Forum Adds, what an irritating joke!

[Grey13]

The EU introduced legislation to protect web site users from abusive intrusive advertising.

On this site you must either install add blockers, use a mobile where there is no space for massive add intrusion or accept that more than half your screen is abused even though you deny data collection and or add display in the required permission asked.

 

[Thingy]

The problem behind the EU legislation is that now the website cookie warnings are becoming even more intrusive. Every single site you click on now means you have to accept the cookie banner. Sick of it or what.

 

[otherclive]

Well whilst ads are a bit of a pain in a PC they are less intrusive on phone or tablet. But after all it’s a free forum so it costs PCv to run it and paper periodicals aren’t exactly making big profits these days.

 

[Damian]

I don't know how many times it has to be explained but the current owners are an Advertising Business.
Their main income is from doing advertising, its that simple folks !!

The answer is easy and not difficult, install an Ad Blocker ,,,, simple or what?

As has been said, it costs the site owner money to run the site and they are quite entitled to run it how they wish, including advertising, and they don't charge the users for it.

Don't for one moment expect them to change the way they want to work, the answer is in your own hands.

 

[Mel]

There seems to be a choice of ad blockers? Which would forumites recommend?
thanks
mel

 

[Thingy]

There seems to be a choice of ad blockers? Which would forumites recommend?
thanks

That rather depends on which browser you use. I use Firefox with Ghostery, and its perfect.

 

[Damian]

I use AdBlock Plus with W10 and it does the job. On this page it is blocking 12 ads right now.

 

[chrisn7]

Wow the web designers have really excelled themselves today. At the home page, the forum contents and tabs occupy just 14.3% of my desktop screen area till I scroll down!

Might as well scrap the forum and display just ads...

 

[Anseo]

Wow the web designers have really excelled themselves today. At the home page, the forum contents and tabs occupy just 14.3% of my desktop screen area till I scroll down!

Might as well scrap the forum and display just ads...

This is free and works very well indeed, you might want to check out the reviews:

https://adblockultimate.net/

 

[chrisn7]

Yes, thanks for the suggestion - I do that at home ,but this was works comp in lunch hour so can't install anything...

 

[Damian]

Yes, thanks for the suggestion - I do that at home ,but this was works comp in lunch hour so can't install anything...

So in actual fact you should not be using the works computer for private use, so you have no right to complain.

 

[Grey13]

chrisn7 wrote:
Yes, thanks for the suggestion - I do that at home ,but this was works comp in lunch hour so can't install anything...

So in actual fact you should not be using the works computer for private use, so you have no right to complain.

Damion: you never cease to surprise me, who made you the arbitrator of what computer he uses or for that matter the companies computers policies? Out of line me thinks!

 

[Damian]

No, its not out of line.
Every workplace that I know of have a personal use ban on works computers for very good reasons.

 

[Anseo]

No, its not out of line.
Every workplace that I know of have a personal use ban on works computers for very good reasons.

I have very recently resignedretired from an employer that has in excess of 150 PC terminals on 5 sites, in addition, numerous staff can log in with their laptops and tablets etc. through the company wi-fi network.

There are no restrictions on reasonable (the limit has never been defined) personal use of company computers etc.

USB drives and other external data mediumsdevices are prohibited from being used, as is the installation of unauthorised personal software.

 

[Parksy]

The amount of screen space used by the adverts can be irritating, but if a forum user isn't using their own computer or phone there's no other choice other than to put up with the adverts.
Works computers are unlikely to allow ad-blocking software to be downloaded and ad-blockers are the only way that I know of which would reduce the number of screen adverts for this website.

 

[Mel]

No, its not out of line.
Every workplace that I know of have a personal use ban on works computers for very good reasons.

Sorry Damian, but where I work, putting your own device or memory stick on the network is completely banned but you are allowed to use the work computer to access the internet during your regulated break time. However, the access has major inbuilt restrictions on going on anything naughty ( not that I have tried)
Mel

 

[Damian]

I fail to see what the relevance of what others may or may not be able to do.
Read the first part of my reply which says " Every workplace that I know of "

The whole point is no one has any right to complain about the adverts appearing on this site if using a computer that does not belong to them.

 

[Grey13]

Damion, it will be interesting to hear some clarification about your opinion.

How does the ownership of a computer being used affect the user's right to complain if they chose.

Example I may be sitting in an internet cafe and be hacked off with all the adverts, on what basis do you decide I have no right to complain?

Anyway after making this point I for one will restrain myself from further comment ass TBH it has very little to do with massively irritating adds on the forum.

 

[Gafferbill]

This website currently allows the use of add blockers ......so if you find adds annoying then that is because you have not configured your computer and browser to suit your requirements.
I do not ever see any adds on my computer as that is my choice.

I live in hope that the owners of this site do not install software to prevent my use of an add blocker.

 

[otherclive]

This website currently allows the use of add blockers ......so if you find adds annoying then that is because you have not configured your computer and browser to suit your requirements.
I do not ever see any adds on my computer as that is my choice.

I live in hope that the owners of this site do not install software to prevent my use of an add blocker.

I think the OP said he was using a works computer and unless the System Administrators had installed an adblocker the users would not be able to install their own adblocking software. Private users should have no problem using an Adblock.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I fully understand the need for some websites to use adverting as a means of covering operating costs. We have seen so many examples of this in newspapers and focus magazines such as Practical Caravan. It is a necessary evil. It easy to ignore then when you are reading becasue their not jiggling about in the corner of your eye and their not jumping up in front of the printed page you are looking at.And they don't suddenness shift the text you are reading out of your focus and replace it with inane annoying and unwanted adverts. With periodicals teh read has control of what they see.

If that was the way web sites used adverting it wouldn't be so bad, but all too often as I have alluded above the adverts do invade the space you are looking at, and they actively seek to draw your attention away from the text or information you want to see, breaking the train of thought.

I detest such advertising, and it more often than not makes me feel less inclined to want to know more or to purchase whats being advertised It turns me more off than on.

I do use blockers on my browsers, but an increasing number of sites now detect them and make it almost impossible to view them without agreeing remove the blocker. To be fair, most of the sites where I have had to remove the blocker have not been too bad. But some have been a nightmare.

 

[Grey13]

I fully understand the need for some websites to use adverting as a means of covering operating costs.

Prof. Running at least 2 websites myself can assure you the adds have very little to do with "covering costs".

It does well to remember the age old saying, if something (this forum) is free, you are the product / target.

You can be sure as with every so called free web platform they have sophisticated analytical software compiling lists of every users likes and dislikes that are used to sell adds and or sold to suppliers to use in targeted product advertising.

The actual cost of running a typical web site forum is peanuts.

Society is trapped in a massive big brother intrusion into our private lives and we can do nothing to stop it.

It's an irritating Joke / intrusion in our lives.

 

[Parksy]

I fully understand the need for some websites to use adverting as a means of covering operating costs.

Prof. Running at least 2 websites myself can assure you the adds have very little to do with "covering costs".

It does well to remember the age old saying, if something (this forum) is free, you are the product / target.

You can be sure as with every so called free web platform they have sophisticated analytical software compiling lists of every users likes and dislikes that are used to sell adds and or sold to suppliers to use in targeted product advertising.

The actual cost of running a typical web site forum is peanuts.

Society is trapped in a massive big brother intrusion into our private lives and we can do nothing to stop it.

It's an irritating Joke / intrusion in our lives.

I wouldn't disagree with any of that, advertising intrudes upon most aspects of online interaction and social media now and I fully understand the sense of frustration that it can create.
The trouble here in this case is that the Future plc, owners of this particular website, are primarily an online advertising company who connect product and services suppliers with potential customers or clients.
This website uses 'Cookies' to target adverts for goods and services, read the Cookie policy and how to opt out of Cookies Here
If more of us paid a little bit of attention to our own online profile settings and acceptance (or non acceptance) of cookies on various social media platforms including this one we could evade some of the worst aspects of intrusive advertising.

 

[Tourer-Ted]

A real danger of these Ad delivery systems, like the one in use here. Is when they get compromised by undesirables and start injecting malware along with the adverts.

Several instances of this have happened, with big name providers, over the years.

Of course, they don't advertise about that too much!

 

[Parksy]

A real danger of these Ad delivery systems, like the one in use here. Is when they get compromised by undesirables and start injecting malware along with the adverts.

Several instances of this have happened, with big name providers, over the years.

Of course, they don't advertise about that too much!

I can vouch for the fact that this website has state of the art and very efficient software to combat spam and malware.
It's surprising how many attempts are made in a 24 hour period, most of it driven by bots and web crawlers.

On the few occasions that a spammer evades the software by trying their luck manually the two forum moderators either spot them or they are reported by forum members for us to deal with, which we take great delight in doing.
The thing to remember for this website is never to click on url links from members that you don't recognise or from new members until we get to know and trust them.
In the wider online world, be careful of links, if it looks too good to be true it probably is, and guard your privacy by never publicly revealing personal details about yourself.