sign an anti-ad pledge?

#10

Post by redsable » Wed, Apr 17, 2019, 8:10 PM UTC

I would