Are you sure you don't have any ad blocker installed?
As to why I use Adblock, I've never. Not once. Ever. Bought anything from an ad on a website. I _have_ bought books and such from the referral links on blogs (which adblock doesn't block).
The reason I use adblock is because I'm not the demographic ads on websites are targeting. So websites aren't losing any revenue by me not seeing their ads.
The "sometimes" you talk about should just be with ads on. it won't hurt much, because it's just sometimes.
This is exactly why I use adblock.
Marketers estimate the CPI they're willing to pay based on estimated conversions per impression. Ultimately, the money comes from sales. It always comes from sales.
If I don't ever purchase anything from a website ad, my impressions are worth zero. My impressions, and impressions by those like me, will drive down the price a company is willing to pay per impression since the conversion ratio also goes down. In fact, my impressions incur a negative effect since it still incurs a cost to the advertiser.
In the best of all possible worlds, only those who will ultimately buy a product are displayed the ad. Resulting in a 100% conversion ratio. Each impression would be maximally valuable and the price paid for that impression would rise to reflect that.
Those of us who use adblock have removed ourself from the market and from the conversion ratio calculations and cost per impression to the advertiser.
Maybe I'm apathetic to these arguments because I'm quite comfortable paying for content and services, and I'm comfortable with a version of the web where a paying class gets to have paying-class products. If the public feels there should be a free thing, then let it be funded by taxes.
or http://scribblestrum.livejournal.com/88086.html for those without a New Yorker sub.
What do you gain by blocking adverts? An extra 150K from your data plan?
>websites aren't losing any revenue by me not seeing their ads.
This argument is a little too close to justifying piracy for my liking. "I wasn't going to buy it anyway, so it's fine"
Quicker page loads, avoiding seizure inducing ads that are designed to attract your attention in an overly aggressive way, better visibility of text because it's not surrounded by flashy pictures, animations and videos. Plus avoiding Flash/Java/JS ads poisoned with malicious content.
And, oh yeah, and ~150K that won't hit my data plan.
For the record, I don't block all ads. I have sites that I allow them on because I am a frequent user and their ads are not too obnoxious to deal with. If my page views (never clicks though) help them then great! But I surf with the blocker on by default for the reasons laid out above.
...a lack of adverts?
> This argument is a little too close to justifying piracy for my liking.
Except it's within everyone's rights to decide how their computers will render a given piece of markup.
Do you also think not buying a Toyota is a little too close to car theft?
So then, I'll unblock ads to help companies survive just as soon as those companies start giving me money to help me survive.
With an ad blocker, you selectively block the javascript you don't like but that the operators rely on to bring in revenue, while still getting the otherwise 'full' experience.
Since obviously I'd still be able to get tmux, what value is sourceforge actually providing me? They might be providing tmux developers some value, but they aren't providing any value to me.
Or that ponzu schemes are okay as long as you yourself don't have to deal with them.