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[Curufinwe]

I do - although it doesn't make a lot of sense for us Europeans.
I'm usually sleeping when live stuff goes down.

I live in the US and almost never watch any GB stuff live.

 

[Oriel]

While I use AdBlock I only browse GAF on my tablet in mobile view so ads are part of the experience here all the time. But they're fairly minimal and non intrusive so I'm happy enough with that. Evilore has to pay the bills like the rest of us.

 

[Chariot]

I actually liked that he responded like that. The person who wrote that was a complete douche and is what people picture when the word 'entitled' gets thrown around.

Fuck that guy.

You don't think they deserved that bashing?

I generally don't like insults. I usually feel alienated when someone does that, no matter if their cause is right.

 

[gngf123]

I always have adblock turned on, but I set it up to allow the websites I regular.

People need to get payed, but there are far too many problematic ads for me to turn it off entirely. Anything that plays sound, opens popups, likes to move around the page or block actual content, etc.

 

[jimi_dini]

It's likely that their ads do work though. Otherwise they wouldn't keep paying for them.

If they worked, they wouldn't have needed to make them more intrusive and more intrusive. And more annoying and more annoying. And they also wouldn't have needed to figure out ways to trick users into clicking on them.

And then there simply wouldn't be a reason for AdBlock to exist.

 

[Zabant]

What does that have to do with anything? I'm a conservative and I use adblock on 99% of the websites I visit.

It's just a question, i'm actually interested in seeing how people think pachter would vote.
No need to get defensive

 

[Uno Venova]

Sorry, but as long as websites have obnoxious ads I'm proudly using Adblock. Sites like Verge and Gamespot are fine, Youtube and floating IGN ads are not.

I also love the myth of getting banned for using Adblock on Gaf has people scared and making sure to say they whitelist Neogaf in this thread.

 

[Arrogant Bastard]

You could say the same about piracy, which is indisputeably anti-market and stealing.

"You wanna force me to pay for HBO Go to watch Game of Thrones!? Take this!!"

Some consumers act like they are some sort of virtuous defenders of humanity when it comes to stealing digital content.

And some people want to go to absurd points by discussing piracy and theft when the topic is Ad Block. They are no where near the same.

 

[Aquamarine]

While I use AdBlock I only browse GAF on my tablet in mobile view so ads are part of the experience here all the time. But they're fairly minimal and non intrusive so I'm happy enough with that. Evilore has to pay the bills like the rest of us.

I think a key reason behind whitelisting on NeoGAF is because we are a community and our owner who pays for server space is one person who participates in the community, not a massive corporation.

It helps a lot that EviLore has pledged to keep ad content non-intrusive, but I do think that people are generally reasonable and are willing to accommodate simple ads as a form of respect to the community.

There a few hiccups (like mobile ads redirecting to the App Store), but overall it's been quite a harmless experience. GAF could do much, much worse with ads.

 

[Foffy]

Something can be amoral and still deliver major progress to overall well-being, I don't see the contradiction. But it is strange that Pachter is so against people doing stuff (using adblock) that is just rational self-interest. If Adblock is crippling sites, the government should change the rules to make it illegal. Demonizing the users is stupidity.

Would making it illegal really matter? Saying what is illegal and what isn't is just a rule in many ways; people who don't give a shit about the rule won't pay attention to it. This doesn't mean become a rebel, but it's the rationality that goes into breaking rules in the first place: someone finds them invalid. Making a law such as this would be an incredibly petty move that would prove to be a failure, for I'm very sure that if you said "blocking ads is a crime" many people who block ads wouldn't change their ways, because they are already blocking ads for what they feel are valid reasons. Just because a finger of authority is yelping otherwise means very little. At least, to those who don't bend over for any and every sense of authority around them, which is almost every person capable of critical thought.

Eh I like this rant better, at least it's somewhat creative.

<3 Bill.

 

[IncandescentPrecept]

I don't understand the logic behind the thinking here. If I don't like the way you choose to make money, I will bypass it yet continue to consume your content. If you don't like it, simply don't support it by not visiting the site. The simple fact that many have said that they disable content on sites that annoy them, yet continue to use them, suggests that most people expect free shit for no investment. They want a good service with almost no inconvenience or barrier to the content, yet don't expect to pay a fee for said service. ridiculous

People will pay for a good service if they think the content is worthwhile.Like Netflix in Australia. There are tens of thousands of Netflix subscribers - people who prefer to pay than to torrent.

 

[Haunted]

It was at one point, but I don't think it is anymore. I think due to adblock that a lot of advertisers have changed, but it's too late. People opt for the nuclear solution. I know that adblock had attempted to whitelist ads, but it's not working or their rules are still too strict. There's a happy medium here but the fact that adblock still blocks neogaf ads and I have to whitelist this site tells me that there's some work to be done.

Yeah, I don't think people are against monetisation at all costs, just against the kind of intrusive and exploitative ads that have poisoned that particular well.

Once burned twice shy etc.

 

[SRG01]

So wait, hold on a moment here. How on earth can anyone say that ads are intrusive unless they're auto-playing videos with sound? Most of the time they're simply images or words on the screen. In the case of Youtube, it's a video that's usually skippable in 5 seconds.

In my opinion, I actually like online ads since tracking cookies allow them to serve me content that I'm actually interested in.

 

[Schweinehund]

Neogaf's ads aren't intrusive but god damn surfing the internet with adblock off is like the worst experience on 1 mbit connection. If the fucking pseudo youtube ad videos didn't exist I couldn't care less, I usually just mentally phase them out.

 

[AmyS]

Having Ad Block enabled and browsing GameTrailers.com and watching some shows and content is really technically stealing?

Really ?

Well then.

Accuse me, lock me up ,convict me, then sentence me. I'm a criminal thief scumbag.

 

[TheD]

There should also be a crackdown on ads on download pages that try to trick you into clicking on them instead of the real download link.

So wait, hold on a moment here. How on earth can anyone say that ads are intrusive unless they're auto-playing videos with sound? Most of the time they're simply images or words on the screen. In the case of Youtube, it's a video that's usually skippable in 5 seconds.

In my opinion, I actually like online ads since tracking cookies allow them to serve me content that I'm actually interested in.

Flashing ads, fake download ads, ads that take up large amounts of the webpage.

 

[Aquamarine]

There should also be a crackdown on ads on download pages that try to trick you into clicking on them instead of the real download link.

Can you spot the real download link?

 

[Chariot]

Can you spot the real download link?

Most likely the least fancy, the "Download or Watch" at the bottom.
What is the solution?

 

[RiotRhythm]

I see his point, but he could have definitely handled that a bit better.

 

[Gintoki313]

I generally don't like insults. I usually feel alienated when someone does that, no matter if their cause is right.

Did you hear what the guy asked Pachter? He was basically insulting GT, and all other gaming sites. Saying that he uses adblock and doesn't care whether their sites go down or not because of that. Not to mention they're saying that youtube can do everything a gaming site can. When Youtube compresses everything, making it all look like crap. So even that part was wrong.

The person who wrote that question deserved every insult thrown at them.

 

[JayEH]

Well the asker provoked Pachter with the wording on that question.

Also I didn't know you were a scumbag if you DVR something and skim through the commercials.

 

[ieptbarakat]

Hasn't gametrailers on occasion have had malware in their ads?

 

[wildfire]

I still disagree because almost all the news from E3 that I care about comes out during the press conferences, and that stuff usually gets streamed or broadcast directly to the public, so again...I don't really get my information from the games media. I'm getting it directly from the source.

This is correct but even with those conferences people demand more information. You won't get those details without the gaming sites.

The only exceptions for now are Nintendo's new approach where we can interview devs directly through the tree house and devs giving direct feedback through crowd funding projects.


We are living in a transition period where gaming sites' relevance is being weakened but getting info from forums has you running the risk of taking for granted where the original reporting source came from.

 

[SRG01]

Flashing ads, fake download ads, ads that take up large amounts of the webpage.

To be honest, those ads only show up on some... non-legit sites.

 

[TheD]

Most likely the least fancy, the "Download or Watch" at the bottom.
What is the solution?

The solution is adblock or hunting down that company, outlawing them and tossing them in jail.

 

[Principate]

There should also be a crackdown on ads on download pages that try to trick you into clicking on them instead of the real download link.

There should be crack down on a lot of things in the internet, but most services authorities and legalities capable of doing would rather be fighting piracy, or things more heinous issues.

I honestly think many in such positions gives all of two shits about file sharing websites making it difficult to share files without risk of a virus unless it's sharing illegal content.

 

[Trace]

Depends on the site. I have Neogaf whitelisted, so I see all the ads here, which are non-intrusive and not too many. Clicking that Pach-Attack video, Adblock blocks a total of 37 ads. Sorry, that's overkill and I'm not watching that.

Also why does Pachter act like there is no way to monetize content outside of ads?

 

[Bombless]

...and if Gametrailers or others go out of business because of it I could care less.

Nice one guy, nice.

 

[mercenar1e]

on the plus side his video pushed me to try it out.. i wish i knew about this sooner.. i disabled it for gaf though

 

[TheD]

To be honest, those ads only show up on some... non-legit sites.

No, they don't.

I have had flashing ads on twitch, http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html is full of fake download ads (at least for me) and tons of sites have huge ads in them.

I honestly think many in such positions gives all of two shits about file sharing websites making it difficult to share files without risk of a virus unless it's sharing illegal content.

It is very much not just file sharing websites that have these ads.

 

[Avid Reading Horse]

Pachter seems to think that watching 30 seconds of ad is more appealing than having 30 seconds of blank space. Lol.

 

[AmyS]

Tell me this whole thing is joke-Pachter, and that he does not seriously believe the things he just said. He was just trying to be ridiculous and cause a stir on the internet including here on NeoGAF,

'cause if he truly WAS being serious, then, all I have to say is, LMAO and "good luck".

 

[Foffy]

Can you spot the real download link?

..Would it even be fair to entertain the idea that it's one of the pages where the real download link has yet to load in (based on a waiting period) and ALL of those links are fake?

 

[The_Lump]

If it's true you can get banned (I don't think that it is...) then there would be something morally unnerving about a website passively threatening you for choosing not to have advertising thrust in your face. I'd be surprised if anyone had actually been banned for that. Especially as I've not seen that in the T&Cs (unless I missed it?). Where would the line be? Could you get banned for admitting you just mentally ignore adverts that appear on GAF? Would we all have to pretend that we thoroughly consider products and services that we see in banners? Bit of a slippery slope.

I mean I personally allow ads on GAF purely because they haven't annoyed me enough to enable ad block. I don't allow them because I feel I'm contributing more to GAF by doing so - I'd ignore them either way.

 

[breakfuss]

I like GAF in this regard because it doesn't have intrusive ads with sounds.

So kudos to Evilore for not destroying my ears with horribly loud ads, like some sites including Gametrailers do.

GAF definitely has ads with sound, and they scare the shit out of me since I'll often walk away from my computer while still having the site up.

 

[Sami+]

Most likely the least fancy, the "Download or Watch" at the bottom.
What is the solution?

I just realized... what if some asshole advertiser starts using a link that isn't obviously an ad? Just a small, unobtrusive link that looks identical to the actual download?

Yeesh. I hate that shit. I use Adblock, and I'm glad I do. I just whitelist the sites I actually like, like message boards.

 

[Roo]

The only site I used AdBlock for is Youtube.
Seriously, Youtube is already shit to even consider to go through ads while I watch videos.
Fuck that shit.

 

[kingdoug87]

I understand why some people use Adblock, but I dont understand how some proudly state to the world how they use it and are glad that they use it. Makes them seem like a scumbag.

 

[Costia]

To be honest, those ads only show up on some... non-legit sites.

Yeah, like my local news website.

..Would it even be fair to entertain the idea that it's one of the pages where the real download link has yet to load in (based on a waiting period) and ALL of those links are fake?

I think the true link will never appear. There is a small box saying that the site is in maintenance.

 

[Chariot]

I just realized... what if some asshole advertiser starts using a link that isn't obviously an ad? Just a small, unobtrusive link that looks identical to the actual download?

Isn't that what they are trying right now? I mean, its just because I am used to pages like that, you could call it experience. Most of those Download-Buttons look very legit.

 

[The_Lump]

I understand why some people use Adblock, but I dont understand how some proudly state to the world how they use it and are glad that they use it. Makes them seem like a scumbag.

Would someone be a "scumbag" if they told you they fast forwarded through adverts on a recorded show? I think scumbag might be taking it a little too far...

 

[Wolfe]

You get banned if you admit to using Adblock or are caught using Adblock whilst on GAF.

So you're ban baiting or something? Just because it's not allowed to be used on GAF doesn't mean someone can't talk about using it elsewhere. I have no problem admitting I use AdBlock set to on for everything by default and that I whitelist sites that require it or that I feel like supporting. There's plenty of intrusive annoying or just straight up misleading ads (check out this thread in OT going on right now) that I'm tired of dealing with.

Also given that the guy doesn't mention using it on GAF I would assume to give him the benefit of the doubt as it's pretty common knowledge to not use it here.

 

[DannyDanger]

Very insightful, wonderful contribution. How is he right though, cause it seems we really disagree.

Again, hardly anyone would have a problem with ads if they didn't evolve into this in your face flash/annoying sound/video. But then again ad companies know that their shit doesn't work so they are trying harder to get in your face about it. Guess what, it doesn't work.

Doesn't matter how "in your face" it is... It pays bills that YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY.

So if you want free sh**, suck it up

 

[RiccochetJ]

Pachter is borderline retarded and simplifies the issue because of it.

Pachter makes a lot of people a lot of money otherwise he wouldn't be doing what he's doing. You don't get into that position by being "borderline retarded" in your words.

 

[TheD]

The simple fact is that adblock would not be around if advertisers did not go way too far with the type of ads they feed, but it is clear that advertisers are too much of self entitled air heads to figure that out.

 

[Principate]

No, they don't.

I have had flashing ads on twitch, http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html is full of fake download ads (at least for me) and tons of sites have huge ads in them.



It is very much not just file sharing websites that have these ads.

Of course not but the very companies that often have the power to run said witch hunt are the very same companies doing intrusive advertisements even if they're not bad.

Not only do you have to regulate you have to fight those companies tooth and nail. Which is why we haven't heard a single peep about anyone doing it.

 

[ChrisMahoney]

I wonder which way pachter votes? he's a corporatist through and through so you'd think republican.

But then again dude seems like a nice guy and I doubt he'd be cool with things like stopping gay marrage, women's rights (abortion issue) and letting poor folks have access to affordable health care.

Pachter has said he's usually votes Democrat.

 

[Lunzio]

It's an archaic model. People that use it are not scumbags.

 

[Hale-XF11]

Doesn't matter how "in your face it is..." It pays bills that YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY.

So if you want free sh**, suck it up

Do you think that websites who survive off of ads should put this in their "About" section?

 

[kingdoug87]

Would someone be a "scumbag" if they told you they fast forwarded through adverts on a recorded show? I think scumbag might be taking it a little too far...

I only used scumbag cause Pach did... I dont think fast forwarding ads is wrong, that's the equivalent to skipping ads that give you the option after 5 secs. Just dont understand the mentality of bragging that you use adblock?