Let me begin by stating I think this discussion is getting a little over-heated. It started with Mod. Dave K. noting that one of the advertisements went ?a little over the top? (probably a glitch in the system), preventing users from navigating normally. However, this has quickly turned into an unfriendly dispute over the existence of advertisements in the first place. While most people, if asked about advertisements, would respond ?get rid of them? and ?who needs them? they are not thinking about the consequences of such actions. All media outlets are funded, at least in part, by advertisements.
Think of things like television?sure, we?d like to be able to watch a movie without commercials, but it is the commercials that enable us to watch the movies in the first place. Broadcast television is supported solely by advertisements (and sometimes the government), and cable/satellite TV?s costs are supplemented by ads. If TV was ad-free, think of the prices we?d have to pay for cable?people would long for the opportunity to pay $50 for cable again.
This may soon become a reality, as more and more people are purchasing PVRs, allowing them to fast-forward through advertisements. See this recent UK article, which highlights the issue. While the general public focuses on the benefits, the TV stations and advertisement companies realize that such a trend will completely revolutionize the entertainment industry, and not necessarily for the better. Companies will lose money due to decreased sales, TV and cable companies will loose customers because they have to raise their prices, and the consumers will have to pay extravagant prices now that they have to ?pick up the check? normally covered by advertising.
The same goes for the internet. Almost every site available is either selling their own products or sponsored by ads. Very few create a website for the public and eat up the costs themselves because others will appreciate it. (And such can only be sustained for so long.) Things like the Cnet user forums exist for free because the costs are covered by advertisers and funds diverted from their other Cnet ?units.? They could very easily close the forums, because lets face it, they?re not a huge source of profit, if any. Cnet provides the forums because it is a good business strategy and because they truly care about the tech community.
It is each person?s choice whether to use a PVR to skip through commercials or ad-blocking software to block pop-ups and in-site ads. However, that person must also realize that he/she is contributing to the destruction of the current system, and be willing to accept the consequences. I choose to block advertisements because, as I said before, I don?t make purchases based on ads?I base all of my decisions on news articles and reviews. Thus, it wouldn?t make a difference if I see them or not.
However, the same cannot be said for everyone. Some make their judgments based solely, or at least in part, on advertisements they see, and it is those individuals that help maintain our current system. The decision to block is yours, but the ads must remain for both their benefit, and ours.
I hope I have helped enlighten some readers of this thread.
John