All views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Connected Internet or its proprietor.
When you come to one of my websites you are absolutely welcome to not click any of the ad links. You are equally at liberty to not pay attention to the ads should you so choose. I will also make a promise to the user that the monetization of my sites will not be intrusive and will not draw undue attention to itself.
That said, if you block the ads on my site, pound sand. It’s practically like you are stealing from me.
I am sympathetic. There are websites that are so intrusive with their monetization that there is more advertising than content. Some sites you don’t dare move your mouse for fear of launching an inline ad link. I get it. I don’t like it any more than you guys do.
However, you don’t get the option to ignore monetization in the world. You get it on TV, radio and print media. You drive by it daily. You attend events in venues, whose very name is monetization, to see entertainment that is sponsored by a financial concern. People are wearing it. There is product placement on TV and in movies. There are ads in video games. It’s everywhere.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that people use the internet to try to make a buck. Let me tell you where I’m coming from regarding ad blocking:
The ads on my site represent the only way I have to pay for my hosting costs. Also, while I do web design and writing because it’s an enjoyable pastime for me and my main pursuit is to add value to the internet, my time is valuable and I would like something back. There is absolutely nothing wrong or mercenary about that. I do not own a single domain whose sole purpose is to make money. Everything I do on the web is about the content. If I want to stick a banner and a couple of AdSense units on my page, who are you to block them?
Look, regarding the sites with advertising so intrusive it drove you to run an ad blocker, boycott them. Vote with the only thing that counts to a web site, your unique visit. Enough people do that and sites will change their ways.
As for the sites you visit whose content you enjoy and who don’t ram monetization down your throat, why not click an ad link now and then? It’s a way for you to show your appreciation for the service the web site is providing. It helps the site make money. It took you about half a second.
The title of this article was purposefully inflammatory so you would read on. I am not about to block Firefox users or tell anyone how to do so. I want every Firefox user out there to hit my web sites. I would also like a few of them to help me make a little money by voluntarily clicking ad links. If no one is seeing my ads I may have to reconsider whether I want to spend my family’s money and take my time away from my family to continue to contribute to the web.
So think about that before running ad blocking software. Instead maybe you should turn it off and just stop visiting the sites you can’t stomach without it.
