Why Using an Ad Blocker Can be a Bad Idea

Ad Blocking is getting to be a common sport on the internet. Now there are some legitimate uses for an ad blocker. Some ad companies resort to downright harassment when serving their ads using annoying pop ups, flying ads, floating ads and the like. Blocking these types of ads are not a problem. Using an ad blocker though to block all ads on a site including text ads, banner ads, etc is wrong and here's why.

Free Information makes the Internet Valuable.

Do you like getting free news from major news sources? How about the latest weather for free? Do you like being able to use a search engine to find information on a topic that interests you? How do you think the companies that run these services can afford to give this information away for free? It's because they charge advertisers who display advertisements on pages where this free information is found.

How useful would the Internet be if it was Ad Free?

Without ads, there would be much less commercial business transacted online. Would it eliminate it completely? No. But there would be much less of it. Now, some people think that would be a good thing but stop to think about it. If you take away all free news sources like CNN, NY Times, and all major news sources, then take away all Travel sites, then cut the number of free information websites on almost any topic by 95% and what kind of internet are we left with?

Would everything be a disaster on the Internet without ads?

Having email being spam free would be nice but blocking spam is a lot less precise than using an ad blocker to eliminate all kinds of ads. If we had no pop ups to worry about the Internet would be nicer, but most people already get this with the latest browsers.

I am all in favor of eliminating intrusive advertising methods like pop ups and spyware but I think the whole idea of blocking all ads is short sighted. Tools certainly exist to block almost all forms of advertising online. I would urge you though to think twice before you activate ad blocking on all forms of advertising.

Non intrusive, in-context advertising can actually help you

I can't count the number of times I've been on a web page that didn't have exactly what I was looking for but an ad on that site did. Same thing when searching Google. Sometimes the listings are not relevant to the kind of information I'm after but the ads on the side or the top are.

Is all advertising evil? Of course not. Many forms of advertising can actually be helpful. Next time you're thinking about blocking that text or banner ad, think twice. You may need access to an advertiser in the future. What's the harm in that?

Joe Duchesne is the owner of Yowling.com. Yowling is a web hosting company that offers a web site builder that allows you to create a professional website in no time flat. Reprint freely as long as you keep the live keyword rich link found in this resource box.

---

The Importance Of Email Backup

Viruses, software failures, power failures, human errors, hard drive failures... Read More

Windows PDA Medical Software Benefits

PDA Medical BenefitsIf you are concerned about your medical history,... Read More

A Peek Into the Near Future of Electronics Technology

How long do you think DVDs have around? 20 years?... Read More

Email Management

If you utilize a computer at home or work it... Read More

Cisco Certification: Building Your Home Lab, Part II

In the first part of this home lab tutorial, CCNA... Read More

Digital Cameras Ratings Abolish Camera Comparison Guesswork

Digital cameras ratings are great tools for deciding which camera... Read More

A Lesson in HTML

As the owner of a Country Mall and Top Site... Read More

How To Remove One Operating System from a Dual Boot Windows XP Computer

In Windows Xp, you can install two operating systems on... Read More

HTML Explained: Part 2

Get started creating web pages using text files and HTML... Read More

How Does My PC Get Hot

There are many sources of heat that can raise the... Read More

Nephrology and Dialysis For a PDA

Saving Lives With A Pocket PCFree medical downloads can be... Read More

How To Buy An MP3 Player

Are you looking for an MP3 player but am not... Read More

Getting Started with HTML

The basic language of the internet is html. If you... Read More

Faster Browsing Tips

IF WE say that it was mainly because of the... Read More

Password Nightmares

Good Morning Mr. Sampson. Please type in you Personal Identification... Read More

Temporary Fixes to Spyware, Ad-ware, and Virus Infections

So you've got some spyware, ad-ware, or viruses on your... Read More

Best PC Pocket GPS

Stop Getting LostOne of the greatest uses for a pocket... Read More

Portable Technology: Getting to Know the Treo

Up until the recent past, those who wanted to take... Read More

Cisco Certification: The Most Important Cisco Study Youll Ever Do

All of us are familiar with the pyramids of Egypt.... Read More

Advantages and Guidelines of Automated Testing

"Automated Testing" is automating the manual testing process currently in... Read More

Setting File Permissions On A Unix Server

File permissions are one of the strengths that the Unix... Read More

Digital Cameras: Hot Gear with the Coolest Features!

Cameras: still known for taking pictures but assumed as digital... Read More

PC Tools Youd Never Think You Need

Do you use Windows standard uninstall feature? How do you... Read More

10 Easy Steps to Speed Up Your Computer - Without Upgrading

1. Empty the Temp directory regularly. To do this, make... Read More

Is Digital Camera Technology Making Film Obsolete?

Perhaps not yet, but the handwriting might be on the... Read More

How to Switch to Firefox and Why You should

First things first, what is Firefox? Well, it's a browser.... Read More

Use Your Computer For Your Entertainment Needs

By using your computer today you can find a lot... Read More

Font Organizers Review, Part I

Do you know how many fonts are currently installed on... Read More

Help, I Need a New HDTV! (Part 3 of 5)

Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More

Tips For Getting Technical Support Help Online

Sometimes your PC will start acting strange for no apparent... Read More

Consumer Electronic Information: The Basics of the DLP Projector

Projectors have come a long way in the past few... Read More

Plasma TV vs LCD TV

For those seeking to buy their first flat panel TV... Read More

Why Using an Ad Blocker Can be a Bad Idea

Ad Blocking is getting to be a common sport on... Read More