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Facebook will force advertising on ad-blocking users

wsj.com

261–270 of 462 posts

Re: Facebook will force advertising on ad-blocking users

#261
post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because they encourage us to use them and make them available for free.

It is available on the condition that you are served ads alongside content.

What makes you think that? I recall reading previous articles linked from HN on this very topic that Facebook most strongly values the network size they can use in marketing sales pitches (i.e. the print circulation equivalent, the "reach"), not the ad impressions specifically.

Re: Facebook will force advertising on ad-blocking users

#262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A question: once site owners proxy ads through their own domains, will they become liable when they serve malware? Right now the usual defense seems to be "we just buy 'em", but that's going to be a lot less convincing once Forbes.com is actively serving malware from their own site.

No idea, I'm not a lawyer. Assuming liability is a real problem presumably this is fixed by ad networks improving their vetting and offering some sort of insurance to publishers in the event malware sneaks through. Alternatively, as mentioned in another comment, proxying might mean simply installing a managed ad-server within the publisher's infrastructure. So from an end-user PoV it looks like it's coming from the p…

Until the adserver serves malicious ads (which has happened dozens of times on high profile sites in the past year or so), and then the website is sued.

Re: Facebook will force advertising on ad-blocking users

#263
post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We started off nice: "Hey, you are disabling ads, please turn them on" etc. Then we offered an ad-free subscription (almost worthless). And I think we played with another idea or two, before finally going through with the blocking adblockers.

I think you missed the point of the question - people install adblockers typically because they find the ads are intrusive (full-screen graphic overlays, etc), or their machine gets infected with ad network-delivered malware. If you presented ads that were respectful to the visitor (i.e. weren't offensive) I expect the blocker escalation war would cease.

How would your users know you had "respectful" ads?

Re: Facebook will force advertising on ad-blocking users

#264

All my school/college friends are on Whatsapp (owned by Facebook yes). We have setup a group for our class and I get to know whatever that is happening without any ads. I deleted my Facebook account a while ago (I know its not really deleted but whatever) and basically it didn't make any difference as such. Nobody complained that I wasn't on Facebook, I didn't have to see what people ate last evening or how awesomer…

Only a matter of time before they start injecting ads into Whatsapp. They are owned by Facebook after all.

Re: Facebook will force advertising on ad-blocking users

#265
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think that the "technically inclined" are FB's power users, nor are they their most wanted target demographic.

It depends on your definition of "power users", I suppose. But they certainly don't want to shrink their network. The moment I meet a fellow like-minded geek and "add me on Facebook" isn't the default way to stay in touch, they're in trouble. And I'm already at the point where I have to ask if they're on Facebook first, since many tech people have already jumped ship due to privacy concerns.

Why does Facebook care about specifically geek usage behaviors? Geeky types constitute a small fraction of the population, only a subset of that already small cohort has the concerns you're expressing here, and only a subset of those care enough to stop using their services. If Facebook can increase add revenues 10% by a change like this, they couldn't care less about losing the maybe 2% of users who will be genuinely put off from them by it.

Re: Facebook will force advertising on ad-blocking users

#266
This won't end well for Facebook. Nobody joined or visits to view ads, no person wishes they were "more relevant". Forcing the ones who explicitly opted out to disable their ad blockers is forcing them to evaluate whether they want to visit your site at all. The only thing unique about Facebook is people collectively like it more than the alternatives right now.

Re: Facebook will force advertising on ad-blocking users

#268
post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We started off nice: "Hey, you are disabling ads, please turn them on" etc. Then we offered an ad-free subscription (almost worthless). And I think we played with another idea or two, before finally going through with the blocking adblockers.

I think you missed the point of the question - people install adblockers typically because they find the ads are intrusive (full-screen graphic overlays, etc), or their machine gets infected with ad network-delivered malware. If you presented ads that were respectful to the visitor (i.e. weren't offensive) I expect the blocker escalation war would cease.

You're acting like the typical use for adblockers is targetted -- it's not. People browse the web with always-on adblock. Your site is likely not the one that tipped them over the edge, either.

Re: Facebook will force advertising on ad-blocking users

#269
post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you missed the point of the question - people install adblockers typically because they find the ads are intrusive (full-screen graphic overlays, etc), or their machine gets infected with ad network-delivered malware. If you presented ads that were respectful to the visitor (i.e. weren't offensive) I expect the blocker escalation war would cease.

How would your users know you had "respectful" ads?

For example, when they visit, there are no interstitial pages, boxes covering the page when a user mouses out of the viewport, autoplaying audio/video, or any of that other obscene nonsense.

Re: Facebook will force advertising on ad-blocking users

#270

It's really interesting to me how strongly people dislike actions like this and the "Please turn off your adblock" thing. If this were a physical store, it's the equivalent of you taking something and the owner saying "hey man, that's not free, this is how I make a living". It seems like the right response would be "Oh wow, sorry, I won't take that any more", not "Go away, you're bothering me, and I'm going to keep t…

My attempt at the analogy would be: someone offers to come to your house and, using your Legos, build a little Lego castle in your living room for free, so you say "Sure," and when they come over they build the castle, but then they use the rest of your Legos to build a little Lego giraffe. "Why'd you build a giraffe, too? I just wanted a castle." "I get paid to do that by the National Council on Giraffes." "Well, so…

To slightly correct your analogy, you have a full history of everything I think and do and buy and own and talk about and everything my friends and family think and say and do, and you know darn well I think rhinos are cute in an ugly bulldog way and I like pet tropical fish too. And businesses sell tons of rhino trinkets and tropical fish aquarium stuff, its a big business, and skimming off a few percent in ad sales results in a lot of money for someone smart enough to target me. And you know I'm a generous idiot who's given money to 'save the rhinos inc' and have the teeshirt and everything and I'll probably do it again. Because rhinos are cool.

And given all the above data, you're so incompetent at selling that you come into my house and deposit a giraffe on my coffee table. I kid you not, the above paragraph results in a giraffe. Get out of my house, git out now ... The situation with modern 2016 advertisement is so awful, so incompetent, so inappropriate, its too insulting to even look at. Like going to a bar and asking for a beer and get handed a hard boiled egg instead, total WTF reaction, they're so bad at their job that a few decades ago this would be a candid camera reaction, like where's the dude with the hidden camera making fun of me?

As an eye rolling experiment, no exaggeration or hyperbole, I disabled all my blockers and went to facebook to see what they'll sell me... A Home Depot brand marine/boating deep cycle battery. Thanks guys, nice targeting. Ready, Fire, Aim. No, I don't currently own a boat, or a trolling motor, never bought a deep cycle marine battery. Unbelievable. Well, guess I'm not missing much by ad blocking, and the world economy isn't losing much sales by my using ad blocking.

Internet advertising in 2016 is a complete waste of money and when the people paying the bills figure it out, the crash is going to be epic. Someone at home depot paid good money to try and sell me a deep cycle boat battery. Nobody should be giving FB ad money, that's for sure, a fool and their money are soon parted. I believe the blame toward ad blocker users is a compensation reaction, can't blame the people who can't sell competently, so we'll attack someone less defensible, like ... those freeloading end users. In the long run, however, willfully not understanding the real problem is just going to make the crash sooner and deeper.

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