Google survey to read threads: Ad Blocker Plus does not work on it

ish wrote:

- play sound

- play videos

- cover the screen upon roll-over

I have no problem, I repeat: no problem, with ads that are tasteful and respectful. I have a major problem with ads that blare sound, play video, or cover my screen.

There are a TON of news sites I just don't go to any more for this very reason b/c the audio is part of their "content" vs an ad, and I can't block it.

I would encourage you to view your stats BroJos... but my guess is based on site traffic, and I know my own use patterns, there is a TON of time spent on LRC while users are at work ;) We might be getting race updates, we might have a slow day, or maybe we have two screens and keep one on "fun stuff." ;) Regardless, I'm pretty sure most of us aren't really "supposed" to have LRC up on our work computers, or anything else personal.

Stuff that makes noise unexpectedly totally removes all plausible deniability. I often have to the sound up on my machine for work related stuff, and when I mindlessly wonder to site without turning it down and an ad starts playing, it's not cool.

I am lucky that adblocker takes care of this on LRC b/c truly, there are a lot of sites I can visit while at work that won't get me in trouble... the ones I can't trust to keep the sound down, I quit going to and quickly replace with something else.

Just had to answer FOUR google survey questions. About shaving my face. I guess this shows they really don't know much about their users. Despite the low odds of this occurring on LRC, I am a female.

So I told the survey I saved my face daily, picked a picture of some bizarre straight edge razor I've never seen any man shave with in my life.

Helpful stuff there. Hope someone pays good money for it.

they're back I see :(

I would like to go on record, to your advertisers, that I lie on these. I pick the most bizarre, useless answer I can think of. Hopefully they will quit paying for bad data soon.

Please let me give you money to make the surveys go away.

Please.

I hate the surveys.

If we always pick the same button of the survey (i.e. first or last) they might just get the hint that ad blocker users consider these surveys contemptible and will respond with reciprocal contempt. Surveys in which funders do not how how many answers are intentionally bogus are of zero value -- or even less than zero.

If you get an option to type in an answer, be sure to use that opportunity to express your sentiments on these surveys, and how you intend to intentionally answer wrong. Spread the word. If 20%+ of use decided to screw with answers, they are bound to stop.

I love the survey questions. I love giving nonsensical answers, wondering if it will make google's head explode.

Anana wrote:

If we always pick the same button of the survey (i.e. first or last) they might just get the hint that ad blocker users consider these surveys contemptible and will respond with reciprocal contempt. Surveys in which funders do not how how many answers are intentionally bogus are of zero value -- or even less than zero.

If you get an option to type in an answer, be sure to use that opportunity to express your sentiments on these surveys, and how you intend to intentionally answer wrong. Spread the word. If 20%+ of use decided to screw with answers, they are bound to stop.

I like where you're going with this... first answer at all times going forward.

I saw this thread got bumped.

A few points:

1) There aren't surveys on threads.

2) There are surveys on articles pages.

3) They are optional, you can get out of them and see the page you are on by hitting cancel.

4) If you answer the questions you get 14 days without seeing them again.

Thanks for your support of LRC.

wejo said,

"A few points:

1) There aren't surveys on threads.

2) There are surveys on articles pages.

3) They are optional, you can get out of them and see the page you are on by hitting cancel.

4) If you answer the questions you get 14 days without seeing them again."

This is not completely accurate, based on my personal experience.

#2) Surveys now pop-up every time I access NASDAQ for a simple chart. NASDAQ!

#4) I answered one (with a bogus answer), and got a new survey the next day, on that same site.

"it's a plan", I'm in for answering the first check box on every poll. Spread the word and e-mail your friends. Let's invalidate this user unfriendly practice until it goes away. It's was sad, contemptuous idea that someone should have thought through more thoroughly, in the first place. I hope whomever came up with this genius idea is sued for any bogus, tainted, "research data" if/when they try to sell it.

I (mostly) agree with "ish" on the comment,

"I would HAPPILY disable my ad-block if you would do us the courtesy of making sure that your ads don't do these three things:

- play sound

- play videos

- cover the screen upon roll-over"

OK maybe not "happily", but I do understand some degree of commercial compromise.

I would not have installed ad-block in the first place if video and sound were not eating up my CPU, while also distracting me. When an ad crashed my browser for the second time, that was it.

It's not about opting-in for "targeted ads" -- it's about avoiding the performance deterioration and mental focus zaps of unwanted video and/or audio. Pretty basic! Unless and until sites and ad affiliates understand this simple fact, we have a stand-off, which won't easily be resolved.

nikethermostats wrote:

I love the survey questions. I love giving nonsensical answers, wondering if it will make google's head explode.

Google is the reason people even use adblock apps. They spent years building a business model based on invading people's privacy, and now the public is fighting back.

I am not even okay with "tasteful" ads anymore because if they stem from Google, they are the result of their unethical collection of personal data. As a result, I will always use adblocker and never knowingly do anything that contributes to that company.

That said, I love LetsRun, and I would be happy to pay an annual fee to use the site.

Now the surveys wont even come up and allow me to click on them. They pop up for less than a second and prevent me from reading the text (just dotted lines). Is there a way to fix this?