Re: ad-blocking software

From: Whiteside, John <John.Whiteside_at_CWUSA.COM>
Date: Mon 20 Mar 2000 14:51:31 -0500

Ad-blocking software has never taken off -- not because
it's wrong, or illegal, or immoral, or anything of the
sort.

It hasn't taken off because people don't like to
install and download software.

Advertising supports our free television and cheap
newspapers and free web content, but (at least in the
US) we are rather ambivalent about them. We don't like
them, because they are so often stupid, but we do get
information from them. When they are very well done we
enjoy them, whether we care about the products or not.
If someone offered to take them all away we'd probably
say yes, and then be annoyed when the free content went
away as well.

A small number of people will continue to install ad
blocking software because they hate ads and want the
Internet to be non-commercial. Most people are leery of
upgrading their browser, never mind installing some
software that is going to mess around with its
workings. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Frankly, ads are in much more trouble from the sheer
overload of them bombarding consumers.

John Whiteside
john.whiteside_at_cwusa.com




Received on Mon Mar 20 2000 - 13:51:31 CST