I don't use add block on gaf of course but I do use it when browsing the Internet I've gotten malware from ads before. I'm not going to risk malware just so sites can make their 0.00000000001 cent off me. If I want to support a site I will white list it but ad block is on by default.
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Holy crap, have you tried browsing the Internet without Adblock Plus?
- Thread starter MrOogieBoogie
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I feel like the best solution to combat obnoxious ads is to just not visit websites that you think the ads are intrusive on. Accept that ads are part of what you're looking at it and leave it up to the creators to determine if the ads are beneficial or detrimental and make a decision to reduce them based on that. I'd rather just stop watching certain channels on YouTube for having too many mid-video (Maximilian's comes into mind) to get my point across than block ads and be a spiteful freeloader.
Otherwise, you should just suck it up and give a little, tiny bit of your time back to the people who are making stuff you enjoy. Just hit the mute button during the ads.
Otherwise, you should just suck it up and give a little, tiny bit of your time back to the people who are making stuff you enjoy. Just hit the mute button during the ads.
ElectricBlanketFire
Member
Just to be clear, I was only speaking on what I've seen in the past and in no way meant it as an absolute. I'm sure is up to the mod's discretion.
There are perfectly good free programs that can prevent this without having to use adblock.
R10Neymarfan
Member
I thought this was gonna be a discussion about avoiding pop-unders. Now those are truly hard to rid of. I have u block origin, ghostery, and no script installed and they still activate when I click on a link or video.
EDIT:This is about general browsing, not about neogaf browsing. I don't think Gaf has pop-unders
EDIT:This is about general browsing, not about neogaf browsing. I don't think Gaf has pop-unders
FF Seraphim
Member
Holy fuck...
The fact that they companies are willing to pay them for only 30% of the ad revenue makes me wonder how much they are potentially losing due to Adblock Plus.
Tragicomedy
Member
Honestly, the new mobile ads are annoying based solely on their size. The setup on laptops/desktops gets an A+. Handled very well and never an issue.
Alex_Mexico
Member
I browse on mobile all the goddamn time and I've never found any issue with the ad banners. I've never clicked on one by accident or anything. They're the textbook example of unobtrusive ads.
supermarioworldE
Banned
Anytime I'm on my phone. It sucks.
God Dayumm
Banned
Not all of the content on the internet is stuff I enjoy or support, so the adblocker stays on by default and the site will be put on whitelist if it is of my liking.
Sometimes malicious ads on GAF make you turn on adblock.
And yes the internet does suck without it.
David H Wong
Banned
I'm not going to speak for the owner but I can say from personal experience it's not so easy to just set up a pay system like that, where you take money you need a customer service department to deal with refunds, non-working accounts, figure out a policy for people buying an account and then making their password public so anyone can log into it and lurk ad-free, you have to figure out how the ban policy works with paid users, you have to write a terms of service, have bookkeeping in place for tax purposes to report the income...
Maybe today there are automated services that handle it all for you, but there's a reason you tend to only see Gold services offered by sites run by large businesses (ESPN, Wall Street Journal, etc). The moment you start charging people everything gets more complicated.
I understand what you're saying but the problem is that you're coming from the perspective that you should be able to consume everything for free and that by your own volition can volunteer your time to support those you deem worthy of it. Instead, I think it's better to accept that ads are a natural part of whatever you're looking at, and make your decision based off of how intrusive or effective they are.
I know I've actually bought things off of Rakuten that have come up on ads on Gaf. It's rare but I don't HATE the ads so much as I dislike the feeling of being actively marketed to all the time.
Mechanized
Member
Giant Bomb can do it. Rorie is customer service.
old manatee
Banned
You must have trouble reading because that's not what I said.
Stay ignorant I guess.
Torrenting is a way to transfer files. They don't have to be illegal. There is a ton of free, legal stuff to download. Trent Reznor put a whole box set up for free, there are endless old books that are out of copyright, I downloaded a PDF of a camera manual I lost, game mods, free software etc.
I'm not fooling, my parents would kill me if I got one of those copyright letters on their Internet.
Tom Nook Sawyer
Member
Who doesn't go to PirateBay for all their non-pirating needs?
I bet I can guess at least one of these sites.
I don't think that people necessarily hate the small banner ads. I think a lot of it stems from malware injected into the ads. Forbes, yahoo, espn, msn, daily mail, and others have been hit by the Angler exploit kit from a rogue ad. I'd have no problem with banner ads if I didn't have to worry about that. I whitelist some sites but I'm still worried about that biting me eventually.
GameAddict411
Member
Ad blockers are bad news for website owners, but when they start abusing the user with pop up ads and gaint banners, I think it's justfiied. GAF have been getting a lot of obnoxious ads recently, and today on mobile huge ads are at the bottom of the page. I don't use ad blockers on mobile or desktop, but it's really tempting sometimes.
Edit: I think a subscription plan could actually work really well with gaf. Especially if it comes with some benefits and ad free.
Edit: I think a subscription plan could actually work really well with gaf. Especially if it comes with some benefits and ad free.
AppleSeason
Member
Every time I remember I haven't yet installed adblock in the tablet. The horror, the horror... And not only in web browsing. The ads in apps are even worse.
GAF doesn't seem half bad whenever I can see the ads, though.
GAF doesn't seem half bad whenever I can see the ads, though.
Tom Nook Sawyer
Member
Go on. I am legitimately curious what non-pirated content people go there for
David H Wong
Banned
That's a bigger operation, right? Like a dozen employees, and owned by CBS interactive? Maybe Something Awful is a better example, I actually don't know how many staff Lowtax had when he started that. Anyway the point is it can be done but there's a reason most sites don't do it. There are costs involved.
blame space
Banned
this was locked
This could make sense, so that when you skip to end of page you're not ad-wedged with the navbar above and the back button/top of page quickjump footer below. Even though it would mean that you'd scroll past the ad to get to the navbar if you're reading normally, and I put the ad beneath the navbar in an attempt to make it less obtrusive overall, it would probably be less jarring if it were above the navbar and the navbar and footer bar stayed joined up like that, since your attention wouldn't be split between the top and bottom of the screen ambiguously, which is the main complaint I have with it myself: sometimes being straight up disoriented by the ad in the middle of the screen with the navbar above and the footer below after quickjumping or fast-scrolling to the bottom.
Can give it a shot and see how it feels.
blame space
Banned
I'm NOT crazy
I don't get it; there's a banner at top and bottom.. I don't think they even take up less room if ads are disabled.
Mobile ads at the bottom don't bother me either; I have no reason to scroll past them as I don't use anything below them.
edit: OHHH.. you mean the actual home page.. why are you using the home page? lol
Mobile ads at the bottom don't bother me either; I have no reason to scroll past them as I don't use anything below them.
edit: OHHH.. you mean the actual home page.. why are you using the home page? lol
Baron Doggystyle von Woof
Member
Only block the annoying sites or don't go there at all. At least that is what I am doing.
Subpar Spatula
Banned
NeoGAF should get automated ad accounts that randomly post ads.
Reagan's BR
Banned
The bad mobile ads are the ones that automatically open up the app store on iOS regardless of whether or not they were tapped. Every once in a while GAF is hard to read for a day or two because of those type adds and then they get removed.
AmaterasuOni
Banned
I need to sometimes go adblockless because of school. I'm studying journalism, so ads are kind of part of our study. Annoying. Internet is a horrible place without blockers, gadgets and anti-annoyance widgets.
David H Wong
Banned
Those things are the fucking scourge of the industry. The ad network always assures us that it's not their fault, the bad ad just slipped in, they're removing it right now etc. Then another one just like it is back two weeks later. And I think I've gotten them on every mobile site I've visited, at least once.
SJRB
Gold Member
GAF should get a subscription mode like Twitch, which removes ads.
I don't know what the ad revenue per user is on a monthly basis, but I'd be totally okay with something like that. Plus it would benefit GAF itself more directly. Tweakers.net, a big Dutch tech site/forum started soing something like this last year, it's working out pretty okay from what I can gather.
As long as a picture with autograph from Evilore is supplied to subscribers, of course.
I don't know what the ad revenue per user is on a monthly basis, but I'd be totally okay with something like that. Plus it would benefit GAF itself more directly. Tweakers.net, a big Dutch tech site/forum started soing something like this last year, it's working out pretty okay from what I can gather.
As long as a picture with autograph from Evilore is supplied to subscribers, of course.
This thread was locked...
The home page can be quite the nightmare sometimes.
Not as bad as other sites, but these things can still be obnoxious. I tend to end up there just from typing the site into the url bar.
The home page can be quite the nightmare sometimes.
Not as bad as other sites, but these things can still be obnoxious. I tend to end up there just from typing the site into the url bar.
Even the Economist has served up actual malware via ads. It's really gnarly out there.
RichiRamjag
Member
I don't see why you guys don't just deal with the damn ads, they're big, but it isn't like it's hiding content that you need to see. Evilore said on the last thread that he would rather not go that route in detail. It's actually pretty damn respectable.
Well that's something I didn't know. Makes me rethink my browsing.
How about a real GafGold. Pay *insert amount here* for no ads. No special icon by names or anything. Just have the Logo at the top of the page changed in that specific person's view.
And while I type my idea is debunked.
And while I type my idea is debunked.
ElectricBlanketFire
Member
But how often are you on the homepage?This thread was locked...
The home page can be quite the nightmare sometimes.
Not as bad as other sites, but these things can still be obnoxious. I tend to end up there just from typing the site into the url bar.
I usually just click on Off Topic from my history and skip it entirely.
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