Ad blocking is a technique used in a number of browser plug-ins that basically removes advertising from the web. Similar systems are also used to block Flash content - but basically, it looks for ads on a given web page and removes them.
Ad Blocker Technology in Browsers
AdBlock Plus is one of these ad-blockers.
AdBlock Plus is an extension to the Mozilla Firefox browser that lets users selectively block advertisements. It is a rather advanced plugin with many options, but is it good to use? Or is it stealing from website owners and bloggers?
According to the New York Times, AdBlock Plus gains 300,000 to 400,000 new users each month. This begins to leave a very bleak outlook for those many who depend on online advertising for their income in a bad economy.
Blocking Advertisements Consumes Resources With No Return
A common argument put forward by users is that it makes their online experience better and since they don't ever click on advertisements anyway, it doesn't make any financial difference to the site they visit.
This is a very incorrect assumption. Many sites are paid on a per page view basis. For example, Google pays its publishers for every 1,000 ads that are viewed.
So if a user has an ad blocker running and loads five pages on any site, that user consumes valuable resources from the website, such as bandwidth, but provides the site with no revenue in return. It doesn't take too long to realize that by blocking advertisements, users are in fact causing free content to become content that must be paid for.
Most users do not want to pay for website subscriptions, but by blocking advertisements, users are paving the way to killing free internet as we know it.
Unblock Advertisements for News Sites, Blogs and Favorite Sites
To help prevent having to pay for content that should be free, users should not use AdBlock Plus or any other ad-blocking software on news sites, blogs, or websites they visit often. These types of sites are generally those who are most affected by the advertising revenues they make, so by unblocking ads for these sites, users help maintain free information on the internet while keeping unwanted ads from other websites out.
Pop-up blockers are understandably used to prevent annoying pop-ups from appearing, and users can continue to use such blockers. However, banner ads appearing directly on the websites in question should remain unblocked to prevent unwanted charges for free content.
Ad-blockers continue to be a large problem for the Internet world, but by allowing some flexibility in their use by unblocking ads on blogs, news sites, and often-visited sites, users can help maintain the free content within these sites and, in doing so, help keep the internet free of subscription fees.
Source: Ars Technica
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