what's happened?

[Anonymous]

I don't have a problem with adds per se, but with Google tracking my surfing behaviour via those adds.

I'm not disagreeing with your desire to not see ads, but if you use Google and allow your cookies to be stored then data is still going to be collected on you, regardless of whether the forum has ads or not.

The ads just, presumably, make use of your cookies to tailor them to what the algorithm thinks is suitable for you.

This is how I see ads working:

Oh I see you've been looking at cars recently. Let me check my database to see who has bought an advert and wants it pushed to that sort of demographic. Oh! Skoda have bought one that they've paid more to be pushed than other ads. I had better show it to you because you might be interested.

I also see you looked for car insurance six months ago and have that stored in your cookies. That must mean you like car insurance! Hey, this company have paid us to promote their car insurance so here is an ad for it.

w.r.t the Aj Jazeera ad, I imagine it working in a way that is similar. You may have looked at a news site or briefly read an article and not cleared your cookies (browsing data).

With all that being said if anyone is concerned about Google tracking what you do, then
a) Don't use Google (probably not an option)
b) Clear your cookies and browsing data daily.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't have a problem with adds per se, but with Google tracking my surfing behaviour via those adds.

I'm not disagreeing with your desire to not see ads, but if you use Google and allow your cookies to be stored then data is still going to be collected on you, regardless of whether the forum has ads or not.

Cookies and some more nasty things are cleared each time I close my browser. Part of my work is doing security stuff so I know a thing or two about that
In fact this forum uses something like http://antiblock.org/ to check for adblockers, and I already found a way to work around that. But I don't want to be involved in a cat and mouse fight, I have better things to do in my spare time.
Like, driving my RCZ!

I'm a member of a lot of forums, most with, some without ads. Every(!) other forum lets ME decide whether I want to see ads or not (I wouldn't click them anyway), this is the only one which tries to force me.

This is unacceptable for me, so besides checking my email (and this thread) from time to time I'm out until that changes.

Goodbye.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't have a problem with adds per se, but with Google tracking my surfing behaviour via those adds.

I'm not disagreeing with your desire to not see ads, but if you use Google and allow your cookies to be stored then data is still going to be collected on you, regardless of whether the forum has ads or not.

Cookies and some more nasty things are cleared each time I close my browser. Part of my work is doing security stuff so I know a thing or two about that
In fact this forum uses something like http://antiblock.org/ to check for adblockers, and I already found a way to work around that. But I don't want to be involved in a cat and mouse fight, I have better things to do in my spare time.
Like, driving my RCZ!

I'm a member of a lot of forums, most with, some without ads. Every(!) other forum lets ME decide whether I want to see ads or not (I wouldn't click them anyway), this is the only one which tries to force me.

This is unacceptable for me, so besides checking my email (and this thread) from time to time I'm out until that changes.

Goodbye.

Losing a valuable source of information to the forum! Sorry to see you go Tom

 

[Anonymous]

Tom, there's always Tapatalk for browsing via smartphones and tablets, no ads there.

At work I use Chrome for browsing and Comodo Dragon at home (itself based on Chrome) and I use ad blocking and tracking blocking add-ons from Google's own app store. It seems that Google isn't too worried about having ads that it serves up blocked by apps it gives away for free.

I do understand the cost of hosting forums such as this and the need to generate revenue from ads, completely fair and I have no issues with that. I just block ads en masse irrespective of which website I'm visiting (i.e. nothing personal, Mr Evil sir ) because I never click on them anyway so they're just an untidy distraction.

If that has an effect on the revenue stream I'll happily look at my ad blocker and see if it allows me to whitelist this site for the odd occasion I use my browser rather than Tapatalk. But I'll be keeping the tracking blockers on. Random ads I can put up with but I don't like being "watched" so that ads can be targeted at me.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

 

[Anonymous]

So...if one were to regularly clearly one's cookies then surely the ads would be random? I do not profess to know a huge amount about this, but don't google automatically store all information from searches for 18 months before making it anonymous anyway? Presumably those who are worried by this use an alternative search engine to bypass this? A huge number of sites must surely use this data to apply ads? Are people irritated because you cannot use an ad blocker and still access the forum?

 

[Anonymous]

Are people irritated because you cannot use an ad blocker and still access the forum?

Yes

 

[hanswuk]

The ads at the top never bothered me. The ones at the bottom (which have now disappeared?) are/were annoying.

 

[Evil Derboy]

Guys, just an update on the anti-ad blocker situation. I've been experimenting to try and achieve a desired functionality with a piece of code but the only outcome I've managed to achieve is to block access to the site altogether and that wasn't my aim. So I've binned it.

I am defeated! I will dismantle my anti-ad blocking WMDs and beat a hasty retreat from the field with my tail between my legs.

Curse you, forces of good and justice! I shall return with other nefarious schemes at a later date....

:text-bravo: :beer:

 

[Abzynthe]

If it helps, I've kept the ads :lol:

You cant please everyone, but I appreciate you working on making the site better. :thumbup:

 

[Anonymous]

The ads at the top never bothered me. The ones at the bottom (which have now disappeared?) are/were annoying.

Yep. I totally agree. Fortunately there is a way to change things from being annoying into the past sense :beer: I'm all in favour of free choice and hate being told what I am going to watch/see :thumbdown:

 

[Anonymous]

Guys, just an update on the anti-ad blocker situation. I've been experimenting to try and achieve a desired functionality with a piece of code but the only outcome I've managed to achieve is to block access to the site altogether and that wasn't my aim. So I've binned it.

I am defeated! I will dismantle my anti-ad blocking WMDs and beat a hasty retreat from the field with my tail between my legs.

Curse you, forces of good and justice! I shall return with other nefarious schemes at a later date....

:text-bravo: :beer:

:lol: :lol: :text-bravo:

Welcome back TomC.

 

[Anonymous]

Guys, just an update on the anti-ad blocker situation. I've been experimenting to try and achieve a desired functionality with a piece of code but the only outcome I've managed to achieve is to block access to the site altogether and that wasn't my aim. So I've binned it.

I am defeated! I will dismantle my anti-ad blocking WMDs and beat a hasty retreat from the field with my tail between my legs.

Curse you, forces of good and justice! I shall return with other nefarious schemes at a later date....

:text-bravo: :beer:

:lol: :lol: :text-bravo:

Welcome back TomC.

Not so quick Mr Rizz. I just paused my anti adblocker (I don't really like it as it means somebody else is monitoring what I am doing to block the ads) and sure enough I immediatly got the overlay page to say that this site uses ads and to turn off your ad blocker. Re enabled it and I'm ad free again.

 

[Anonymous]

It's fairly rare that I access many forums of any type outside of Tapatalk so I'm not best placed to really comment on this I'm afraid.

 

[Evil Derboy]

Not so quick Mr Rizz. I just paused my anti adblocker (I don't really like it as it means somebody else is monitoring what I am doing to block the ads) and sure enough I immediatly got the overlay page to say that this site uses ads and to turn off your ad blocker. Re enabled it and I'm ad free again.

Once the cache updates the changes will take effect.

 

[Anonymous]

Okay. This is once again a safe site for Michelle Phiffer :clap: Come back Tom all is forgiven :thumbup:

 

[Anonymous]

Guys, just an update on the anti-ad blocker situation. I've been experimenting to try and achieve a desired functionality with a piece of code but the only outcome I've managed to achieve is to block access to the site altogether and that wasn't my aim. So I've binned it.

Thanks, that's highly appreciated :thumbup:

Okay. This is once again a safe site for Michelle Phiffer...

Make that Claudia Schiffer and I'm in :mrgreen:

 

[Anonymous]

Welcome back TomC. I'd have been gutted to have seen you leave.

 

[Anonymous]

Guys, just an update on the anti-ad blocker situation. I've been experimenting to try and achieve a desired functionality with a piece of code but the only outcome I've managed to achieve is to block access to the site altogether and that wasn't my aim. So I've binned it.

Thanks, that's highly appreciated :thumbup:

Okay. This is once again a safe site for Michelle Phiffer...

Make that Claudia Schiffer and I'm in :mrgreen:

That's the one Sorry got rather a lot of s$$t running around my head at the moment and sometimes some of it spills out :crazy:

 

[Abzynthe]

These ads are getting very random :lol:

I have never seeked love from a Thai bride.

 

[RCZ1]

Are you sure? Are you really really sure ? lol