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Comment by wrigglingworm | Hacker News Reader

I wouldn't even mind ads if most sites weren't malicious with how they serve them. Do not make a new window pop up, do not try to download anything to my computer without my explicit instruction, do not make me click an x to view the content, do not interrupt the content to serve an ad. Why can't they just have a nice little ad on the left and/or right side of the page that doesn't interrupt my intake of their content? Heck, even on the top is fine.

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Greed. Those kinds of ads pay more. Interrupting the content means they can sell the spot as something people will actually see because they are forced to.

More like desperation. The only real source of money online is ads sales. Nobody is making bank from putting ads on their site. They might be making enough for hosting.

Though I guess it could be described as greed on the part of the advertisers?

Yeah, it's greed. Greed by advertising networks, greed by the companies placing the ads, greed by the reader wanting unlimited content for free.

This is the most correct response, and the only one which acknowledges the role of the reader.

"Greed."

I think that's right.

The entire point of ad is to make you notice. As you said you "don't mind", this is not something ads would want. It's a raising bar as people are starting to learn to ignore ads more and more subconsiously.

I've successfully removed ads from basically my whole life, but now when I do happen to see one I'm less conditioned to ignore it. So boy oh boy do I notice. I kind of hate it. My eye is immediately drawn to anything flashy or moving, to the point where I'll make an effort to sit facing away from any TV screen in a restaurant.

Animated banner ads were something I adapted to completely ignore during my time on the web 20 years ago. After that, a decade of ad-blockers softened my calluses and now when I see an animated banner ad on a news site I begin to twitch and spasm.

It’s the audio for me, in video ads. I cannot tolerate it well anymore.

I actually enjoy reading ads in enthusiast magazines (those few that remain for computing, gaming, musical instruments and technology, etc.)

It's a shame that magazines are mostly dead at this point. If you ever look at old computing magazines on the internet archive, it's like stepping into a rather wonderful alternate timeline before the web asteroid hit. (The irony of reading those magazines on the web is not lost on me.)

Well also many sites are now just absolutely covered with ads. Like it went from one on a page to now banner above, banner left and right, pop up video that has to be closed, two to three interstitial ads in the main content, like 2 dozen shitty taboola or similar "articles" popped on the end. Ugh.

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