Tools like the Firefox add-on “Ad block plus” and even mainstream security products like McAffe Security Suite are causing major headaches for popular Internet websites which rely on advertising as a sole source of revenue. Some say greedy webmasters who riddle their sites with 10, 20, and sometimes even more ads per page are the blame for the widespread backlash. The worst offenders make you view full page ads before proceeding or use pop-ups or pop-unders.

The popularly of websites who are taking the “moral high ground” like craiglist and wikipedia are also causing headaches because they provide a quality alternative to other popular websites which have large amounts of ads. Will this soon bankrupt the major players or will they reinvent themselves?

Some webmasters are getting so fed up with ad blockers they have invented ways to block users who make use of ad blockers. One method includes reading the “user agent” for ad-on ad blockers, and the other more inventive approach is to deny access to web pages if the http request for ad images does not occur. This approach seems to be adding fuel to the fire and winds up making web visitors to go elsewhere.

We’ve all heard the Internet referred to as the “great equalizer” where any kid with a good idea can make it big. Success stories like Google, Amazon, eBay, and PayPal come to mind. A few years ago these companies were praised for their new and inventive services. Now it seems as if anyone who is out to make a buck on the net is treated like an evil pariah.
Spammers are now prosecuted under federal laws and practically hung in the public square. Heck, I’ve even been criticized for putting Google ads on this website with a few nasty emails and comments… and criticizing websites with ads would make me a hypocrite or would it?

So here’s the question I pose you to you - the website user. Are ads totally unwanted and unwarranted? Is it evil for someone like me to make a few bucks to pay for hosting this website? Would it be evil if I required viewing full screen ads before being able to access my website? or placed pop-up ads? Should all content on the Internet be essentially free without ads like wikipedia and craigslist?

APA Citation:
Smith, Nathan. M. (2007). The Internet Ad Backlash.
Retrieved September 8, 2008, from http://www.computer-forensic-technician.com/wordpress/the-internet-ad-backlash/.