Ad-blocking strategy

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I've noticed an ironic situation play out with increasing consistency. More and more websites are sensing that you have an ad blocker installed, and display a "popup" within the website (that isn't technically a popup) that you usually must dismiss before being able to view any content. The idea, presumably, is that the popups are so intrusive, you give in and disable your ad blocker, and allow that website to return to its business of generating ad revenue.

Does this change which websites you visit? Does it change your decision on whether you have an ad blocker installed? No right or wrong answers -- just curious to hear opinions from others.
 
I have issues from both ends. I run ad blockers and don't often visit websites that combat it. Plus I do not stop readers from blocking ads on my own site. However, I recently just took all the ads off my site anyway because they hadn't generated a cent for me and I just seemed to be wasting my own time putting up free exposure for others. Now I don't have any dilemmas and I just worry about content instead.

Note to self, affiliate marketing doesn't work so well when you are trying to maintain market impartiality
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Originally Posted By: SHOZ
The sites that do that for me I just forget about and never go back.


My exact response...In fact, there were two websites this Christmas season that lost my business because of that occurrence. I vote with my feet with these "disable your adblocker" popups. Finding a way to put my digital footprint up their *** might even be a good use of time.
 
Forbes.com does this. Last year they infected a lot of computers with viruses because they were serving malware-ridden ads. Even after that public embarassment, they continue to block users who refuse their ads.
 
I don't use a program for blocking ads and popups; instead I simply use the hosts file. There are plenty of available hosts files with thousands of ad/popup blocking lines already set up-I just copy and paste the information.

No third party software to worry about and I have yet to have a site detect that the ads/popups aren't happening.
 
Any website that complains about ad blocking, I just back out. I will not disable my ad blocker. The ads are totally useless to me and do nothing but annoy. Especially the blinking ones. I don't miss not visiting those sites. I mute commercials, channel surf, go get food or hit the head while commercials are on TV too. Most of those are just as annoying to me.
 
Originally Posted By: SHOZ
The sites that do that for me I just forget about and never go back.

I agree, but you should also try and let the website know you no longer will be visiting them because of this.
The only way to put a stop to this is have the website lose traffic because of those ads.
 
For those "popup" sites, you can usually select the text with Ctrl-A and then Copy/Paste it to notepad to read it.

And, I will not disable the ad blockers.
 
If you must, disable the blocker and reload the page. As soon as you begin to see some elements loading (usually the blocker detection script loads near the beginning) turn the blocker back on. The blocker ought to block any garbage that loads after you re-enable it. (Usually the garbage loads after the content.)
 
Originally Posted By: SHOZ
The sites that do that for me I just forget about and never go back.


Here as well. Allmusic, LATimes.com, others. Too many other options.
 
kelley blue book blocks if you have an adblock running. Hello, Edmunds.
 
kelley blue book is worthless anyway

they say a fair purchase price for my jeep is 35867

I paid 27500.
 
If a site blocks you from content for blocking their ability to generate revenue its even. Because contrary to popular belief the internet isn't "free". BITOG pays a price to publish content, everyone does one way or another.
 
Men's Health asks for an e-mail address.

I don't give them MY e-mail address
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I don't think I give anyone's real e-mail address.

They no longer take [email protected], so I must be more creative.

Perhaps I'll adopt my former RadioShack strategy. When they would ask for my address at checkout, I'd give the the address of another Radio Shack.

So perhaps I can give the e-mail address of a Men's Health editor or similar
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