An update on Ad blockers

[JustineMumsnet]

We wanted to give you a heads up that we will shortly introduce additional software designed to prevent the use of ad blockers. So, if you're using an ad blocker, you'll shortly see a series of prompts asking you to disable it before continuing to browse the site.

We know this is going to cause some annoyance to those of you with ad blockers in place but we do have costs associated with running our platform and the way we meet those is via advertising revenue.

We try to keep the display ads to a minimum (particularly for logged in users) and turn down a lot of the more intrusive ad formats. Nonetheless we do understand that some people find ads really annoying. If you would prefer an ad-free experience, Mumsnet Premium is available as a subscription option for £2.99 a month or £29.99 per year.

The last thing we want is to cause loyal users financial distress, so if you have particular reasons why both seeing ads and paying for Premium is problematic for you, then please do get in touch with us at [email protected] and we’d be happy to look at what we can do to help.

Reddit is the best.

It's a bit of a learning curve but everything I might visit MN for, they have there + 10s of 1000s of sub reddits dedicated to anything.

Relationship advice
UK politics
Fashion
Pictures of cats standing up .. yes there's a sub for that.. https://www.reddit.com/r/CatsStandingUp

Here they have AIBU?
On Reddit they have AITA? (Am I the Asshole)

And more and more and more

This.

There have been too many security breaches over the years, Mumsnet. You had the most appalling posting incidents not a month ago, too.

Also MN.
Have a look at - https://acceptableads.com/

Maybe find some less abhorrent advert providers and people ma not be so ad averse

If its pay or out then no. I am out.

As others have said, MN has had too many security breaches for me to trust my financial or personal information will be kept safe.

What happens if someone signs up to the premium version, let's say they pay for a month on the 1st of the month but they get banned for some BS in the 3rd of the month.

Do they get their money back or does Justine keep it to buy cigars and porno?

This. I have no faith that my information is safe, with good reason. Rogue admin a few years ago doxxed the FWR board to activists. Hardly trust inspiring.

The ads do indeed make the site unusable, especially for those who use other ways to navigate it.

I have a blind friend who couldnt use MN as her software didnt work because it simply kept repeating the ads and not the threads she was trying to access. It is discriminatory on that basis alone.

I won't be turning my adblocker off and I won't be paying for premium, for a non-premium forum. Sort it out and make it better quality, then I and thousands of others who probably feel the same, might choose to reconsider!

well, I used to browse page after page but if this endless popup turns up, Ill have to stick to the two threads I regularly haunt and not attempt the rest.

@AmberHelper24 thanks to MN I now have a phobia of clicking links

I am joining the chorus of having an ad blocker because otherwise the site is unreadable, just like my local newspaper website. Multiple ads that are impossible to close and take up the whole screen and my battery drains at an alarming rate while my phone gets very hot.

This is horribly reminiscent of the time at my work a few years ago when tptb introduced a new IT system that was unworkable. It impacted everyone’s productivity and everyone complained and many people, myself included, spent some time gathering metrics and screenshots to show our line management just how bad it was.

we were told we were too negative, resistant to change and even accused of being deliberately uncooperative. So we all shut up and complied and our work rate tanked while we tried to make it work. A year later it was quietly shelved when it became bloody obvious even to senior management that it was a disaster.

lesson was, listen to your user base MN. I’ll be prepared to turn off my ad blocker for unobtrusive ads at the top or bottom of the page, not the current mess. There’s a couple of communities where I hang out with different user names and I’ll really miss them but maybe this will help me break my MN habit altogether.

I'm visually impaired and block ads because a lot of the time they mean I can't zoom in as much as I need to, in order to access sites. So yes, this hasn't been well thought out when it comes to those of us with disabilities/assistive technology users.

I'm getting lots of ads for Parkdean Resorts. I'll get my own back by spreading rumours about them.

I stayed at Parkdean once. By the end of day three I'd grown antlers. Never again.

Hi folks

Please be aware that a serial troll and previously banned poster returned to share links on this thread. We'd strongly advise not clicking on these links, and reporting their posts to us.

Tried contacting MN about the ads being a problem.

Filled in the long survey.

Posted screenshots of the problems on threads when MN asked us to.

Got nowhere.

Eventually just gave up and installed the adblocker.

MN did you ever consider just fixing the site do the ads are less intrusive and don’t cover half the page and both sides of the text?

Just a thought (from someone who manages websites and ads for a living).

Glad I trusted my instincts 👻

It just took you a "register your interest in a forum for women" type thing.

Adverts make this site unusable. They are too garish and intrusive. I used to subscribe, but found myself becoming increasingly disillusioned with site safety and with the way users are treated when valid concerns are raised. MN has lost its way.
I used to enjoy being part of the community, especially the weather section of which I was very active. But now you've made even casually browsing impossible. Such a shame.

If you’re on iPad you can use the ‘hide distracting items’ thing to get rid of the pop up.

nice to see the freeloader who won't pay for night moderators trying to take any sort of moral highground here...

Weird how they can implement an ad blocker block, but can't sort out people posting images of CSA.

Yes, this.

It's amost as if this was all timed as a distraction. Look over there!

You can’t even get the amount you charge for premium right on your post.

You repeatedly have data breaches.

You cannot stop trolls posting CSA images.

You allow trolls, perverts and bots to post but ban users for pointing them out to you.

You refer to members who prefer not to have their browsers inundated with your glitchy ads as ‘freeloaders’.

Tell me again why we should pay?

It sounds like it’s past the point where you personally might choose to stay.

I was one of the people that unfortunately saw the images this time. I’ve considered leaving because of that. But I’m not feeling this level of anger with MN, it’s just a business, even if it’s one that’s personal to me because I’ve been here for such a long time through my, older now, children’s childhood’s.

nice to see the freeloader who won't pay for night moderators trying to take any sort of moral highground here...

We try to keep the display ads to a minimum (particularly for logged in users) and turn down a lot of the more intrusive ad formats.

You're kidding right? This site regularly has some of the most intrusive adverts. It's utterly infuriating.