How am I supposed to see the content on this site?!?!

[K.M. Richards]

I don't mind banner ads integrated into web pages. I only engage my ad blocker on sites where the ad pops up over what I am trying to or launches a video that can't be turned off (or muted, at the very least), or otherwise directly interferes with my viewing the content that I came there for.

But if they want to put a banner ad -- static or animated -- between the headline and the article, or in the navigation bar to the side of the article, or even (as is the case with a lot of news sites now) "sponsored" article links, it's fine by me.

The reality is that these sites expect to get paid subscriptions from people wanting to turn off the ads, and they then create pop-ups of their own about detecting the ad blocker, as if you're going to be shamed into subscribing. What they are conveniently ignorant of is that no one is going to pay to read the one article in five years on your site that interests them at this moment in time; the ones that offer five free articles before subscribing seem to be the only ones that understand this.

None of which solves the problem the OP is having here.

 

[Negin]

On the desktop main reasons for the blockers are the ads themselves. When they were the simple banner ads, it wasn't an issue. But when some shady advertisers started using them to infect the computer or download a virus, the ad-blockers got big. Some websites or mboards will check the ads to make sure things are safe, but the bad ones still sneak through. I have started seeing some sites sell their own ad space and not deal with a 3rd party.

 

[K.M. Richards]

On the desktop main reasons for the blockers are the ads themselves. When they were the simple banner ads, it wasn't an issue. But when some shady advertisers started using them to infect the computer or download a virus, the ad-blockers got big.

That is something I was aware of but which did not come to mind when I was posting. Thank you for adding that valid point.

Taking that into account, unless a website wants to take responsibility for any damage done to my computer by ads they are in effect hosting, I find it hypocritical that they would attempt to look innocent and blame the end user for using an ad blocker.

 

[Mark Roberts]

it's funny how most of us are in or have been in commercial broadcasting, yet we don't care for ads. it just seems to me that website ads, especially popups and coverups are downright annoying. i never thought broadcast ads (until the dawn of the 8 minute stopset) were annoying. it's a different medium, sure.

My issue is less about whether there are ads in the first place...I'm not questioning that...but how the ads are implemented and, especially, how they are piling on top of each other. Would you want to hear three radio commercials playing at the same time? Would you want a radio commercial to seize the steering wheel of your car, pulling you away from your chosen destination?

 

[KC8UOK]

I run the Brave Browser. No adverts. And I will subscribe if I can't get away from them like YouTube. What I won't deal with is being stopped from viewing a site due to my adblocker. In that case I'll either pay a subscription or won't use the site.

 

[Mediafrog+]

The ads I'm seeing at the top and bottom of this page

We’re NOT talking about ads that are dynamically inserted as part of an overall webpage.

The problem is with ads that pop up on a phone held vertically, cover the ENTIRE screen, and there is NO WAY to close them.

are for a Subaru dealership more than an hour away when there's another dealership less than 10 miles up the road. Geographically inappropriate.

My use of “inappropriate” was in reference to material that might be overtly sexual, violent, or reflect extremist viewpoints…the worst of the worst in Internet ad content. Haven’t seen that with the current issue being described here.

I see all sorts of ads on the Internet and have absolutely no idea why I am being shown many of them.

 

[Mitch Brewer]

To relate this to radio, in my own odd way. @Mediafrog+ EMF buys hundreds of radio stations all over the country and sends their message to the masses. If a few people in those hundreds of markets give them money, they win. They don't target you, they saturate you. That's why phone scammers call constantly. It's not about the person interested in the product, it's about the one person out of a thousand willing to fork over the bucks for whatever nonsense you saturate them with.

 

[Negin]

We’re NOT talking about ads that are dynamically inserted as part of an overall webpage.

The problem is with ads that pop up on a phone held vertically, cover the ENTIRE screen, and there is NO WAY to close them.

I borrowed a phone from my nephew and looked at the site. The browser is a whole different animal then the desktop which I'm used to. And it had oddly placed ads. I think the ad network plops ads anywhere on the phone browser. I'm used to the website where the ads are at places you expect them to see. Then again more real estate on a computer screen.

 

[K.M. Richards]

I think the ad network plops ads anywhere on the phone browser. I'm used to the website where the ads are at places you expect them to see. Then again more real estate on a computer screen.

And that is going to work against them. I expect more ad blocker use on phones in the future.

 

[lanceventa]

View attachment 11440No close ad button and cannot see the screen at all!

Unforutnately I cannot do anything to resolve these issues based off of one screenshot. From the looks of what I'm seeing here, the content is below the ad and you need to scroll down, but that could be misleading. These aren't pop-up ads to close but display ads embedded into the site...

Is this on the homepage of the site, a board listing, or a topic thread? It makes a difference into the layout to even be able to see a possible cause.

 

[MikeyD]

Unforutnately I cannot do anything to resolve these issues based off of one screenshot. From the looks of what I'm seeing here, the content is below the ad and you need to scroll down, but that could be misleading. These aren't pop-up ads to close but display ads embedded into the site...

Is this on the homepage of the site, a board listing, or a topic thread? It makes a difference into the layout to even be able to see a possible cause.

It’s in a topic thread. Happens on any thread I tap into. I can’t scroll below it either. If I rotate to landscape it disappears but reappears once I rotate back to portrait.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Is this on the homepage of the site, a board listing, or a topic thread? It makes a difference into the layout to even be able to see a possible cause.

The ads are the same as the typical full screen vertical ads that pop up over any of the boards on RD when using a smartphone. The new issue is that a number of those ads now lack any sort of “close” button or “exit” arrow. Scrolling down doesn’t clear the ad. The site content is completely blocked unless you turn the phone horizontally, then the ad disappears.

(BTW The Xenforo layout is fine on tablets oriented horizontally, but is rather crunched on narrower smartphones held in landscape mode. When I’m on my iPad for RD I hold it horizontally, but on my iPhone I go with vertical orientation.)

 

[Negin]

My nephew looked at a few boards using the Fora and the same ad-network as here, it's the same on other boards too.

 

[Mark Roberts]

Example of a spammy ad, judging by the use of zero instead of the letter 'o' (this one was an interstitial - at least the Close button was clearly indicated) - showed up just a minute ago: