DoubleClick Warns Against Ad-Blocking Browsers 1399
An anonymous reader writes "The end of free Internet content will come when Web browsers start blocking online advertisements by default, a DoubleClick executive has warned. Bennie Smith, the online advertising network's privacy chief, said the popularity of tools like Adblock -- an extension to the Mozilla Firefox browser -- which makes blocking online ads simple was tied to 'a negative vibe against advertising in general'."
cry me a river (Score:5, Funny)
Too bad... (Score:1, Funny)
In other news. (Score:5, Funny)
Product Placement (Score:1, Funny)
something like:
"Today an Abu Ghraib, where prisoners enjoy cold delicious coca-cola classic, investigators uncovered....."
What a hypocracy! (Score:4, Funny)
This Newspaper, Why, It's Like Swiss Cheese! (Score:5, Funny)
"He said if a similar tool could be produced for newspapers, it would not be accepted by consumers. 'You'd go to your local corner shop and buy the daily paper, and you'd have these large holes where the ads were. You'd somehow feel like your 25 cents had not gotten full value,' he said."
What if you went to a baseball game, and there were only open space -- holes, that is -- where the billboards usually were, and your beer cup had a hole where the "Budweiser" logo goes, and the peanuts were generic (with holes in them), and there were dogs with holes in their mouth and when they bark they shoot holes at you? I say, you'd somehow feel you didn't get a good value!
Give FOX some time. (Score:3, Funny)
In other news, burglars complain about police (Score:5, Funny)
"Youz all needs burglars, see?" said Gibbons in an interview from his cell. "We're keeping the economy running, you shoulds be thanking us!"
Arguing that product theft spurred economic activity by forcing consumers to purchase more, Gibbons estimates that if burglary drops by a mere 15% nationally, the effects could be felt in the form of hundreds of thousands of workers losing their jobs as demand for replacement products wane.
"It's like this," he said as he preened his whiskers. "Them cops, they're always sniffing around where they ain't welcome, but instead of helping the economy by buying donuts like theys do in the movies, they're out busting honest, hard working economic invigorators like myself!"
His tail whipping back and forth in a frenzy, Gibbons then launched into a tirade against the specific officers that had arrested him earlier that afternoon for cutting a stereo out of a parked car.
Finally, he closed the interview with this prediction: "If yous all don't hold in the reins on Magruff over there, industries are gonna topple! Let me and my friends free, for the sake of our country!" He then scampered to his nest at the back of the cell.
Newspaper Ads (Score:2, Funny)
DoubleClick? Give me a break. (Score:2, Funny)
Hint: Change your company's ways of advertising to something reasonable [google.com] and maybe people will stop binding your domains to 127.0.0.1 in the hosts file. If the way you make money is unethical (legal != ethical), don't be surprised when people boycott your company. This is like the Italian Mafia Godfather complaining that people protect their stores with alarms.
It's the crazy frog, y'know... (Score:5, Funny)
It may be the most popular ringtone in the world, but it makes me WANT TO KILL PEOPLE.
*twitch*
So, how about this; if you make the ads just a little less ANNOYING, not only will I stop blocking them so much, I will not come after the advertising executives WITH A BLUNT, RUSTY SPOON!
Google Text Ads (Score:3, Funny)
People don't block ads. People block annoyances. Witness the "click to play" Flash plugins as well.
Bad comparison (Score:2, Funny)
He said if a similar tool could be produced for newspapers, it would not be accepted by consumers.
That might be true if ads in the newspaper and those online were even remotely similar. Funny, I don't remember an ad for a dating service in the newspaper covering up a story I wanted to read until I acknowledged it. Nor have I ever finished the paper, laid it down, and then found an ad laying in my lap underneath it!
Re:Product Placement (Score:2, Funny)
Translation: (Score:3, Funny)
End of DoubleClick (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Indeed, this is the free market at work. (Score:4, Funny)
I shall build you a shrubbery if you send me a copy of these things you speak of!
Re:Good call (Score:2, Funny)
Someone should just make a REALLY ANNOYING ad that basically just says: "if you were using Opera or Firefox, you would not be seeing this".
Re:Indeed, this is the free market at work. (Score:1, Funny)
They all have advertisements on their websites?
Re:Indeed, this is the free market at work. (Score:2, Funny)
*Bletch* *urgh* How many years of school did you have to unlearn to come up with inanery like this?
Re:Indeed, this is the free market at work. (Score:4, Funny)
Yeah, well, if the baker starts to shout about his "special prices" into my ear every time I walk in, I'm going to wear ear plugs.
Re:Indeed, this is the free market at work. (Score:2, Funny)
You're new here, aren't you?
DoubleClick's privacy chief? (Score:2, Funny)
What? This guy's the Chief Privacy Officer for Doubleclick?
Isn't that a lot like being the Chief Legal Compliance Officer for the Mafia?