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0 pointsepoch197010y ago0 comments

That's not the kind of innovation that users want, nor is it the kind that they truly benefit from.

In general, users don't want any ads at all showing in their browser.

They don't want them as part of web pages, they don't want them embedded in videos, and they surely don't want them as part of the browser itself!

This should have been obvious given the popularity of various ad-blocking extensions for Firefox.

Going against the obvious wishes of a product's users is something that's deserving of criticism.

0 comments

9mit3t2m9h9a10y ago

I wanted to see what they would promote — and still was disappointed, as there was no option to show _only_ the promoted links (I prefer to access history by typing a part of the site name into the address bar).

I do block anything that I notice if it looks like a tracker, but I am ready to believe that Mozilla's description of client-side ad selection was correct.

rockdoe10y ago

Users want to have their cake and eat it too. Following the users wishes when they're self-destructive is bad, and you should feel bad.

Ads are enormously important for a lot of quality content out there to exist. Destroying them now, without good alternatives, is destructive to the web.

rmxt10y ago

Call the desire to rid the web of ads "destructive" if you please, but don't call those wishes "self-destructive" from the user's perspective. It is completely within the user's prerogative to filter whatever content they wish to filter before it hits their eyeballs. Why should anyone feel bad about choosing what they want to look at it?

For a sort of analogy, the presence of pay-to-read newspapers hasn't precluded the presence of free-to-read newspapers (New York Times vs. Metro [1]), nor has free-to-read papers killed off pay-to-read newspapers, which are generally higher quality. Savvy digital content providers will find a way to still make money, even if it's not ads as they exist today.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_International

rockdoe10y ago

It's self-destructive because users who don't block ads are keeping sites alive for the users that do block them. If all the users block the ads, the site will need to scramble for a new income model, and for some the new model might not work out.

Seems like a perfect example of self-destructive/tragedy-of-the-commons behavior to me.

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Certhas10y ago

Sure.

And at one point people just wanted IE compatibility for their webpages to load.

If you accept that targeted ads are a part of the web eco system, then its absolutely within the remit of Mozillas mission to explore how to serve targeted ads while respecting privacy.

bobajeff10y ago

As a user I really don't care about ads. Unless, of course, they are those annoying hover ads or auto-playing video ads or they slow down the browser.

oconnore10y ago

So far, informally, every person I've seen write something like this works in marketing, works for a company that makes revenue from advertising, or is somehow monetarily incentivized to have a web where "users" widely agree to view ads. Obviously, there's no causation (perhaps those people naturally gravitate towards fruitful work that doesn't bother them), but it seems to be a pretty reliable (read: so far 100%) correlation.

Are you the combo breaker?

bobajeff10y ago

No, I don't do any of that stuff. So I guess I'm the combo breaker.

I'm never offended by the presence of ads themselves. Maybe it's because I grew up with them? Maybe I'm just more comfortable with ignoring them?

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9mit3t2m9h9a10y ago

I do block anything that I notice if it looks like a tracker, but I am ready to believe that Mozilla's description of client-side ad selection was correct.

rockdoe10y ago

Users want to have their cake and eat it too. Following the users wishes when they're self-destructive is bad, and you should feel bad.

Ads are enormously important for a lot of quality content out there to exist. Destroying them now, without good alternatives, is destructive to the web.

rmxt10y ago

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_International

rockdoe10y ago

Seems like a perfect example of self-destructive/tragedy-of-the-commons behavior to me.

2 more replies

Certhas10y ago

Sure.

And at one point people just wanted IE compatibility for their webpages to load.

If you accept that targeted ads are a part of the web eco system, then its absolutely within the remit of Mozillas mission to explore how to serve targeted ads while respecting privacy.

bobajeff10y ago

As a user I really don't care about ads. Unless, of course, they are those annoying hover ads or auto-playing video ads or they slow down the browser.

oconnore10y ago

Are you the combo breaker?

bobajeff10y ago

No, I don't do any of that stuff. So I guess I'm the combo breaker.

I'm never offended by the presence of ads themselves. Maybe it's because I grew up with them? Maybe I'm just more comfortable with ignoring them?

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse