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Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

adskippro.com

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Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#61

Post by chrisfosterelli »

danpalmer wrote: post #47

I block ads on the web because web advertising networks proved that they had no respect for user privacy, lacked security controls around their ad delivery, and were targeting using data that they probably shouldn’t have had access to. Podcasts do not suffer from this. It’s much harder to identify a user, the ads aren’t software, just audio, so security is better and there’s not much way to see who is listening to th…

Yeah podcasts are one of the few domains I don't find ads intrusive and can't be bothered to care to skip them. Often I find they are more useful and better targeted than web ads, I might not go as far as saying I'm interested in hearing them but it never feels "in the way" of the content I want.

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#62

Post by sneak »

Ads are terrible regardless of whether they are “nice, inoffensive privacy protecting ads” or “unethical spyware web ad network ads”.

This is a great tool and saves people their only truly nonrenewable resource: time.

Thank you for making it; if I listened to any of these podcasts I would be using it.

Always block everyone’s ads.

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#63

Post by rahuldottech »

Akababa wrote: post #57
rahuldottech wrote: post #12

Cool idea? Yes. Good idea? No. If we do stuff like this, the podcast industry will switch to a closed system which would require you to install proprietary apps to listen to stuff. Likely several different apps for different shows and companies. As it exists today, it's a very open system, with publicly accessible feeds and the ability to use any app. Don't ruin it. It's not hard to press the "skip forward 30 seconds…

You could say the same thing about adblockers in general. It's unfortunately pushed more content creators to put up paywalls and move to subscription-based models. The smart thing to do with apps like this is to keep it to yourself, but inevitably someone will release one for the masses.

Yeah, but ads on the web have lots of issues like tracking and malicious code injection, so blocking them makes total sense.

A lot fewer people would be using ad blockers in browsers if web ads were as simple as podcast ads (the equivalent would be unobtrusive static images with links) .

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#64

Post by Akababa »

nickthegreek wrote: post #21
rahuldottech wrote: post #12

Cool idea? Yes. Good idea? No. If we do stuff like this, the podcast industry will switch to a closed system which would require you to install proprietary apps to listen to stuff. Likely several different apps for different shows and companies. As it exists today, it's a very open system, with publicly accessible feeds and the ability to use any app. Don't ruin it. It's not hard to press the "skip forward 30 seconds…

So its ethical to manually skip the ads but not to automate the process?

I don't believe GP was making a point about ethics, but rather one of economics. In general it's not smart to advertise this to people if you want to keep your podcasts free for as long as possible.

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#65

Post by post_break »

I think it's funny the outrage over ad skipping podcasts, but keeping browser ad-blockers installed is ok. I mean there is only so many times I can hear the same casper, generic vpn, eero, ad and not want to pull my hair out. Especially when the podcast boasts about how they use the product and how it's not like anything they've ever tried before.

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#66

Post by roywiggins »

conroy wrote: post #50
saagarjha wrote: post #23

I find it interesting that their terms of use attempts to place restrictions on linking to their homepage : https://adskippro.com/terms.html I also find it interesting that this is in the terms, when their app is $1.99: > To the extent that the app and the information and services on the app are provided free of charge, we will not be liable for any loss or damage of any nature.

My guess is that they're using a boilerplate ToS, as the app looks relatively new.

It's a bit mad to put up a ToS that your users are nominally expected to follow when you clearly haven't read it yourself...

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#67

Post by sneak »

jldugger wrote: post #33
tw1010 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the advertisers can't tell if you're using this app or a traditional podcast app, are you really supporting the makers any less by using this app? The advertisers won't pay them any less because they won't be able to know that x% of users didn't hear the ad.

Who says they can't? The user agent used to download the podcast is a pretty strong signal, and it seems reasonable for podcasters to expose this data if it means higher bids on ads.

Seems like ad skipping players should identify exactly as non-ad skipping players, then.

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#69

Post by rahuldottech »

roywiggins wrote: post #59
rahuldottech wrote: post #12

Cool idea? Yes. Good idea? No. If we do stuff like this, the podcast industry will switch to a closed system which would require you to install proprietary apps to listen to stuff. Likely several different apps for different shows and companies. As it exists today, it's a very open system, with publicly accessible feeds and the ability to use any app. Don't ruin it. It's not hard to press the "skip forward 30 seconds…

That's Luminary's business model, as far as I can tell.

Yeah. I'm glad they haven't taken off much. I love how open the podcast system is. I'd absolutely hate for it to be ruined.

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#70

Post by abstractbarista »

rahuldottech wrote: post #12

Cool idea? Yes. Good idea? No. If we do stuff like this, the podcast industry will switch to a closed system which would require you to install proprietary apps to listen to stuff. Likely several different apps for different shows and companies. As it exists today, it's a very open system, with publicly accessible feeds and the ability to use any app. Don't ruin it. It's not hard to press the "skip forward 30 seconds…

Meh, I'll keep blocking ads everywhere I go and ignoring them otherwise. If they can't be ignored, I just don't consume the content.

Skipping a portion is equal to redacting the part of a landscape image with a billboard in it.

Furthermore, the digital medium is inherently copyable and malleable. If you want to distribute content via this medium, you need to accept that. Sure, make it harder if you please.

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