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Many major websites are taking silent anti-ad-blocking measures

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Re: Many major websites are taking silent anti-ad-blocking measures

#61
post #45

Okay, here's a crazy idea for advertisers. Tie the advertisement to the type of content that the user is already there to read about. Then you can serve ads from the content web server and make it indistinguishable from content, completely unobtrusive, completely noninvasive, and maybe even welcome.

This. As a positive example, I like how many YouTube channels take 30 seconds out of a 10 minute video to talk about some company's product that might be of interest to their audience. Not an annoying video ad that has nothing to do with what I'm reading / watching, just the host talking about a product or service that their audience has a chance to be interested in.

> I like how many YouTube channels take 30 seconds out of a 10 minute video to talk about some company's product that might be of interest to their audience.

I like how many podcasts have ads with predictable lengths, so I can skip them with the "fast forward" button without hearing them. NPR is 4 skips; Slate is 8-10. It seems like "deep learning" should have figured this out by now.

Re: Many major websites are taking silent anti-ad-blocking measures

#62
post #49

Ads are inherently psychologically abusive, targeting your insecurities and exploiting sex and basic instinct to move product. There needs to be a fundamental shift from the old tv and radio model of advertisers targeting everyone through inescapable ham fisted and manipulative ads, to a system that is all but dormant until I query it for a service. Show me nothing, nothing at all, until I make the effort to ask the…

"Ads are inherently psychologically abusive"

Only the really good ones though. Most are just annoying and boring.

Re: Many major websites are taking silent anti-ad-blocking measures

#63

Okay, here's a crazy idea for advertisers. Tie the advertisement to the type of content that the user is already there to read about. Then you can serve ads from the content web server and make it indistinguishable from content, completely unobtrusive, completely noninvasive, and maybe even welcome.

People already pay journalists to mention products or write reviews, Facebook runs ads in the feed that at a glance look like regular posts, and internet commenters (colloquially called shills) get paid to promote views or companies.

They're all creepy and they're all unwelcome.

Re: Many major websites are taking silent anti-ad-blocking measures

#64

I wish content suppliers would listen more to clients. Clients want more content without ads, so why not invest more into offering content without ads?

I'm ok with an ad or two.

What I'm not ok with is third party content from who knows where downloading who knows what script. And trackers. And putting so much junk on a page that I can't access the real content in a timely fashion. Get rid of all that and I'm happy to forgo my ad blocker.

Re: Many major websites are taking silent anti-ad-blocking measures

#65
post #60

Okay, here's a crazy idea for advertisers. Tie the advertisement to the type of content that the user is already there to read about. Then you can serve ads from the content web server and make it indistinguishable from content, completely unobtrusive, completely noninvasive, and maybe even welcome.

In theory this is a good idea but in practice it leads to thousands of low quality "top ten things you need when going camping" style websites only created to sell things.

I'm under the impression those thousands of low quality ad infested click-baiting websites already exist.

Re: Many major websites are taking silent anti-ad-blocking measures

#67
I use an ad blocker, because otherwise the web is unusable.

Maybe if (1) fewer ads pumped up CPU and memory usage for a page, and (2) companies didn't give their non-technical asshole free reign over placing scripts on the page, then maybe many of these sites wouldn't be so bad to visit without an ad blocker.

Re: Many major websites are taking silent anti-ad-blocking measures

#68

I use an ad blocker, because otherwise the web is unusable. Maybe if (1) fewer ads pumped up CPU and memory usage for a page, and (2) companies didn't give their non-technical asshole free reign over placing scripts on the page, then maybe many of these sites wouldn't be so bad to visit without an ad blocker.

Animated ads actually give me sensory overload. If a site could promise non-moving ads, I'd gladly whitelist them. It's amazing how many sites think you'll just accept incredibly intrusive and annoying banners.

Re: Many major websites are taking silent anti-ad-blocking measures

#69

Some adtech startup should just quit playing games and go full creeper mode: * simple text-only ads * give the advertisers the tools to generate text content that is minimally distracting, maximally invasive, maximally creepy, and maximally personally-identifying "$35,000 in debt, unemployed, recently dumped and insecure about your male sexual identity? You deserve this special price on Axe Body Spray..." The buzz al…

If anything, I would keep my adblocker enabled just to see those creepy ads, that would make for some interesting browsing sessions.

Re: Many major websites are taking silent anti-ad-blocking measures

#70

Some adtech startup should just quit playing games and go full creeper mode: * simple text-only ads * give the advertisers the tools to generate text content that is minimally distracting, maximally invasive, maximally creepy, and maximally personally-identifying "$35,000 in debt, unemployed, recently dumped and insecure about your male sexual identity? You deserve this special price on Axe Body Spray..." The buzz al…

It's that pretty much Google ads?
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