Comments on: How Ars Technica’s “experiment” with ad-blocking readers built on its community’s affection for the site

By: Chris Kohl

Chris Kohl — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:00:50 +0000

I applaud Ken Fisher for speaking truth on the subject, and not being afraid of the inevitable backlash from the gimme-gimme crowd.

His is a brilliant argument because it sidesteps the controversy and focuses on the only part that matters today–the effects! If you block ads, this is what you do today, right now. That central point cannot be denied.

What I would like to see more of is discussion of a solution for the longer term. Okay, they (like many) sell premium access. Admirable attempt, but it’s hard to see that as anything more than a side awaiting a main course.

And I state the obvious when I say that the number of completely idiotic ads on the Internet doesn’t help.

By: US Digest: staff down at Variety; ads down at Ars Technica; sense down at FishbowlDC | Valley News Blog

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:34:16 +0000

[...] An drowsy entourage encompassing the applied of ad-blocking software was played forth gilding the weekend at technology campsite Ars Technica and its not-so-faithful followers. (Nieman Journalism Lab) [...]

By: Billy Barnes

Billy Barnes — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:44:51 +0000

I generally fall for the guilt-inducing placeholders for ads. Where the ad is blocked and there’s a sad, empty box that says “Pweeeze support us by whitelisting our domain”. But I do immediately re-block any site that has excessive or annoying ads.

By: How Ars Technica’s “Experiment” With Ad-Blocking Readers Built on Its Community’s Affection for the Site | Laura McGann | Voices | AllThingsD

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:24:22 +0000

[...] Read the rest of this post on the original site Tagged: Internet, Voices, advertising, digital, economy, media, Ad Blocking, advertising, Ars Technica, Laura McGann, Nieman Journalism Lab | permalink Sphere.Inline.search("", "http://voices.allthingsd.com/20100310/how-ars-technica%e2%80%99s-experiment-with-ad-blocking-readers-built-on-its-community%e2%80%99s-affection-for-the-site/"); « Previous Post Next Post » ord=Math.random()*10000000000000000; document.write(''); [...]

By: QuirkyKnitGirl » Blog Archiv » Wednesday Wanderings: Fact checking Monsanto cake

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:47:02 +0000

[...] This is probably only for the nerds, but a look at Ars Technica’s experiment with ad-blocking readers. [...]

By: Adblockers Killing Web Sites? « UNIX Administratosphere

Adblockers Killing Web Sites? « UNIX Administratosphere — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:24:30 +0000

[...] and took issue with the article and its points. Over at the Nieman Journalism Lab, Laura McGann talked with Ars editor-in-chief Ken Fisher about the community response to the blocking and to the [...]

By: David

David — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:44:45 +0000

The issue is not whether to block or not to block it is more fundamental.

There is an implicit assumption that advertising in its current format will continue as it has always done. In other words an industrial-age concept of billboards can be successfully grafted onto the information superhighway.

This is working at the moment only because an information age alternative has not yet emerged where vendors can meet with consumers in a more efficient, less intrusive and more cost-effective environment.

Information age advertising mediums are inevitable and are starting to appear right now.

By: A. Bryson

A. Bryson — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:53:11 +0000

I’ve been following this for a few days, as I just started an ad-based business (great idea, right?).

I read Masnick’s take, didn’t get his point. Masnick claims Fisher said it was stealing when Fisher didn’t. Masnick says initially ARS went about it wrong, but Fisher acknowledged that already in his article. Masnick suggests that Fisher is blaming ad blockers for his company’s failures, but Fisher said that his business wasn’t failing, and was not going to die. He said that blocking ads hurts, and it apparently does! The rest of the critique is an advertisement for Masnick’s businesses.

I agree that Fisher’s initial approach was not a good way to go about it if what they wanted to do was learn what users thought about ad blocking, but I also think that blocking out ad blockers is fair. You block ads, they block you. Too bad ARS didn’t stick with it, I say.

I would hate to see the ad-supported world of free content go away.

By: Mathew Ingram

Mathew Ingram — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:48:49 +0000

Would have been nice to see a response to the criticisms of this approach raised by Mike Masnick over at Techdirt.

By: US Digest: staff down at Variety; ads down at Ars Technica; sense down at FishbowlDC | Journalism.co.uk Editors' Blog

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:46:22 +0000

[...] An interesting development in the use of ad-blocking software was played out over the weekend by technology site Ars Technica and its not-so-faithful followers. (Nieman Journalism Lab) [...]

By: Glenn Fleishman

Glenn Fleishman — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:40:18 +0000

Readability requires a page load first, so they get the ad impression. If Readability bypassed the page load, it might be a problem. It’s transforming the CSS for the page rather than blocking content.

By: Mr. Gunn

Mr. Gunn — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:21:38 +0000

A non-obscuring message bar asking members to please whitelist them would have been the way to do it. Fundamentally, the content ends up on the computer of the person reading it, so there’s no way to force the user to see anything they don’t want to see. The reason asking for whitelisting works is that it respects the right of the user to control what is displayed to him and how, and it doesn’t provoke an arms race that can only end badly for the publisher.

By: Readablity

Readablity — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:21:23 +0000

I read this article using the Readbility javascript which makes it MUCH easier for my old eyes to read long Web articles.

http://lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability/
“A simple tool that makes reading on the Web more enjoyable by removing the clutter around what you’re reading”

I don’t use ad blocker software. but I don’t mind at all that this tool has the added benefit of eliminating sidebars and banners.

I wonder if Readability can’t be blocked by publishers. I hope not.