Thursday, September 13, 2007

I like AdBlock plus

If I would ever make a list of the best Firefox extensions, Ad Block would be on the top of this list.. It is simply the best an extension can be - it does its gob very well, and it doesn't distracts (unlike stumbleupon...). Moreover it removes the visual assault ads tend to be sometimes...

I installed it along time ago and since then I rarely see ads. It is very good in removing them, especially when used together with the Customize Google extension, which allows to also remove all the ads you normally see in your search results and in Gmail (and other Google products). Without the customize Google extension, Ad-block blocks Google ads only when you visit a website not own by Google.
If you want to be even more ad free, you can also install Element Hiding Helper for Ad Block and Filterset.G Updater. Together this four extension provide an excellent defense from all ads there are.. Also, if even this is not enough, it is very easy to create your own filters in Ad Block - just a few mouse clicks. I had to do this maybe 2-3 times in the last year.

I was never felt disturbed by Google ads, so I even didn't notice that this extension blocks them also. Actually I was sure it doesn't block them at all because it didn't block them in search results. However when I added Google ads to this blog and to my site I couldn't see them, they were completely blocked.

When inserting the code on my site I did a mistake so the adds appeared on top of content, blocking it from view. But because of Ad Block I didn't see this until today. I checked the site today with Ad Block turned off and fixed this. Now the ads are displayed at the bottom of the page and I will probably leave them there.
So... if you don't want to see ads get Firefox with Ad Block plus and with the customize Google extension. You will not see even those ads you actually wanted to see :).

The only problem with this setup is that is considered to be unmoral by some. If you are surprised by this, think why about why we have so much free services/sites on the internet? The reason for this is that they are paying their bills using adverting. Ads are not the only way to make money on the internet, but it is the most common one. By installing ad blocking software, you are killing this revenue model.

In the end this is a good thing. It is possible to make money online without ads, and probably this is where the internet is heading now. So, feel free to install ad block... This what I did anyway ;).

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