The Evilness of Eating Your Cake and Having it Too

I see your point Mark, but I find it interesting that google (and others) provides a pop-up blocker when you install their toolbar, thereby themselves blocking ads of other companies. I can see the difference of course – a pop-up is annoying whereas an ad on an existing page isn’t as annoying – but it’s a slippery slope and a pop-up blocker is an early version of adblock.

If you want something truly evil – what about a program that replaces the real ads with other ads, thereby not only blocking the revenue source of the content creator but generating revenue from them. For example, a company could insist that all their company-owned computers have ad replacement software if the new ad provider shares revenue with them. Or an ISP could replace the ads before sending the content to you and hence offer a subsidized service.

as a user of adblock, i see it a bit differently.

advertising is like that guy who always interrupts a group in conversation at a party. at first, his stories always sounded interesting and exciting, and the group was keen to divert conversation to talk about whatever he wanted to talk about. but after a while, the group was unable to maintain a conversation for more than a few minutes without that guy jumping into talk about himself. eventually, the group just stopped listening to him, even going to the extent of not inviting him to the party, even though once in a while he said something that was relevant and useful.

using adblock is like not inviting him to the party. most online ads burst in on a conversation the user is having with some piece of content, with the obvious goal of distracting him into making a purchase. how would you feel if the same thing happened in the real world? “excuse me sir, i know you’re having a deep and meaningful conversation with your children, but are you interested in buying a new cellphone?” online advertising is the equivalent of panhandling.

companies must recognize that conventional advertising isn’t the only way to promote and advocate product. web 2.0 has empowered consumers to talk broadly about their experience with product, and they are doing so in droves. it must be a more effective promotional tool to have real people who’ve experienced your product sharing their feedback with their friends than it is for you to interrupt what they’re talking about to talk about yourself. it’s as if you’re saying “me. me. me. now, let’s talk about you: what do you think about me?” it’s a narcissistic attitude to believe that companies have the right to dictate my conversation, even if they are paying for the content that i’m using. and it may be a real fear for you to think that, if someone talks about your product, they may something bad. that’s good: make better product that makes your customers happy, and don’t treat your customers like suckers – at least, don’t do it if you want your customers to come back to YOU instead of one of your competitors.

adblock isn’t a trendsetter; it’s an extension of an existing social condition. instead of focusing on the negative – “my conventional ads aren’t being watched anymore, so i’m taking my basketball and i’m going home” – look at the opportunity that’s created here. companies should be thinking about creative ways to get people talking about their product, starting with MAKING BETTER PRODUCT. entrepreneurs, on the other hand, should think about ways they can help better inform customers about product. there is always a time in my day when i think about purchasing something, whether it’s a camera, dinner, or a vacation, and it’s at that specific instant that i want to collect as much reliable information as i can to make an informed purchase decision. web 2.0 should be built around this concept of informing customers and/or directing them towards the appropriate form of expertise, especially insofar as there are terabytes of expertise already digitized in the form of blogs, reviews, and photos.

better to improve the purchase experience and help people make smart, more relevant purchase decisions than to interrupt them and try to sell them something at a time when they’re not prepared. to me, that sounds like more respect for your customer – and, likely, embodies the right attitude that will help businesses win in the long term.

seth godin talks extensively about treating customers (and employees!) with respect, and summarizes a lot of what i just said far better than i said it in this video:

http://www.sellingpower.com/video/index.asp?date=9/2/2007

Do you feel the same way about the Mute button on my TV remote control?

On a different tact, I’m not sure that “seeing advertising” is a sustainable model. Somewhere in there we need to take action–usually it’s clicking an ad.

I use AdBlock Plus (or some variation thereof), but I also never click on ads. So, at least in my anecdotal case, it’s a bit moot, isn’t it?

I agree to a large extent with Jordan. Advertisers can’t expect web users to tolerate some disturbance just because it fits into some business model thought by them or producers of content. If a business model is not win-win for everyone, you can’t expect support from everyone. I think its time to rethink about the flaws in the business model itself and not to blame tools which allow users to get rid of unwanted disturbances while exploring information.

Darren:
You may never click on an ad but I suspect some of them make an impression – much like there’s nothing you can “do” with a billboard ad but it, nevertheless, can register with consumers for companies trying to build a brand, etc.

Does this mean getting up and going to the bathroom during TV commercials is evil too? If I turn off Javascript in my browser, am I also an evil predator? Or is it the browser-maker who’s the evil predator, because they gave me the option to turn off Javascript? What if I deinstall the Flash plugin, am I an evil predator too?

I’ve read some dumb commentary on these newfangled “blog” things, but this has got to be somewhere in the top 100 dumbest posts ever. An evil predator? Really?

I am afraid, your post is based on a misconception, see http://adblockplus.org/blog/ads-dont-generate-money

I just used adblock on this site to get rid of all the trash trying to burn itself into my retinas.

then I used noscript to view SIX SCRIPTS your website just tried to run on my computer.. no thanks.

perhaps the internet could stand to be less commercialized and take away incentives for people to write garbage blogs..

say no to spyware and ads being broadcasted into your brain 24/7

I take your point, and am willing to accept ads that are not obnoxious. But I draw the line at those ads that move/dance/jiggle/whatever. They distract the eye while it is trying to read and are way annoying. If advertisers did not use them, I’d not block ads.

Sites that don’t use moving ads, I don’t block.

I see what you are saying, but, as the saying goes, THE COSTUMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT. you shouldn’t rely too heavily on ads, as some ads are far too invasive. For example, I went too a site which opened up a window that WOULD NOT CLOSE. I eventually found that the computer does not register the ad as a program and cannot close it through Task Manager. Obviously, I never went back (it was a blog site).

Im useing Adblock Plus on this very site! HA! Oh and flashblock,Javablock and quicktime killer.

Nooblet. U got teh pwnted