Block this!

Here's something interesting: Firefox ad-blocker extension causes angst. Yahoo! News doesn't archive articles, so here's the scoop: Jack Lewis, owner of the blog jacklewis.net, has blocked Firefox users from viewing his site. He says that Firefox users who install the Adblock Plus extension are, essentially, taking money away from web site owners who depend on ad revenue to run their sites. On the opposite side, Adblock Plus creator Wladimir Palant says that his extension wouldn't be needed if people weren't annoyed by ads in the first place.

My take? I don't mind ads on the internet. Most of the time I don't even notice them. Sometimes they might even be funny or amusing. I've been known to "kick the football through the tire" on those "get a ringtone if you do this" ads. It's kind of fun to do.

What I don't enjoy are ads that interfere with the browsing experience. Ads that make noise when you don't want it (I appreciate ads that let you turn the audio off or on, with 'off' as default). Ads that pop up right in the browser, making you find that little 'x' to close it. Ads that flash on and off. Ads that occasionally malfunction and block some of the text. And, of course, ads that pop up.

Site owners who use those kinds of ads are no better than spammers or mail advertisers. It should be my decision to make, either pay attention to an ad or focus on the actual content of the site. Ads that demand attention get on my bad side.

For the record, I use Firefox and do not use the Adblock extension. I find it's just more trouble than it's worth.