Do adverts drive you AWAY from websites?
 

I recently visited the C++ tutorial at cplusplus, and recoiled in horror at the rapidly flickering advert in the sidebar, from fastclick.net :mad:. Luckily, I managed to save myself, and continue on my quest, having learned from a wise hermit that I could block images from advertising sites by right-clicking in Firefox, and selecting "Block images from..."

I find some adverts so distracting or aggravating that, before learning how to block them, I would avoid a website carrying them. Yet the sites need to attract visitors in order to sell the advertising space.

So what do you think? Do some adverts harm the very sites they purport to support? Have you stopped using a site because of such an advert?

:scratch:
Rob

Edited for compliance with English 405,621.01 Transitional

Every PC on which I use the internet must have firefox with the Adblock Plus and Filterset.G updater extensions. The surfing experience is almost like night and day for some sites. So my answer is that I "block and go" because that way I'm not missing out on the more annoying sites because they can't be tolerated.

Before I discovered Adblock and Filterset.G there were absolutely some web sites to which I could not navigate because the advertisements are far too annoying and in some cases just plain restricting to even go there. Advertising is one thing but wanton placement and even just a random overabundance of ads are just too much to tolerate.

It depends on how intrusive they are. Animated images, flash, attempted popups, etc I don't support.
Here at work where I'm stuck on IE they usually crash the browser and since I only have 2G of ram IE decided it must share memory between a half dozen windows so I loose those too.

I just want to add a "What he said" about Adblock and Filterset.G. Absolutely, hands down, the most useful Firefox extension there is. When I use a different browser, I'm always flabbergasted at how much crapola there is the Adblock wipes out.

Another "Me too" for zetabill's post :)

another "me too" here. I used to use The Proxomitron (for a while through WINE after I switched to Linux even) because it's excellent, but it's not worth running WINE. Adblock and NoScript suffice to replace Proxomitron, but truth be told I kinda yearn for Proxomitron, it was(is, for Windows) so good.

I block them as well ... only I use Opera ;)

My work computer must be getting close to blocking most major adservers by now ... :p

It bothers me now.You only realise how many ads are there once you use a browser like dillo for a while.

believe me , i think dillo is utopian ... its an ideal actually ...


//but believe me(again) , people in general tend to hate it or would not like to see it as the only(or proper) choice of browser ...


.

If the purpose of the site is just to get another click I close the window, and try to find a site that has the information I'm looking for.
I don't use any ad blocking, I avoid problem sites by blocking sites with gratuitous ads. For me, I'd rather give sites my full attention for providing good information and a reasonable amount of advertisement.

I have no problem with ads, I have a big problem when the advertisement gets in the way of the information I want. Block bad sites, put them out of business, weed out the weak and greedy.

My least favorite are click through sites: they provide a paragraph from the the originating site with a link to it along with a page full of ads. Some of these sites actually provide real information, so what, their policies suck. Block them.

Good sites won't get blocked.

jer

i think "blocking ads" among other its a natural and "automatic" things to do like when you have just installed some new applications , you naturally search for whatever "Preference" or "Options" windows/dialogs ...

have to admit that at times its funny that you for whatever reasons "suddenly" found out how its actually suppose to look and work like ...


//btw , feeling a distaste and distrust towards advertisments(commercial or not) of all kind can be trained ... works naturally without any grumbling ...



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Block them, Firefox +NoScript+Stylish extensions.

Konqueror with the FiltersetG works great.

Why should I pay $50/month for Internet access only to be flooded with ads.

i just adblock here.
some ads are fine (i haev no trouble with the ones in GmaiL)
but i cannot stand the bouncing window line flash add taht says "you have won * Click here to claim!"
that just anoys me!

For me, some adverts are more than annoying. The sort of ones I mean are those that flicker or jiggle rapidly. They are a visual equivalent of someone shouting at me at close range, and don't allow me to concentrate on what's on the page. They are irritating in the sense that hot pepper sauce rubbed well into tender flesh would be irritating.

Now there's an idea for the designers :D.

Rob

Most of the time, I can just ignore them. But the really annoying ones use up my CPU to the point I can actually see the difference.