Native Advertising: Ads Masquerading As News

TV host and comedian Jon Oliver of “Last Week Tonight with Jon Oliver” had an interesting segment on his show about the rise of native advertising. The term is defined by AdWeek.com as “ads that mimic editorial content.” Oliver points out how such advertising is blurring the once hallowed distinction between news and marketing.

An Internet Free of Ads

Image courtesy of publicandculturaldiplomacy1

 

I’ve been using a browser extension called AdBlock for about a year now. It’s kind of like an app for your Web browser that blocks online pop-up advertisements. It’s similar to other pop-up blockers, but way better than any that I’ve tried. I’m writing a post about it because I think the couple who created and maintain AdBlock deserve a lot of credit for how well it works. And on top of that, it’s free! All the couple asks is for donations.

Recently, they have been trying to spread the word about AdBlock because they feel that everyone deserves to use the Web without being bombarded with ads every second. I totally agree!

One of the very few sites that I still sometimes get ads from is Hulu, which has been trying to find a way around AdBlock for a while now. Unfortunately, they’ve finally succeeded.  I’d imagine that a lot of corporations are trying to find ways around it, too, since ads equal potential profits. I think the couple who maintains AdBlock are updating it regularly as a way to “counter-attack” corporations like Hulu.

I am not advertising at all for them, nor do I work with them. I just feel that they deserve some credit and donations for their free product. Right now, they are collecting donations to create a special ad that will spread the word about AdBlock. Those who already have AdBlock won’t have to view it.

Click here to install AdBlock, or to learn more about it.

From AdBlock:

“Everyone deserves a better Web.

AdBlock has already given over 80 million people an ad-free Internet at no cost.

We want to empower all people around the world to choose an online world without advertising. We can reshape the whole Internet — it’s just a matter of spreading the word.”

Why Do You Blog?

Hey everyone! I started blogging about two months ago. Since, then, I’ve noticed that there seem to be several reasons people blog. Some use their blogs as a sort of online diary or journal. Some use it to show off talents in cooking and recipes, photography, clothing design, etc. Some use it to discuss religious beliefs and ideas. And then there are those, such as myself, who use blogging as a way to communicate, educate, inform, and spread ideas that we feel are important to society and culture.

Recently, I’ve come across a different sort- blogs that are geared towards profit, as well as offering training/advice for those who wish to do the same. These blogs tend to have a corporate feel, and usually feature several advertisements.

So what do you guys think? No doubt you’ve seen these blogs- how do you feel about them? Do you read them?