Web

Adverts & Adblockers

By skenmy ⋅ March 10, 2008 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

This is something that has been with me ever since I started using Adblock Plus - am I effectively stealing the bandwidth I use when I visit a web site and block the adverts the owner has put on it? Yes, I run some adverts on my blog. Does that make me a hypocrite that I want people to see my adverts but I don’t want to see others’? Let’s think about it for a second.

If we block internet adverts - no matter what method we use to do it, we are denying the website owner the opportunity to make money. But this is where the moral dilemma lies - many people do not wish to view the adverts. Much like if we are watching TV - we’ll leave the room while the adverts are on to make a cup of tea, or when we watch back a recorded show, we’ll fast-forward through the adverts. Is this not fundamentally the same - the adverts are there for all, but some wish to avoid them. I believe it’s up to me what displays on my browser screen - and any unwanted aspects of the site I am free to remove at my will. That’s why I don’t care if you use an adblocker to hide the adverts on this site - that’s your choice and I will support you in it. I won’t reduce functionality of the site, or even go as far as to block you from the page. I’ve even tried to make the site break down as gracefully as possible if you block my adverts.

But there are others who aren’t as understanding. The major uproar has come from so-called “professional bloggers” who run their sites almost entirely on advertising revenue.  Those who have gone as far as to block users if they block the adverts. This is wrong - in my opinion. Whatever happened to blogging because you enjoy it, rather than to make a living and a profit. Blogging should not be a job any more than football should not be a job - but rather a hobby that you enjoy and want others’ to enjoy reading your work. Forcing adverts on the people who support you by reading your content is not going to make them come back, and therefore you are not only losing revenue, you are losing readers. And readers are the most important part of any blog. So should the readers be allowed to choose what they see? I think you can answer that one yourself.

Perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate how blogs earn their money. What the “industry” needs is someone to come up with a revolutionary new idea that targets blogs and bloggers, one that removes the need for advertising. Paid blogging is an option - and if it is done well it can be a good addition to any blog. But blatant paid posts are another annoyance - another thing that readers will not want to see. Inline adverts are nasty and obtrusive. Popups are downright wrong. Are we missing something?

Tags: adverts, blog, profit, Web