Ask HN: Does anybody not use an adblocker?

#1

Post by AdamN » Mon, Jun 26, 2023, 11:57 AM UTC

I recently subscribed to Bloomberg and because of difficulty signing in, I turned off my ad blocker only to see that the site is almost unusable with all of the ads on (even as a paying subscriber).

Does anybody in HN (even/especially those in the media industry) not use an adblocker of some sort to browse the web anymore? If so, can you tell us about your experiences and why?

Re: Ask HN: Does anybody not use an adblocker?

#2

Post by warrenm » Mon, Jun 26, 2023, 12:03 PM UTC

I wish I did not have to[0]

But, quite frankly, most sites are effectively impossible to use without one :|

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[0] https://antipaucity.com/2016/03/03/on-ads/ (though I am down to just uBlock Origin & Detect Cloudflare)

Re: Ask HN: Does anybody not use an adblocker?

#3

Post by AnimalMuppet » Mon, Jun 26, 2023, 12:28 PM UTC

I don't.

Some sites are unusable. I don't visit them, or if I do, I'm gone almost immediately.

Some sites are hard. I will persist if I really want to read the article; otherwise, I'm gone.

Most of the sites I visit are still functional. But I mainly just go to HN, some technical sites when I need to, some news sites, actual company sites. I don't go to entertainment sites (they are mostly unusable without an ad blocker). I don't do social media (other than HN).

In general, if you make your site unusable with ads, then I won't be back. I don't need your site. But your site might want me, and if you do, knock it off with the garbage that makes it unusable.

Re: Ask HN: Does anybody not use an adblocker?

#4

Post by ezedv » Mon, Jun 26, 2023, 12:40 PM UTC

I understand your frustration. Some websites prioritize user experience by having fewer or less intrusive ads. It's worth exploring adblocker settings or alternative ad-free news sources.

Re: Ask HN: Does anybody not use an adblocker?

#5

Post by AdamN » Mon, Jun 26, 2023, 1:03 PM UTC

AnimalMuppet wrote: post #3

I don't. Some sites are unusable. I don't visit them, or if I do, I'm gone almost immediately. Some sites are hard. I will persist if I really want to read the article; otherwise, I'm gone. Most of the sites I visit are still functional. But I mainly just go to HN, some technical sites when I need to, some news sites, actual company sites. I don't go to entertainment sites (they are mostly unusable without an ad bloc…

Do you have a search engine or other mechanism to make it easier to find these sites or is it just hunt and peck?

Re: Ask HN: Does anybody not use an adblocker?

#6

Post by AnimalMuppet » Mon, Jun 26, 2023, 1:53 PM UTC

AdamN wrote: post #5

AnimalMuppet wrote: post #3

I don't. Some sites are unusable. I don't visit them, or if I do, I'm gone almost immediately. Some sites are hard. I will persist if I really want to read the article; otherwise, I'm gone. Most of the sites I visit are still functional. But I mainly just go to HN, some technical sites when I need to, some news sites, actual company sites. I don't go to entertainment sites (they are mostly unusable without an ad bloc…

Do you have a search engine or other mechanism to make it easier to find these sites or is it just hunt and peck?

Well, if it's an article on HN, there's a link there. If I'm trying to find a specific company, it's Google. If it's a URL I go to frequently, it's the first couple of letters, or a bookmark. If it's technical info, it's Google.

Re: Ask HN: Does anybody not use an adblocker?

#7

Post by poetril » Mon, Jun 26, 2023, 1:53 PM UTC

I don't have an adblocker on my machine at work, trying to keep chrome as barebones as possible. On the off chance I click on an article posted in slack its always shocking to see how riddled with ad's the modern web is.

Re: Ask HN: Does anybody not use an adblocker?

#8

Post by AdamN » Mon, Jun 26, 2023, 2:03 PM UTC

AnimalMuppet wrote: post #6

AdamN wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have a search engine or other mechanism to make it easier to find these sites or is it just hunt and peck?

Well, if it's an article on HN, there's a link there. If I'm trying to find a specific company, it's Google. If it's a URL I go to frequently, it's the first couple of letters, or a bookmark. If it's technical info, it's Google.

ok - I thought you might be using one of the newer engines that allows one to add custom dimensions or exclude sites with wildcard lists (basically uBlock Origin 'score' for lack of a better word).

Re: Ask HN: Does anybody not use an adblocker?

#9

Post by codingclaws » Mon, Jun 26, 2023, 3:09 PM UTC

I've never used an ad blocker. 98% of the time I immediately press the browser back button.

Re: Ask HN: Does anybody not use an adblocker?

#10

Post by Justsignedup » Mon, Jun 26, 2023, 3:15 PM UTC

I do use adblockers, so much so that I basically only use android because of all the system-wide adblocking capabilities, including youtube ads.

I occasionally switch off adblockers to see what the rest of the world sees. Within seconds I am shocked every single time. Some sites I use are unusable without adblockers. The youtube experience is attrocious without adblockers. Amazon products are impossible to find without being flooded with sponsored products. Google results are ads until pages later.

Its like a whole other internet. I cannot imagine how small of a portion of the internet I'd need to use if I could not use adblockers.