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Why is it OK for you to STEAL from me?

Topics relating to managing people and relationships

I use ad blocker software:


  • Total voters
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KLaw

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Btw. Good post. If your website isnt free how come I can spend two second to access your site with no tricks or backdoors? It is free.
 
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Jake

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I don't use ad-blocker but I think the ad based revenue model is becoming outdated.
Using content to drive traffic to ads is a bit like baiting people...

Why not put up a paywall and see how much your content's really worth?

How many people would pay for it directly?
This. Paywalls that use a subscription model suck but people are working on making them cost efficient via micro-transactions. Want to read / watch some content..pay a few cents. Bitwall is one solution that will gain traction imo http://www.bitwall.io/

Browser based wallets that allow you to pay pennies for content. Ads are dying and paying for a years worth of content with a CC to read one article doesn't make sense.
 

splok

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I've never used adblock because ads don't typically bother me, and I'll occasionally learn something. But then someone reminded me about YouTube ads... Now I may install it.

Yes, I would also add that it doesn't cost the TV/radio station one cent more if you turn the channel during an ad, I have bandwidth costs, database costs, possible maintenance issues.

So it's ok to be a dirty thief so long as it doesn't cost the provider anything? So you're cool with piracy then?

I am taking a stand
I am getting slaughtered for taking issue about people stealing.
No, you're getting slaughtered for being righteously indignant, which is usually a pretty poor use of one's time. (If it were really just about the revenue or ethics, you'd just redirect them to meatspin and be done with it...)

I used to be sort of bad about that at times, but then I had a coworker who was constantly angry and ranting about this or that, obviously wasting a crazy amount of time and attention on relatively meaningless things. Once I really considered the cost of that, I've tried to be more conscious of whether or not something is worth whatever time/attention I'm giving it, ESPECIALLY when annoyed/angry.

Personally, I'm glad that there are people who are willing to spend their time being righteously indignant about things, because in all honesty, they can manage to make some reasonable progress on issues that would otherwise not be addressed. So if you've got nothing more important to do than to crusade against ad blocking, then go for it!
 

mayana

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No, you're getting slaughtered for being righteously indignant, which is usually a pretty poor use of one's time.

Love this.

@healthstatus Someone mentioned this briefly, but I want to stress it a little bit more. I don't think that a visitor that doesn't view your ads presents NO value to you. I'm not buying that.

  • ANY visitor that ends up on your site by clicking through from a Google search, whether they view your ads or not, helps your search rankings.
  • They might really like something that you have on your site and share it on their social media accounts (you don't know that these people aren't social influencers)
  • As someone previously mentioned, they could be a member of the press, or a blogger, etc, wanting to write about, and share links to your site
I don't think that people who turn adblocker off are "stealing" in the exact same sense that a shoplifter steals. I can buy the argument that it might be SLIGHTLY unethical... for example, I feel a little guilty when I am watching a t.v. show on Hulu or whatever, and I check my e-mail or do something else in another browser window while the ads play. It just is what it is, though.

The key is: If it's an important part of a revenue model, it's the content-producer's responsibility to create such great content that people don't care about watching ads. Not the other way around. It's getting to be a tough way to make money, especially now (which is why a lot of people are encouraging you to look for other sources of revenue, not saying that you don't have them already).

Television shows do this by making a season-premiere so anticipated that everyone wants to watch it live, when it is impossible to skip or fast-forward ads. Like so exciting that people have to watch every second LIVE. Tough to do.

The issue with the soap thread wasn't necessarily that the idea was stolen (any number of people "steal" or "copy" business ideas every day), but that the rules of behavior that have been established for THIS COMMUNITY were broken, so it's not the same at all. I like how this forum is moderated, and it's rare to find an online place where you can feel comfortable expressing yourself without all the trolls and crazies. (This takes a lot of work - thanks mods ;)
 

SGBoise

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I would agree with others that ad model is over. I hate ads with a passion. From the client's stand point they ruin the experience. Plus people are more aware that they are being tracked.

I can understand your frustration which brings to a bigger. Do you have control over your income? If you income is reduced because your visitors install a 3rd party app then the answer is no.

As a web developer/entrepreneur I hate ads because you (the entrepreneur not @healthstatus ) are trying to cheat the process so you can avoid the hardest part which is sales.
 
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DennisD

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Love this.

Someone mentioned this briefly, but I want to stress it a little bit more. I don't think that a visitor that doesn't view your ads presents NO value to you. I'm not buying that.

  • ANY visitor that ends up on your site by clicking through from a Google search, whether they view your ads or not, helps your search rankings.
  • They might really like something that you have on your site and share it on their social media accounts (you don't know that these people aren't social influencers)
  • As someone previously mentioned, they could be a member of the press, or a blogger, etc, wanting to write about, and share links to your site
I don't think that people who turn adblocker off are "stealing" in the exact same sense that a shoplifter steals. I can buy the argument that it might be SLIGHTLY unethical... for example, I feel a little guilty when I am watching a t.v. show on Hulu or whatever, and I check my e-mail or do something else in another browser window while the ads play. It just is what it is, though.

The key is: If it's an important part of a revenue model, it's the content-producer's responsibility to create such great content that people don't care about watching ads. Not the other way around. It's getting to be a tough way to make money, especially now (which is why a lot of people are encouraging you to look for other sources of revenue, not saying that you don't have them already).

Television shows do this by making a season-premiere so anticipated that everyone wants to watch it live, when it is impossible to skip or fast-forward ads. Like so exciting that people have to watch every second LIVE. Tough to do.

The issue with the soap thread wasn't necessarily that the idea was stolen (any number of people "steal" or "copy" business ideas every day), but that the rules of behavior that have been established for THIS COMMUNITY were broken, so it's not the same at all. I like how this forum is moderated, and it's rare to find an online place where you can feel comfortable expressing yourself without all the trolls and crazies. (This takes a lot of work - thanks mods ;)

All of this is beautiful and perfect.

Gabe newell, CEO of valve has an interesting take on piracy, the biggest issue facing gaming right now.

QUOTE:
"We think there is a fundamental misconception about piracy," Newell said. "Piracy is almost always a service problem and not a pricing problem. For example, if a pirate offers a product anywhere in the world, 24/7, purchasable from the convenience of your personal computer, and the legal provider says the product is region-locked, will come to your country three months after the U.S. release and can only be purchased at a brick and mortar store, then the pirate's service is more valuable.

"Most DRM solutions diminish the value of the product by either directly restricting a customer's use or by creating uncertainty."

He adds, "Our goal is to create greater service value than pirates, and this has been successful enough for us that piracy is basically a non-issue for our company. For example, prior to entering the Russian market, we were told that Russia was a waste of time because everyone would pirate our products. Russia is now about to become our largest market in Europe.

"Our success comes from making sure that both customers and partners feel like they get a lot of value from those services. They can trust us not to take advantage of the relationship that we have with them."

"We usually think of ourselves as customer centric rather than production centric. Most of our decisions are based on the rapidly evolving opportunities to better serve our customers, and not on optimizing to be a better game company or digital distributor. The latter focus would be more of a straitjacket than conceptual aid."
 

GravyBoat

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Saw this and thought of this thread.

Welcome, Adblockers!
Please consider turning adblock off when you're here, as content-driven sites like this one rely on ad revenue. Realistically though, I know that's unlikely to happen, and that's entirely fair enough. However, if you like the site, why not consider membership, which for just $10 a year won't even attempt to show you any ads, plus gives you various other benefits. And/or please like moviemistakes.com on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, use the sharing links on the right of the page to spread the word, or just tell your friends - the more people who visit and help submit content, the better the site is for everyone. Thanks!
 
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D

DeletedUser12

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I only recently installed adblocker because I could not stop those sound / video ads from randomly starting to play while browsing. I browse with multiple tabs open and every 5 minutes something would start playing. It was driving me insane. Even on youtube, that d@#n hockey playing penguin would start blaring in the middle of a video and could not be stopped.

I do not regret it for a minute, however I have enabled ads for certain websites that asked / required me to do it.
 
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theag

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Just block the freeloaders ("Turn off adblock to see ad-supported content"). I would be VERY in their face with it. Who cares. Why would you want the wrong target audience on your site?

Everyday millions of suckers wake up eager to click on ads and buy the secret to getting rich in 24 hours, losing fat in 30 days or getting laid 3 times a day from a free dating site.

No point in wasting time and resources on non-converters.

In your case you built a nice brand so I wouldnt redirect, but I know a site where you can sell adblock redirects, its just for adult traffic though, dont know if sth similar exists for mainstream. If not, it might be a nice little niche for a simple business.
 

RHL

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He adds, "Our goal is to create greater service value than pirates, and this has been successful enough for us that piracy is basically a non-issue for our company. For example, prior to entering the Russian market, we were told that Russia was a waste of time because everyone would pirate our products. Russia is now about to become our largest market in Europe.

There you have it folks. This is the solution that came out of a billion dollar mind.
 
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million$$$smile

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I think it is really quite simple,

Create more value to the consumer by perhaps bundling your products together (ie: health calculator, etc) and SELL THEM so you can make money on your products without being as concerned about someone stealing by not allowing ads. I mean, is your content worth it or not, without ads?

I don't think MJ gets all worked up by giving away a few chapters of TMF and then wonders why they didn't buy...

It seems like energy would be better spent creating more value but again, it is your business...
 
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Vigilante

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I only made it through the first page of this thread before I got the general sense for how the other several pages would go. The only thing this thread made me want to do… Is activate an ad blocker.
 

Shades

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I think the question isnt what do we think of ad blocker or what do we think of the people that use it. Adblocker isnt going anywhere. So what is a better way of doing things that takes it out of the equation?
 
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