Adblocking - Ruining The Internet?

[~NeonFire372~]

I've been thinking about this for a while, and you know there are many non-profit or non commericial websites on the Internet that rely purely on advertisements, well, with the increased use and download of ad blocking extenstions, both for Avant, Mozilla Firefox and Opera could harm this.

What would happen if all of our favorite non-commericial websites went offline, for example, CF itself; other forums; all that, donations usually aren't enough to keep a server running, especially with forums with high loads.

If we all block the advertisements, there won't be page impressions on the adserver, they won't be counted, and the websites won't make any money.

Therefore, I am officialy whitelisting websites that don't have flash advertisements (on dialup I can't stand them) to help support them all.

What are your thoughts on this everyone??

Edit: Sorry, I got a million execution errors so it took like 6 minutes to submit this one properly, I think it got duplcated in the end sorry =(

 

[Nik00117]

Erm, I know several sites that live off donations, in fact one of my BT sites has even been able to upgrade their server. I believe a site can liev off of donations if its a large enough site and managered correctly. Also I don't block ads I don't got an issue with flash ads etc.

 

[GlasseyeUK]

No Ad blocking is not ruining the internet, what has ruined the intolerance for ads is the abundance of companies showering you with pop ups, full screen ads, ads which hover above the stuff your trying to read.

Companies such as AOL, MSN, all tried to throw as many ads at you as possible, which made using the interent virtually unusable at times, for those on slow connections.

I am in favour of small indiscreet ads, and as far as am I aware sites only earn money of ads, if the links are clicked on, and you go to their page not by just being on the page.

 

[root]

there are some ads that earn money from displaying adds, and a click thru bonus...

yes, in some ways I do thikn that add blocking is destroying those communities that wouldn't survive without them...
I know full well that I really like this site.
but faced with having to pay for it, or it closing down. I'm sorry but I just wouldn't pay. -I don't have money to give away,
and the few pence that I could give wouldn't account for very much.

most sites can't live off of donations because there are people like me who just don't donate, and avoid places where you do have to pay. or couldn't/won't give enough.

consider that there are about 100 active members here posting regularly, and some 30 hardcore members woh are on all the time.
then look at the costs of dedicated servers,
£30 - £60 per month...
Like I said I like this place, but I wouldn't want to have to pay for the privellage of helping people -which was the main reason I came here.

the sad thing is that as you said, it's the big corperations who have other business, (like AOL/yahoo/BT etc), who made ad-block software needed, they had business interests and ads were just a side affair to them to squeeze a little more money out of the customers.

the sad thing is that all this add blocking software is going to ruin some sites, you only have to look at free web space where they put adds on your page, take away the adds you take away their entier business, and pretty soon the internet is just regulated to a few large sites who have the money to pay for it, (and do not host contraversial information).

one of the best things that I used to love about the internet was that I could come to places, (like this forum when I fiorst started), where you could openly discuss hacking/drugs and other illicit subjects.

now on a lot of communities the AUP of the communities have to be taylored to the AUP of the add providers, that's exactly why some subjects are taboo here...

 

[kchi55]

the thing is.. alot of the time ads are derrogatory or harmful.. it's hard to take a side in this situation. that's what i think at least.

 

[~NeonFire372~]

@Glasseye: I was more-or-less referring to communities, non-profit sites, not AOL and all those other major companies.

@Root: Yeah, many of those free web hosting sites that put ads on your site, if they don't earn enough to pay for the space and bandwidth and whatnot, plus a profit for themseleves.

Look at how many sites use advertisement services like google, bidvertiser, yahoo, etc. etc. etc. Just think about how many sites would close down without advertisements to support them.

@Nik: Yeah, maybe some sites can live off donations, but most of them really can't. Otherwise they probably wouldn't have advertisements, would they?

 

[David Lindon]

Exactly, Ad blocking will put an end to most not for profit websites, maybe even this one.

Root: You aren't going to find a dedicated server for that I'm afraid

 

[~NeonFire372~]

Exactly, Ad blocking will put an end to most not for profit websites, maybe even this one.

Root: You aren't going to find a dedicated server for that I'm afraid

David... you'd probably get more clicks with BidVertiser advertisements on both parts, not just on the bottom. Text advertisements load quicker, are more revelant and usually generate more clicks than image advertisements.

 

[root]

Root: You aren't going to find a dedicated server for that I'm afraid

I realise that some places do charge a hell of a lot more...
I looked at rackspace.co.uk, they said it'd be about £600 per month...
there is another place that'll give you a dedicated server for £150 per month...

but it's not all that expensive.


http://www.fasthosts.co.uk/dedicatedservers/
£49 pm (linux) £59pm windows

oneandone.co.uk (value server) £29 pm (£34 including VAT).

http://www.netcom.co.uk/products/index.php?cat=16
£60 per month for rack space with the ability to put whatever server you like in there. (thats co-location) -though this obviously involves the cost of getting a server together in the first place.


out of interest...
how much does CF cost to host, (I realise that it's a network of forums the you have)

 

[~NeonFire372~]

I guess the prices varies depending on the space, bandwidth and whatnot you get.