We’re filling unbought ad space with ads from a new network. Last night, for a brief period overnight, they were serving us ads that automatically played audio as soon as the page loaded. This should definitely NOT be happening and I’m asked that they pull the ads entirely until we can be sure it’s stopped.
So if today or tonight you have seen – well, heard – ads that automatically played audio, please keep me posted in this thread. Also, please let me know where you’re located, since it might help to track down the offending ads. And, as usual, serious thanks to those of you who visit the site without using an ad blocker. I’m trying to strike a balance between monetizing the site and not making it too obnoxious. Thanks for bearing with me when that balance gets temporarily messed up.
I heard one this evening here in San Diego. It sounded like Ellen Degeneres’s voice, but I didn’t pay any attention to whatever cause she was promoting or item she was hawking before I navigated to the forums.
Plaintext or simple images = OK (Although images can be ‘loaded’ with shell code and exploit flaws in the OS/Browser)
Active Scripts / Cross domain content / Active content through Plugins = Not OK.
Call me a luddite, but I had my entire system infected with a russian crimekit a few years ago (Through a local Tech Site AD) and I’m not taking the chance again.
Instant0, if you’re going to steal from me, have the decency to do it without announcing to me that you’re doing it. I don’t really care what half-assed excuse you use to justify it to yourself, but no one is getting malware from our ads.
To everyone else, the Iams ad should be blocked. Let me know if you’re still hearing it.
I’m just curious Tom, how does the advertising work? Do you get some amount per pageview, or some flat fee based on monthly traffic? I don’t know why, but I always assumed it was pay per ad click.
Dammit, I’m getting audio as well. Okay, I’ll have them pull the advertising for now. Sorry, guys, and thanks for bearing with me while I sort this out.
Like I said, I don’t really care what half-assed excuse you have for not supporting the site. If you’re using an ad blocker, please don’t come to Quarter to Three. And if you don’t give a fuck and come here anyway, please have the appropriate shame and don’t announce it.
I’m not using an ad-blocker. I’ve disabled flash autoplay, because flash is a menace. I didn’t even realise that was blocking your ads until I saw this thread, because I just don’t pay that much attention. I have had a machine infected on trusted sites through ads before - this is a real thing that can happen. Wanting to guard against it is not a half-assed excuse.
You are effectively asking me to trust your ad provider, who we have just seen is not super competent. Do you have any idea how unreasonable that makes you sound? Sure the risk is small, but I’d be an idiot to take it.
So I’ve sent in a donation instead. You want to run ads and get them seen, don’t use the Adobe Flash virus distribution toolkit.
Yes, it’s a half-assed excuse. The exchange I’m offering you is that you allow ads to be displayed on your computer and I provide content on the front page and a forum. If you don’t want to participate in that exchange, go to another site instead of giving me some half-assed paranoid bullshit about how you’re worried your computer is going to get infected by malware.
What the hell are you on about? They’re competent enough that they running ads from major companies. You might realize that if you weren’t effectively stealing from me. And, yes, I’m asking you to trust the ad network. I trust them. Millions of other people trust them. You should, too.
Do you have any idea how entitled it makes you sound that you’re here running an ad blocker and trying to convince me – and presumably everyone else reading – that I’m putting your computer at risk? The risk is minuscule. You’re an idiot to throw it in my face as an excuse.
“Adobe Flash virus distribution toolkit”? Do you have any idea how unreasonable that makes you sound? I’ve told PayPal to give you back your $3. Keep it and please stop coming to Quarter to Three until you’re willing to honor the exchange I’m offering. Until then, I don’t want you here and I certainly don’t want to hear your half-assed rationalizations.
I don’t think you’re offering an exchange, as you’re not making its terms explicit before it supposedly takes place.
However, if you were offering one, formally speaking, somebody offering you legal tender equivalent to his obligation would extinguish his debt, and you would be the violating party for refusing to accept the legal tender.
But certainly, that’s not an appropriate framework for friendly relationships.
I disabled your ads by_accident. That more than anything should guide you to a different monetization strategy. I am not using an adblocker (unless Chrome itself is an adblocker). I don’t know if you think I am lying or just didn’t read my post… I don’t get what you mean about rationalizations, as soon as I discovered I wasn’t “honouring the exchange you were offering” I sent in a donation.
These links should give you an idea of why disabling flash looks like a smart move.
“The exchange you are offering?” I didn’t know about your exchange. I disabled flash because it was causing me genuine problems. How am I supposed to know you insist people allow flash to view your site? It’s not like there’s a banner. In fact, it doesn’t even say in the forum FAQ we should turn flash on.
I’ve enabled plugins on this site since you insist but I can’t imagine I’ll be coming here very often in future.
I was getting something weird on my tablet yesterday where loading up the forum was automatically opening up the google play store to a link for farmville 2 or something like that. Was happening on Chrome on an android tablet.
Guys, don’t be jerks. Posting about adblocking isn’t cool. Nobody can stop you from doing it, but at least have the courtesy not to stick your dick in Tom’s face and ask him to suck it.
Is there some way to lower the CPU usage of the ads? Granted, I’m browsing on a five-ish year old laptop, but I come to the site for the text, and it’s annoying to have the CPU usage spike to 50 or 100% of a core when I open five threads. I know, I know, it’s really a minor problem and I usually don’t use the CPU for much anyway, but still.
