Why Stack Overflow Doesn't Care About Ad Blockers

Press2ToContinue writes: Forging a bold step in the right direction, Stack Overflow announced today that they don't care if you use an ad blocker when you visit their site. "The truth is: we don't care if our users use ad blockers on Stack Overflow. More accurately: we hope that they won't, but we understand that some people just don't like ads. Our belief is that if someone doesn't like them, and they won't click on them, any impressions served to them will only annoy them-- plus, serving ads to people who won't click on them harms campaign performance. ... Publishers can't win by forcing ads — especially low-quality ads — in people's faces. Think scantily-clad women selling flight deals, weight-loss supplement promos or wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube-men promoting car dealerships." It's possible that this declaration by SO might help to clarify to advertisers that it is the overabundance of low quality ads that practically force the public to seek out ad blockers. But seriously, what is the likelihood of that?

Comments

Hear hear!

[rmdingler]

Also, too, and neither: figure out a way to separate me from the paper in my wallet without making my machine load slower.

Write your ads in a language not quite so notorious as an infection vector.

Good start, though.

Re:it's not "low quality ads" that are the problem

[Anonymous Coward]

To quote from a previous slashdot article on this:

Browsing without an adblocker is like fucking without a condom.
You should only do it with someone you really, really trust.