

Why Web Designers Should Not Use Ad Blockers - superduper
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/06/14/why-web-designers-should-not-use-ad-blockers-opinion-column/

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pavs
This is what I saw when I opened that link on my macbook without ad blocker:
<http://i.imgur.com/hSiC3.jpg>

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bradleyland
For as much good content as Smashing Magazine has, there is an equal share of
brain-dead layout going on. I understand the need to monetize a website, but
at some point, content providers are going to have to learn a little bit about
economics. The solution to plummeting advertising rates isn't to _increase the
supply of advertising space_. That's exactly the opposite of what they should
be doing.

As an advertiser, I wouldn't even begin to consider advertising on Smashing's
blogs. There are ten items (if you include their book, twitter, and Facebook
plugs) on that page competing for my attention before I get to any content.
The task-focus for someone viewing that page is to find the content. It's a
horrible game to foist upon your readership.

If anyone is clicking those ads, it's either by accident, or because they're
thinking to themselves, "Ok, obviously Smashing is hard up here, otherwise
there wouldn't be 7 ads and 3 plugs."

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bombs
I don't agree.

The only reason why web designers should not use ad blockers, that I can think
of, is to see how others are placing ads and learn from them, so when you have
to design a page that has ads, you know how or how not to do it.

