Adverts and Ad Blockers

[EbbwJunction1]

In common with many of you, I get very frustrated and annoyed when I have to wait until all the adverts are loaded before I can open a web site.

Often, it takes ages, and only results in hard words aimed at the computer! In addition, most (if not all) of the adverts have no relevance to me (no, I haven't got a £250,000 portfolio and am looking for advice on my retirement plans!) and I'd just as soon not have to read them over and over and over again!

So, does anyone have any advice to give on Ad Blockers, please? Do you use one and, if so, does it work? Are they, in fact, legal to use?

Thank you.

 

[Darandio]

I use Adblock Plus, it's free and quite good. You can also add exceptions to sites so they will show ads, as an example I allow ads here and at other selected rail and sim related sites that I trust.

For the majority of other sites I have the Adblock active, some places are crawling with them.

 

[ainsworth74]

To be quite honest at this point in time I consider them to be an essential element of browsing the web safely so always have one and always have it enabled. Apart from websites that can be trusted and who I'm therefore keen to support (such as this one!).

I must admit I do find myself slightly curious at this statement though:

Are they, in fact, legal to use?

Why on earth wouldn't they be?! I mean I know our Corporate overlords will no doubt eventually make them illegal to ensure maximum profits but in the mean time?

 

[trainmania100]

I use adblocker chrome extension at work as it pains me to see loads of flashing ads on some pages, i work in IT sector and websites so only to be expected that I get sick and tired of all the ads
However I don't use it at home because I respect my fellow mates putting ads on their train videos on sites such as YouTube, as it helps them make some money, especially at such a young point in life you need all the money you can get to help build a secure financial future and hope expect the same in return

 

[Crossover]

I am seriously considering adding an ad-blocker - I was trying to do something earlier and went to click on a link and then an ad loaded, shunted the link down and I ended up clicking on the *insert choice word* ad instead!

 

[Bletchleyite]

In the end, if you want a free of charge Internet you have to put up with ads. Rather than use a blocker I simply don't patronise sites that overdo it, such as most local newspapers. I have no issues with a couple of unobtrusive banners like this site does, or like Google itself.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

To be quite honest at this point in time I consider them to be an essential element of browsing the web safely so always have one and always have it enabled. Apart from websites that can be trusted and who I'm therefore keen to support (such as this one!).

I must admit I do find myself slightly curious at this statement though:

Are they, in fact, legal to use?

Why on earth wouldn't they be?! I mean I know our Corporate overlords will no doubt eventually make them illegal to ensure maximum profits but in the mean time?

Thank you all for your advice; I'll have to see what I can do.

Just to answer the question about legality, I wasn't suggesting that they would be or should be illegal. I merely asked the question to help me with my extremely small knowledge of the subject. I asked the question, and it's been answered, so that's fine - thanks.

 

[ainsworth74]

Just to answer the question about legality, I wasn't suggesting that they would be or should be illegal.

Happy to help

 

[CarlSilva]

I use adblock plus and it works well for most of things. Some sites are getting clever and refuse to load if you have adbloloking software running. I ive occesasionally seen a message saying disable it and reload the page.
I dont' agree about if want the itneret to be free you have to have adds. I'ts not true. The internet isn't free - i pay my isp an d if i want to buy something, I'll google it, but I won't have pages full of the advertisign crap.

 

[AlterEgo]

I use adblock plus and it works well for most of things. Some sites are getting clever and refuse to load if you have adbloloking software running. I ive occesasionally seen a message saying disable it and reload the page.
I dont' agree about if want the itneret to be free you have to have adds. I'ts not true. The internet isn't free - i pay my isp an d if i want to buy something, I'll google it, but I won't have pages full of the advertisign crap.

The internet is broadly free. This forum is free. How would it survive without advertising revenue?

 

[Bevan Price]

I also use Adblocker. I would not mind some ads if they were simple text messages, but many of them are resource-hungry videos that make my slow internet connection even slower and less stable.
(Plus many ads are so "naff" that they would put me off buying anything they are trying to sell.)

 

[SS4]

I always use an adblocker alongside a tracker blocker except on those sites that I wish to support. Ads themselves are frustrating but trackers are also annoying as they collect data from sites they're not even on (Facebook is bad for this)

Advertisers and sites have also refused to heed the lessons of the past: pop up ads and scrolling ads are common on mobile as are redirects. That behaviour drove desktop adblock before

The internet is also a pull medium rather than a push one (like TV). I download content from the web and although less prevalent nowadays ads take up both data allowance and internet speed is hit.

 

[northwichcat]

There's an article on Forbes about time saving add-ons which recommends you install an ad blocker to prevent yourself getting distracted by adverts. Although, if you try to go to the Forbes site with an ad blocker active the site is blocked until you disable the ad blocker!

 

[A Challenge]

Do blocked ads count towards a phone mobile data allowance (If I have the adblock plus mobile browser will it stop the ads counting towards my data usage I mean)?

 

[D365]

Do blocked ads count towards a phone mobile data allowance (If I have the adblock plus mobile browser will it stop the ads counting towards my data usage I mean)?

If it stops image/media data from downloading then you should be fine.

 

[WelshBluebird]

I use an adblocker, for 3 different reasons.

1. There have been multiple cases of malware being pushed by dodgy ads, some of which only needed the ad to load on someones machine for it be infected.
2. Some ads are just so obnoxious and in your face. Especially the ones that autoplay video with sound.
3. Some ads just have totally inappropriate content. No I don't want to see a half naked cartoon girl on your ad for a free to play online game.

 

[Lrd]

This may be of interest to some of you.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/19/16797522/google-chrome-ad-blocker-release-date-announced

Google Chrome’s built-in ad blocker will go live on February 15th

Earlier this year, Google announced that it would be integrating an ad blocker into Chrome to cut down on spammy or intrusive advertisements. Now the company has said when to expect the blocker to go live: February 15th, 2018, via VentureBeat.

 

[Tetchytyke]

In the end, if you want a free of charge Internet you have to put up with ads.

I broadly agree. But the problem is that adverts are getting more and more intrusive, to compensate for the use of ad-blockers. This is what made me eventually move to an ad-blocker. I got sick of full-screen pop ups. Get in the way, get blocked.

If website owners didn't take the pee (like local newspapers, as you say) I'd probably not use a blocker.

Whoever puts autoplay video adverts on their website deserves everything they get.

Even on websites I trust, like this one, there are issues with pop-ups sometimes. I assume it's Google Ad-Sense. But it does make me reach for the blocker, at least for a bit.

 

[A Challenge]

I've never had a problem with pop-ups on here, either on mobile or on laptop, and I have adblock disabled on my computer for railforums, and no adblock for phone.

 

[najaB]

The internet isn't free - i pay my isp...

And the content providers get paid from that how exactly?

 

[CarlSilva]

And the content providers get paid from that how exactly?

I wasn't aware they did >?

 

[AlterEgo]

I wasn't aware they did >?

Then I don’t understand your point.

 

[najaB]

I wasn't aware they did?

Exactly. So they have to get paid for their content somehow - it's either 'by subscription' or 'free with ads'.

 

[Howardh]

If sites want to make money, then they shouldn't shove the ads in our faces, loud shouty videos, ones that follow you down the page...no, no. no. It's their own fault - they started it.

For the sites that block you until you disable adblock, there is software out there which stops sites from doing this! Never used it as it's beyond me as it's not quite as simple as downloading adblock.

 

[ainsworth74]

Even on websites I trust, like this one, there are issues with pop-ups sometimes.

We had a bit of a problem when we first went live on the new software but that should have settled down pretty quick.

If people do spot pop ads though do please let us know as we'll take steps to disable that individual add. We don't want them on our website as we appreciate how annoying they are!

 

[takno]

If sites want to make money, then they shouldn't shove the ads in our faces, loud shouty videos, ones that follow you down the page...no, no. no. It's their own fault - they started it.

For the sites that block you until you disable adblock, there is software out there which stops sites from doing this! Never used it as it's beyond me as it's not quite as simple as downloading adblock.

I'd be wary of anything that's less simple than downloading an adblocker. All of these extensions have pretty much full access to everything you're doing on the internet, including your banking etc. It's probably reasonable to trust a large well-used adblocker with that, but something produced by a less-trusted outfit could do some pretty dangerous stuff.

 

[najaB]

If sites want to make money, then they shouldn't shove the ads in our faces, loud shouty videos, ones that follow you down the page...no, no. no. It's their own fault - they started it.

It's a war of attrition. As ad blockers get more common, ads get more intrusive. Which spurs the next round of ad blocking...

 

[CarlSilva]

Then I don’t understand your point.

Yeah i can see that. I said -

I dont' agree about if want the itneret to be free you have to have adds. I'ts not true. The internet isn't free - i pay my isp an d if i want to buy something, I'll google it, but I won't have pages full of the advertisign crap

The bit about googleing it is simply that ads don't work on me. If I see an ad it no way affe3cts my buying habits. If I want to buy something I look it up on a sales a site like ebay, gumtree amanzone etc.
Another poster said if you want a free of charge Internet you have to put up with ads. And I said the itnernet isn't free, because you have to pay your isp to access it.
How the site owners finance their sites is not my problem and I'll be carry on with the blockng of ads because theyr'e a pain.

[online add]Anyone wannta buy a nice little Toyota Avensis, very good cheap car, pm for details thanks[/long mot]

 

[najaB]

How the site owners finance their sites is not my problem...

You'll find the Internet a lot less useful when there aren't any sites to visit!

 

[CarlSilva]

You'll find the Internet a lot less useful when there aren't any sites to visit!

Yeah well I'.ll pm you my postal address so you can let us know when it happened then ?