How to be the next billionaire.

[Moneyman]

Find a way of having optional advertising before the whole world goes nuts.
Situation: I needed a valve for a sink and bought it from screwfix. Now every site seems to have adverts for valves. I have one i dont need another.
I am fine with adverts as they help pay for forums etc but surely there must be a way for people to allow adverts but be able to disable a specific subject. Amazon is still pushing sparkly fairy books post last christmas and i miss the useful book recomendations.
If there was a way you could still allow some adverts through (and keep the sites being paid) but allow us to choose the subjects then i bet it would take off like nobodies business. you could even add a dont bother me with this subject for 10 months when it comes to insurance. People are wasting millions targeting people because they have already bought the object they are selling.

 

[alsburycreative]

You could just clear the 'cookies' on your machine so that you don't get those adverts... we had the same issue with Halfords over selling a car radio to us - needless to say we did eventually buy it!

 

[Moneyman]

Yes but it is still a start all over game rather than being able to shut off a particular subject. who dares buy "personal items" on a company computer.

 

[Rudi]

If you use a good browser you can get an addon like AdBlock - https://addons.opera.com/en/addons/extensions/details/opera-adblock/0.52/

 

[s168]

I recommend Google Chrome and Adblock. Makes surfing a lot less stressful and annoying with all those ads. The forums should still get paid, as I think the browser would still recognise that content has been sent to it (although it is blocked).

The problem with targeted advertising is that to get better at it, they need more and more of our personal info. Hence why the likes of Google and Facebook are hoarding so much info on us.

 

[Esk247]

If you use a good browser you can get an addon like AdBlock - https://addons.opera.com/en/addons/extensions/details/opera-adblock/0.52/

I don't think Moneyman wants to stop all adverts. Just those that are no longer required.

E.g. is there a browser that allows you to select which types of adverts you don't mind seeing?

Cars, Homes, Interior Design, Holidays etc. All with a check box next to them?

 

[Rudi]

Unfortunately not, as there isn't a centralised ad network that will allow you to set these preferences.

Depending on what it is, though, Opera has a generic 'Block Content' system that allows you to block ads from a certain network (just by clicking the advertising image), very helpful IMO. AdBlock for Opera/Firefox/Chrome/etc also has options where you can limit what is actually blocked.

On the more "cutting-edge" front, Mozilla proposed a new Do Not Track header which is being implemented in most recent browser versions from most vendors. The issue is that this relies on co-operation from the advertising agencies, and, well, considering it may cause them to lose money - I wouldn't expect it to fully catch on any time soon... But wouldn't it be nice

 

[kate_r]

Adblock is a pretty essential addon nowadays. Flash ads are almost everywhere and they really slow down the computer.

 

[Talay]

Though I have not used it, doesn't Gmail / Gogle / Chrome or some combination, offer you the ability to set advert preferences ?

 

[lynxus]

Adblock is a pretty essential addon nowadays. Flash ads are almost everywhere and they really slow down the computer.

Yep! +1
Altho , I do disable on some sites I use a lot and feel its good for the whole community if I see the ads ( Like this site with the ads at the top and side etc )

 

[WHARTY]

Now using Opera with the ad blocker and all i can say is WOW!

 

[Dave.F]

I don't want to change my browser so does anyone know of a free ad blocker for IE?

I found this but I think it is only a 30 day free trial:
http://simple-adblock.com/

 

[Chrisbridgett]

To be fair, I'd rather look at adverts for things that I might be interested in, than ones for middle-aged women's clothing, or lawnmowers.

 

[daihlo]

I don't want to change my browser so does anyone know of a free ad blocker for IE?

Why would anyone choose to use IE?
I'd rather look at the adds...! ;-)

 

[threenine]

IE what's that? Is it an i.e. of a bad browser? ;-)

 

[garyk]

The problem is its basic re-targeting. You visited site X and looked at product Y therefore you are in the market for it.

The reason this won't change is other advertisers re-targeting don't actually know that you have bought the item from screwfix and therefore continue to show ads. Unless you 'close the loop', which of course with a million and one online vendors, and offline purchasing, you can't do there is no way around it.

I'm with you I see more and more re-targeting and its a tad frustrating!

I think it will get to the stage where its ad-blocked across the board.

 

[SynergyRoofing]

Don't you panic, this will all come in time, surely you've read 1984, we just need to be monitored a little more closely ........