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Original poster

I'm out - adblocker policy

76 replies

nameXname · 03/03/2025 18:04

Mumsnet already make a great deal of money from us and our visits to their website. (Just look at their Companies House accounts.) Now they won't let us look at their site if we use an adblocker.
Apart from all the annoyance, almost all the ads that appear are totally irrelevant to me.
Goodbye, Mumsnet. Good riddance to the ads.

OP posts:
larkstar · 04/03/2025 00:57

Just use the Brave browser… no problems.

Tishomingo · 04/03/2025 02:22

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 04/03/2025 00:43

I do deal with the adverts, personally. I don't use an ad blocker at present, even though i do find the size of some of the adverts annoying.

But it isn't just about me. The site is only as good as the content that people choose to post, and if MN starts to alienate loyal posters, then the site as a whole will suffer. As MNers, we are not only content consumers, we are the content creators as well, and MN would do well to remember this. Of course, it is a business and it wants to make money. I have no issue with that, but I still think that there is a balance to be struck.

And yes, of course, people don't have to use the site if they don't like the terms of business. They can choose to walk away if they are not happy. That's kind of my point.

Show quote history

The balance is to accept adverts or pay £3 (I think??) per month not to have them. I think that seems fair and just don’t really get all the fuss from some people. There are a few things that annoy me about mumsnet but the adverts are not really one of them.

I think mumsnet knows that most users will keep using the site with adverts and some will pay to not have them. People just like to have a moan and talk like they own the site. Those posters would do well to remember that they don’t, and that maybe mumsnet would be happy to lose those posters who think they rule the roost here anyway,

freefloating · 04/03/2025 03:02

People object to paying because they have no faith that MN will keep their data safe, based on past experience.

LordBuckley · 04/03/2025 03:05

I'm using an adblocker, and I'm able to view the site with no trouble. I wouldn't use it without one, because before I started using it, the ads were so intrusive that the site was unreadable.

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 04/03/2025 08:27

Tishomingo · 04/03/2025 02:22

The balance is to accept adverts or pay £3 (I think??) per month not to have them. I think that seems fair and just don’t really get all the fuss from some people. There are a few things that annoy me about mumsnet but the adverts are not really one of them.

I think mumsnet knows that most users will keep using the site with adverts and some will pay to not have them. People just like to have a moan and talk like they own the site. Those posters would do well to remember that they don’t, and that maybe mumsnet would be happy to lose those posters who think they rule the roost here anyway,

Show quote history

Well, you may be right that there will be no impact, or you may not. I guess that's the gamble that MN have decided to take. We'll see if it pays off for them, but I would caution any business that starts to show complacency with regards to the loyalty of its customers.

Duckyfondant · 04/03/2025 09:13

I'm close to giving up. I don't mind the big picture ads but the thread ads about irons and shit annoy me..

Allmarbleslost · 04/03/2025 09:18

I came on to see if there was a thread about this. The ads on this site are so flipping annoying I just won't be here if I can't disable them.

SapphireSeptember · 04/03/2025 11:43

Wondered what was going on. Fucking pop ups telling me to disable my ad blocker every few seconds. I'm using ad block browser, so no.

@KitsyWitsy Do you know if there's something similar on Android tablets please?

SnowFrogJelly · 04/03/2025 11:50

For some reason my ads have stopped showing but I'm not aware that I've used a blocker

SnakebitesandSambucas · 04/03/2025 12:03

It's disappeared for me now! Odd

BarbaricYawp · 04/03/2025 12:15

You know you can just click "proceed without disabling", right? Bottom left of the pop-up. Anyone who doesn't want Amazon Prime ought to be familiar with the concept of the teeny tiny more desirable option.

SwanOfThoseThings · 04/03/2025 12:23

Mumsnet already make a great deal of money from us and our visits to their website.

Genuine question - how would they make this money without advertising revenue (unless they became a subscription only site)?

TY78910 · 04/03/2025 12:39

I really don't understand the mentality of 'you're allowed to make money, but not too much money that's greedy!' - they are a business and need to keep growing otherwise there is no point in running it.

Directors salaries were at just under 300k for all of them. That doesn't seem greedy to me. Arguably shares vested was a lot larger but that could be between total employees.

They have 2m cash in the bank, rest is tied up in assets and just under 1m debts.... they're not exactly a Microsoft.

allthedragons · 04/03/2025 12:51

I have an adblocker that is turned off for MN, and MN is in the list of allowed sites, and I'm still continuously getting the pop-up 😡

freefloating · 04/03/2025 12:54

TY78910 · 04/03/2025 12:39

I really don't understand the mentality of 'you're allowed to make money, but not too much money that's greedy!' - they are a business and need to keep growing otherwise there is no point in running it.

Directors salaries were at just under 300k for all of them. That doesn't seem greedy to me. Arguably shares vested was a lot larger but that could be between total employees.

They have 2m cash in the bank, rest is tied up in assets and just under 1m debts.... they're not exactly a Microsoft.

They are a business, and they need to pay properly trained and recompensed staff to man the night hours here, not rely on volunteers like some little community website run by donations.

They are a business, and they ought to plow some decent funds into proper tech support.

They are a business, and they ought to have long ago installed proper programming to deal with CSA.

And they are a business who makes their money out of their users' comments, so really ought to treat the users with a little more respect.

Overtheatlantic · 04/03/2025 13:03

I wish MN was primarily for entertainment and “light” advice but not the sort of help requested by OPs already involved with the police and social services. I feel deeply uncomfortable with those posts and often wonder if they are real.

placemats · 04/03/2025 13:13

For over a year now I have seen the Easter bonnet making piece and it's driving me potty.

PleaseDontFingerMyPouffe · 04/03/2025 13:19

I agree op.
Its rendered the website unusable. Unexpected benefit though is its breaking me of my phone addiction

TY78910 · 04/03/2025 13:20

freefloating · 04/03/2025 12:54

They are a business, and they need to pay properly trained and recompensed staff to man the night hours here, not rely on volunteers like some little community website run by donations.

They are a business, and they ought to plow some decent funds into proper tech support.

They are a business, and they ought to have long ago installed proper programming to deal with CSA.

And they are a business who makes their money out of their users' comments, so really ought to treat the users with a little more respect.

Show quote history

What is disrespectful about running ads in order to fund your business model? In the same way that Instagram, Facebook, or any other social media does?

The other issues are completely separate. And since the last CSA incident, to my knowledge there haven't been any more.

freefloating · 04/03/2025 20:09

TY78910 · 04/03/2025 13:20

What is disrespectful about running ads in order to fund your business model? In the same way that Instagram, Facebook, or any other social media does?

The other issues are completely separate. And since the last CSA incident, to my knowledge there haven't been any more.

Show quote history

Calling users - aka the content creators - with adblockers "freeloaders" and posters who objected to CSA "bad faith actors" is disrespectful.

There were three separate incidents of CSA in recent weeks. The response from MN was to, rather than inform and reassure users, attack and minimise or ignore their concerns, and to distract from their poor handling of a situation, caused by their own lack of care and investment in tech and basic safety measures, that has left posters and the poor (unpaid) nightwatch who were exposed to it traumatised, by announcing pay up (and trust us not to leak out all your sensitive details in another of our breaches) or get bombarded with ads.

I call that disrespectful.

ilovesooty · 04/03/2025 20:13

As I remember people weren't described as "bad faith actors" simply for objecting to CSA.

freefloating · 04/03/2025 20:14

As I remember, they actually were.

HappiestSleeping · 04/03/2025 20:17

nameXname · 03/03/2025 18:55

You do you@strange.

I would not care so much if Mumsnet were purely entertainment and/or companionship but - alas - from at least some of the posts (if genuine) it is not. Not all but some of the women who post are honestly asking for help or at least a friendly female ear to listen or sympathise or share.

It seems to me profoundly distasteful for Mumsnet to already be making a very great deal of money - millions (https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/03951486 - from a clientele that includes a proportion of people who have real problems, but now also to be asking for more. OK, they have to cover their costs and make money/increase business value for themselves, but to suddenly involve a new profit-generating 'Visitor Relationshp Management' agency - that's what ad-management Admiral calls itself (www.getadmiral.com/visitor-relationship-management-vrm) -to my mind really does not look or feel very good.

But each to their own.

If you haven't gone yet, you can get a raspberry pi, and set it to filter ads out for less than a tenner. There will still be blank spaces, but you don't get all the shite appearing. And it works for all Web pages, and youtube too.

There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube about how to do it, it's dead easy.

ilovesooty · 04/03/2025 20:18

freefloating · 04/03/2025 20:14

As I remember, they actually were.

Can you provide evidence of that?

freefloating · 04/03/2025 20:19

ilovesooty · 04/03/2025 20:18

Can you provide evidence of that?

Show quote history

Can you provide evidence that we weren't?