Ad-Block = Stealing?

[Randy]

Is using a program like Ad-Block while browsing free hosted forums stealing from those hosts?

 

[Skillet]

They are just an annotance. How often do I click a pop-up ad anyways? None. How often have I clicked any ad? None. It doesn't make a difference if I block them or not.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

That would be like watching television and before the commercial break comes up, someone says:
"Do not steal from us! Do not change the channel or walk away to use the rest room during these commercials!"

If someone wants to sit and watch the commercials its because they choose to. Same goes for the adblock program. The ads are still there for those who don't mind them.

 

[DrLeftover]

It is the overwhelming amount of advertising that pushed people away from Yahoo.

It is the ads that are ruining anything Google touches.

It is strobe-flashing ads that give me a migraine every time I go to CNN, which I am doing less and less because the BBC doesn't do that.


If your site forces a user to allow an ad to load before you can see your content, don't be surprised when your users vanish. Which means your advertisers will as well.

 

[Evil Eye]

I especially hate it when I've already started reading and some sort of an offer fades in.


Using an ad blocker isn't stealing. I could also use a text only browser, after all.

 

[Sinon]

Theft implies there is something there to take. Most ads only generate revenue if they're clicked, anyway. Am I also stealing if I don't click the ads?

 

[ShibuyaShadow]

I wouldn't think so. On the site I run but is down right now, I still got a bit of AdSense revenue on my account.

 

[Crusader]

ITV seem to think so

 

[DrLeftover]

Let me turn the matter around.

"Strobe flashing ads" that cause migraine headaches = felony assault with intent to do bodily harm?

 

[Bluezone777]

I honestly think the ads are getting annoying because of how invasive they are. Everywhere you go, there is an ad of some kind. Most of which you couldn't care less about as 99% if not more are simply along the lines of " Here's a product and here's why you need to buy it" Who makes their buying decisions over some ad featuring an obviously biased source of information on said product anyway? If we want to know more about your product then we will read reviews of it by its users who have no obvious bias. The last place I would go for information about it is from some internet ad much less any ad to be honest.

I installed ad blockers on my computer a while ago and never looked back. Youtube has become so much more enjoyable without having to be hit with endless 30 second or longer ads. When I started seeing ads that were longer then the YouTube video that it was playing in front of is when I saw for how pathetic advertising on there was becoming.

 

[DrLeftover]

If NOTHING on the page works until the ad loads and plays, I'm gone.

I can get your content, or even better, elsewhere without having to put up with that.