Niche Diamonds

Ad-Blocking

Jul 6, 2008 Selling Online 101

Note: This article is similar to Lesson #2 of our ‘Selling Online 101′ email course.

Are you tired of needing to find the content in between all the ads, every time you search the internet for something? If so, then you may be interested in learning more about the various Ad Blockers that can stop this from happening. As a bonus, your computer will also run faster without all of those ads and you will have more privacy regarding where you go on the internet.

Sounds cool? Read on.

Most Ad Blockers work by blocking out the host files. Others work by using a list of host names, you can choose to add new names to the list and take others off. Albeit being a lot less automatic everything is expected to be nowadays, this would give you the choice of continuing getting ads from hosts that are not on your blocked list.

There are many types of Ad Blockers to choose from. Just browse a place like download.com and do a search for “ad blocking” or “ad blocker”, read the reviews and then select one. I’m purposefully not giving you any recommendations because the one that is right for you depends on why you want to block them and if you want the option of letting some through from a particular host or not. The market is saturated with various spyware and pop up ad software that block ads out. However, as you chose, be extra careful and make sure the product you use has automatic updates as things change, and is compatible with the other software you operate on your computer.

Firefox has a built-in command that can work as an Ad Blocker, and it allows you to make the choice of the advertisements you are exposed to as you go. The command called “block images from this server”.
It is very simple to use. When you run across an ad you want blocked from your computer simply right click. Double click the “block images from this server” option ad the ad will disappear, most ads images sit right at the advertiser’s server, so this measure would block any adds sit on that particular server (it works fairly well with those pesky ringtone ads).

I read recently (couldn’t remember where) that some webmasters are concerned that ad-blocking software will break their ad-related gains.

So will Ad Blockers affect the vitality and economy of the internet?

I guess it depends on who you ask. Some researchers believe Ad Blockers simply give the consumer some choice over what they are exposed to just like any other mode of advertising. And rightly so. We all have the right to turn the TV channel if we don’t like what is on. The same thing happens with radio stations. Other researchers believe that Ad Blockers will hurt the internet and cost consumers more in the long run. This is because the advertisers will have to find new methods of reaching the consumer but it will cost them more, thus reverting the costs of marketing to their products and services. That additional cost will be then passed on to the consumers.

However the world of advertising and consumers continues to evolve and there are always new ideas being introduced. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

So, in sum:
Ad Blockers are a great way to eliminate the amount of ads you receive on your computer. This will make your computer work faster as well as protect your privacy more. You can choose from various types of programs and software to block such ads. Some will block all of the advertisements while others allow you to block them from particular hosts. Others allow you to click on particular ads and remove them from your computer. Ad Blockers give you a choice in how advertising online affects you and your computer. It’s your choice, really.

Tags: tools