Understanding that other people's business models aren't your problem... what would you prefer publishers do instead? Paid subscriptions? Micropayments? "Sponsored Content"? Charity work?
* Require me to download megabytes of Javascript and Flash, particularly when I have to pay by the megabyte for my data plan.
* Consume excessive CPU time and reduce my battery life
* Use CSS to hover over the actual text I was trying to read
* Make noise
* Pop-ups
* Pop-unders
* Link to malware
* Link to scams
* Ignore me when I say "DO NOT TRACK"
In other words, show me a modicum of respect. Deliver ads that actually have value for me, rather than treating me like the product you are selling to someone else. Nobody complains about the ads they see on Amazon, largely because Amazon is doing this.
The absolute worst thing you can do is try to defeat the ad blocker I installed. That means you have become my adversary -- in which case I have zero reason to care about your revenue stream.
I would not have any problem with a nice banner, clickable, possibly surrounded by a color that does not make me want to pull out my eyes with a fork after having 4 seisures and 2 strokes.
I do though have a problem, when a 3rd party tries to track everyone, and possibly without the publishers you're speaking of know anything about what's running on his site (they do not care, why should I?).
What I would prefer publishers to do: write something useful and meaningful, and make users come back because of your content. Be it a book, a fanfic, a blog with random thoughts, poetry, etc.
People seem to forget that web is about meaningful content.
This is how you attract users.
And some last lines while we're at it. Why is it always the question "if we [publishers] stop using ads, what'll we do"? I seriously do not care. I do not HAVE to care. Same goes for any user. It's his job to find a way (hint: meaningful content) to get revenue. He's the boss after all, right? ;)
AdBlock is a problem [1] because if you're using it then how would you even know that my banner ads are all respectful and relevant?
Like I said: I understand it isn't your problem to figure out how the sites you enjoy will stay in business. But I think it's worth thinking about.
> It's his job to find a way (hint: meaningful content) to get revenue
You mean sites should charge to read their content? How else does one turn meaningful content into revenue without ads?
([1] I actually don't think it's much of a problem at all... yet)
That is the nice part about ABP's whitelist -- respectful ads are shown, and bad actors are punished. Better still, if you disagree with ABP's judgements, you can (a) disable the whitelist or (b) use a different ad blocker. It is a great idea for what amounts to an industry-wide problem.
I question how independent ABP is, though, when their (only?) revenue comes from the fees sites pay to get on their whitelist. It gives the appearance of a shakedown.
With the default set to block, it's kinda rough on the little guy, too.