I think the use of adblockers has plateaued. In my experience, most people just don't mind ads that much. For example, if someone else installs an adblocker, they'll leave it on. But if they get a new computer, for example, they won't bother to go and install it themselves.
Ask HN: What will happen when everybody uses an ad blocker?
21–30 of 63 posts
Re: Ask HN: What will happen when everybody uses an ad blocker?
#22Actually, the main reason I block ads is not because I can't stand ads, but because I don't want to be tracked and traced around the web, and also it turns out that as most of this ad-systems are based on extensive javascript and flash, blocking them makes most news sites load so much faster.
There's a very easy way to solve this problem for websites, and that is to host the ads from the main site. That would make it harder to track you across the web, but also harder for you to block content without braking the functionality of the page.
This in combination with how ad networks like The Deck works, with beautiful exclusive ads per page is the way to go.
Re: Ask HN: What will happen when everybody uses an ad blocker?
#23Technology-wise, an arms race. We have been in this situation before with pop-up blockers: instead of recognizing that users do not want pop-up ads, the advertising industry worked hard to find ways to circumvent pop-up blocking. Nothing has changed since then, and in fact, ad blocking continues to be an arms race as advertisers find increasingly intrusive ways to display their ads.
Re: Ask HN: What will happen when everybody uses an ad blocker?
#241) An arms race of ad-detection tech vs ad-hiding tech; 2) A segregation of sites in those who are okay at being free&ad-free (personal blogs, hobbyists, shops, corporate sites) vs paid-content sites. Possibly site owners will have a big need for functioning micropayments. 3) Migration of ad budget from banners&impressions towards sponsorships, paid placements and "advertorial" content/biased articles.
Your list is all of these but not in a specific order I believe. I see it as more like bullet points that will happen. Is that correct interpretation?
Id like to ad 4. search engines has to change, there will be room in that market to specialize in searching the ad-free sites.
Re: Ask HN: What will happen when everybody uses an ad blocker?
#25The content on the web could gradually begin to resemble an ad in and of itself. We're seeing this to an extent now in other forms of media, with the growth of (increasingly shameless) product placements, promotions, etc in movies and TV.
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Re: Ask HN: What will happen when everybody uses an ad blocker?
#26I suspect everyone on hacker news works too closely with websites to make predictions without the myopia that comes from being an "expert". I'd rather ask an advertiser what they would do if users blocked ads. And even that will predict little.
Re: Ask HN: What will happen when everybody uses an ad blocker?
#27Websites start to prevent it.
When I used to run a website only financed with ads, I managed to make non-blockable advertisements with some PHP scripting. I think I included the picture on my server, named it something like a book.png and setup a bit.ly redirect with PHP. It all worked even with ad-blocks on. Not sure though have adblocks advanced a lot since then.
Re: Ask HN: What will happen when everybody uses an ad blocker?
#28Actually, the main reason I block ads is not because I can't stand ads, but because I don't want to be tracked and traced around the web, and also it turns out that as most of this ad-systems are based on extensive javascript and flash, blocking them makes most news sites load so much faster. There's a very easy way to solve this problem for websites, and that is to host the ads from the main site. That would make it…
I would be completely fine with ads on my main sites if they had some form of quality control over AdSense and the likes, or even better yet hosted their own ads like you said, but... tasteful.
I hate flashing ads, I loathe sound, I'm irritated to no end by ads made to look like news articles or any ad that breaks good page formatting for the sake of exposure.
However, unless browsers add ad-blockers by default I doubt we'll be seeing a future where a majority of internet users use it.
Re: Ask HN: What will happen when everybody uses an ad blocker?
#291) I think that is highly unlikely.
2) Ever look in your spam folder? Its full of questionable emails from non reputable vendors, trying to outsmart the spam filters.
Re: Ask HN: What will happen when everybody uses an ad blocker?
#30Other than the ad networks, who's surviving and growing their business off of ads, really? Like, who's in the business of ad clicks and the business of content? TechCrunch, et al. So, handshake coverage deals, just like now. Samsung is willing to pay a lot more for your site to proclaim its love of Samsung's new device than it is for some annoying little 150x150 ad, no matter how many times you show it.