Encountered an add today, not sure if Danny or the mods are aware of it... In firefox, opened a new tab, and hit my PC bookmark, to be greeted with a full page add for Home Depot and a link at the top "Click here to continue to site". Spent 10 seconds confused, making sure i hit the right bookmark, then thought i should try to capture more ad info... only to be foiled when the ad dropped out and i had PC.
I occasionally get an ad too. I just assumed that Priuschat needed some money for site maintenance...doesn't bother me if it supports priuschat.
Yes the ads that sneak in periodiocally, and the slimmed down version of priuschat, it takes up 2/3rd's of the screen instead of the whole screen, soon to be ads on the sides.
Yep, I'm seeing it too on my work computer and it's a minor nuisance. Not at home, where I have the NoScript add-on for Firefox.
First add-on I install to Firefox is always AdBlocker Plus (just like Rae). Never seen an ad online I didnt want to see
I started blocking ads six months ago. I really didn't want to do it, since it brings revenue into the site, but the ad software was slow to the point of making PC useless. I finally stopped complaining and blocked them. Tom
I have noscript, adblock, and flashblock. I used to turn off the first to for Priuschat because that's how Danny can afford to run this site, but after the second time being blasted by runaway ads, I now keep them on permanently.
I do use flashblock, for performance reasons, but I continue to believe that adblock is inappropriate and will result in more obtrusive ad regimes, or forcing sites to go subscription (or just shutdown). While some non-flash ads are annoying, I think it's more than worth the annoyance for the huge amount of free content that I get on the internet. I have gotten a full-screen ad before visiting the site on two occasions recently. I think the ad was from Toyota, but I'm not really sure since I only read enough of the ad to find the "click here to continue" part.
Well I am pretty sure there are adblockers that will still pull the source of the ad, but not display it. So the backend still receives a request for, and serves data for and ad that the blocker just never displays to the end user. I dont think I have ever in my life seen a popup advert, or even an inline advert and thought "you know I might want one of those" and clicked it. If I want something I know it, and I research it thoroughly. I am not swayed by little adverts or youtube videos... FYI, the biggest "improvement" to adblocker plus is that it does not pull content from the server you dont want, so it does not count towards ad revenue. It does speed things up obviously. So you can find other lesser blockers that really will pull and not share.
While I find the ads a PITA it's better than the alternatives. If PC was a pay site then I'd have to pay for my addiction and if it went off line, how many of us would need detox?
Like many of you, I use ad blocking software as well... however for some sites (like PC) I make an exception and allow the ads to be pulled and displayed. It helps support the site and Danny. I managed to pull the source while the ad was up... hope it helps Danny
My biggest complaint was the slowness of the ad servers. PriusChat would just hang there, and it was always waiting for one of the ad services. It they can't serve the ads quickly, they shouldn't serve them at all. Tom
Me? Heck I LOVE having my whole screen hijacked. Makes me run out an spend every dime I have on every single made in china product that they sell.
PriusChat IS ad-free for me, since I use AdBlock Plus. While I think making it a subscription site would be a mistake (And Danny must agree, since he has not done so) I would voluntarily contribute, for no other "benefits" than knowing I was compensating Danny for blocking the ads. There are programs that run in the background on low priority when no other application needs the resources. I like the concept of an ad blocker that saves the blocked ad calls, and then makes the call when I'm not downloading anything, and discards the content. This would give sites the ad revenue without annoying me with it or slowing down the performance. Hey, it could even include an option for repeating the ad calls several times for "favored" web sites. I've always disliked the paradigm of ad-supported content, whether internet or broadcast media. In the end, we pay, as advertising costs are included in everything we buy, but the advertisers determine in the end what programs or content are available. It's a lose-lose situation for the public. Programs are not aired, and sites do not exist, unless advertisers are willing to support them, and yet we end up paying the cost. I don't even watch TV because it's all garbage, and yet I pay for it every time I buy anything at the store. I'd rather pay, directly, for programs or internet content that I want.
