Jimquisition: The Adblock Episode

[moose7]

I would rather pay for content like through your members club then see or hear ads.

I wonder if any one has tried to create a reverse ad system. Where you pay a subscription that then automatically pays sites when you visit them while blocking ads. Sort of like buying out the ads spaces when ever you visit a site.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

I can say, with at least some pride, that I've made it this far without even looking into AdBlock almost specifically because I get it. I don't like ads, but I get why they exist. That said though, as you said Jim, I also get the other side of it. GameFAQs alone has done a lot to test my patience with the way that they've forgone pop-up ads (which most browsers block by default these days) to just smother the website itself with a massive ad; seemingly trying to trick me into clicking on it with the way that it'll pop-up conveniently just as I'm about to click on the link for the forums or the FAQs or the search bar or just whatever I'm there to check. GameFAQs is also notorious for allowing such intensive ads that it will actually lock-up my browser in the worst of times, and make it a sluggish mess to navigate their site in the best of times.

Thus far I've held onto my will and simply not gone to their website for a while when they pull that bullshit. Rather than insisting that I'm entitled to their content for "free" (if we're willing to count my mere presence as a form of payment), I simply don't use it. I'll look up a guide somewhere else, or go make conversation on someone else's forums. So I guess that's another reason I don't use AdBlock; I get why ads exist, and on top of that I have no qualms taking my business somewhere else when the ads DO drive me to the brink of wanting to use such a program.

 

[Marter]

Fell free to lock the thread then because everyone here has mentioned adblock in one form or another. It's hard to have an opinion on the topic if you don't have personal experience with the topic. This was a video posted by one of the site's own paid contributors. Why are people receiving warnings for participating in the discussion?

We don't lock official content threads. So that's not going to happen. (IceForce, that goes for your continued requests, too.)

People are receiving warnings for advocating the usage of ad blockers and admitting to their usage. You do not need to say "I use adblock" in order to share your opinion on the subject.

 

[PuckFuppet]

AdBlock, and things which offer similar functionality, exist. Fighting them isn't going to change it but at the same neither is accepting them as commonplace. Unless users of those add-ons are given a clear context for what the alternative is.

As to the discussion as to whether or not AdBlock should be used as "weapon" to "punish" content creators, that is absurdly childish and I doubt it is the norm. That said surely it is just as potent a tool for those content creators to use against the people who handle their advertising, the real problem.

 

[IceForce]

I'd just simply call it what it is. This is an example of censorship. What is worse to me at least is that websites and forums like to go above and beyond the law. They end up trying to control what is allowed to the point where it comes a site of self affirmation preventing all criticism and disagreement.

To be fair, locking this thread would also be an example of censorship. But that's still preferable to banning everyone, I guess.

I'm still puzzled about why that rule even exists. Do they think they'll scare people away from using that software?
Is banning people from your site really the best way of dealing with people who block your ads?

 

[Gutsripper]

I don't use adblock because (working in multi-media design myself) I know how important income from advertising is on the web.
But I must say that some adds are becoming progressivly intrusive. Mainly the video adds on the side that autoplay with sound and all and give me no option to stop, pauze and/or mute the bloody thing. For those things I simply refresh the page and then I get a non-video add.
That said I do understand why people would use adblock.

 

[WeepingAngels]

Fell free to lock the thread then because everyone here has mentioned adblock in one form or another. It's hard to have an opinion on the topic if you don't have personal experience with the topic. This was a video posted by one of the site's own paid contributors. Why are people receiving warnings for participating in the discussion?

We don't lock official content threads. So that's not going to happen. (IceForce, that goes for your continued requests, too.)

People are receiving warnings for advocating the usage of ad blockers and admitting to their usage. You do not need to say "I use adblock" in order to share your opinion on the subject.

You only want people who have never used adblock to be discussing this?

How about we have a conversation about beef and only allow vegetarians to talk?

 

[Dollabillyall]

Whitelisting this site. I've been happily browsing without ads for years, but for the sake of the content creators I will try it out for the escapist. I do hope though... that the ads will not be obtrusive. The ones with sound are the worst, but the banners that scroll into your screen or take forever to load are also unacceptable. The type of ads shown will definitely determine wether I will keep this site whitelisted or not.

 

[Marter]

You only want people who have never used adblock to be discussing this?

How about we have a conversation about beef and only allow vegetarians to talk?

I didn't say that. I said you have no reason to admit that you're using an ad blocker. To my knowledge we've not warned anyone who said they did use adblocker and then stopped. Past history isn't getting people warnings. Current admission is.

 

[WeepingAngels]

You only want people who have never used adblock to be discussing this?

How about we have a conversation about beef and only allow vegetarians to talk?

I didn't say that. I said you have no reason to admit that you're using an ad blocker. To my knowledge we've not warned anyone who said they did use adblocker and then stopped. Past history isn't getting people warnings. Current admission is.

So really it's just a matter of people jumping through escapist hoops to not say the wrong thing. Why can't we have a single thread where people are allowed to speak freely on this subject?

So here's a question, what if one were to admit to currently using adblocker on other sites but whitelisting this one?

 

[Marter]

So here's a question, what if one were to admit to currently using adblocker on other sites but whitelisting this one?

I believe that the people who have done that in this thread have been fine.

 

[Solo-Wing]

While I do agree that the Escapist has some really awful and intrusive ads that really pissed me off, I absolutely love the content of this site. Many many times in the past when I was broke I used adblock on this site because of how bad this sites ad were. However that did not stop how much I enjoy this site and the community so I had no problem shelling out the $20 when I was able to afford it. Been a pub club member for 2 years and have not regretted the purchase at all.

Hell now that I think about it the only ads that ever piss me off are ones that stop me from viewing the content I want to see. Like the "Please wait 30 seconds before getting a link leading to where you want to go" and the long ads before or interrupting a video. (Youtube will forever be blocked because of this sin.)

And then there is fucking Hulu. You know. The quality of the ads run in perfect 1080p then the main content runs at 240p with long amounts of buffering. (Slight over exageration but you get my pain.)And on top of that they still force their top paying subscribers to sit through ads. There is a special circle of hell for the corporate fuckers who decides to do this.

Fine you can have ads. As long as they are around the borders not making any noise and are not preventing me from having a good time.

 

[Nghtgnt]

I don't use adblock, but the only site I browse frequently that makes me ever consider actually using it is The Escapist - I occasionally encounter ads that start playing, with sound, without any prompting from me, and this is incredibly annoying, especially when I have multiple tabs open.

 

[Vausch]

I won't block ads because I know they're how most sites get their funding.

However:

I have a problem with sites that have auto-running video ads that often cause my browser to crash because there's so many going on at once, and I really loathe the "scroll over and auto play" types. This site happens to be one of them. Again, don't block and won't, but growing rather intolerant.

 

[Dollabillyall]

You only want people who have never used adblock to be discussing this?

How about we have a conversation about beef and only allow vegetarians to talk?

I didn't say that. I said you have no reason to admit that you're using an ad blocker. To my knowledge we've not warned anyone who said they did use adblocker and then stopped. Past history isn't getting people warnings. Current admission is.

Honestly, I would just like to know exactly what contract agreement with the advertising agencies is forcing this. It seems to me that, in this particular case, everybody stands to win from an honest and open debate. Just let people tell the truth and maybe share the results especially with the advertising agency to help them target the escapist audience in a way that is both effective advertising on the one hand and not so obnoxious as to drive people to use adblockers.

As a scholar in the field of policy science, I understand the need for enforcing regulations. But the most vital attribute needed to be a succesfull regulator is to adapt the policy to fit reality, not the other way around. For reality is not maleable.

 

[Colt47]

At this point AdBlock has largely become a solution to combating poorly targeted advertisements with the unfortunately side effect of nuking legitimate advertisements as well. That and people like to stick malware onto advertisements, turning AdBlock into a form of malware protection.

But then if we go the other way and have advertising directly in the video via posters, banners, company merchandise, etc, people start thinking the person running the show has sold out. There has to be a solution in here somewhere.

 

[IceForce]

So really it's just a matter of people jumping through escapist hoops to not say the wrong thing.

To be fair, that's what posting on the Escapist is always like.

Want to insult someone and avoid a warning for it? Cleverly and slyly imply an insult towards them or towards the viewpoint they hold.
(Warning: Not guaranteed to work. Use at own risk.)

 

[Raioken18]

Please standardize the volume of your ads so they are the same as the content or at least have a mute option (one that's global). I don't mind watching your ads, but hearing them...

"I WANNA HUG SANTA!!!"~"born different"~"I WANNA HUG SANTA!!!"~"but not like you"~"I WANNA HUG SANTA!!!"

God... my freaking ears... Thanks for the tinnitus guys.

Edit: No really. Physically hurt me. It's a jerk move.

 

[WeepingAngels]

I would like to say that i am disgusted by the moderation decisions being taken against common sense. This is "The Adblock Episode".

I'm going to keep posting this because it keeps being relevant.

Can mods give clarification on how we're to discuss this? Normally adblock threads are instantly closed with participants warned and if there's to even be a comments section for this video they'll have to be some sort of exception.

Briefly discussed with a moderator yesterday that exceptions would have to be made here. I cannot speak for the admins, but I would like to believe they understand that, in order to comment here, an armistice is gonna be needed.

You are contradicting the point of this video, the wishes of the contributor and causing a huge moderation headache for yourselves simply because you can't deviate from the letter of the rules for a special thread. Make an excpetion for a exceptional situation.

This is some of the stupidest moderation I've seen on my time on this site.

I directly asked the moderator about this 5 posts earlier and the question was ignored.


Just got one of those video ads blaring through my speakers and taking up a sizable portion of my screen. Does escapist really expect people to put up with those?

 

[rofltehcat]

While I'm all for a forum code and enforcement thereof, I think some moderator actions in this thread are treading incredibly close to a (perceived) double-standard, leading to questionable warnings and toward people doubting the justice of the mod system.
I think the amount of warnings dished out in this thread helps neither the climate of the forum/community nor a positive image of the moderators/moderation system. Worst of all, I feel it sidetracks (like this post) and inhibits (possible punishment) the discussion of the topic.