Ad blocker detection now enabled

[Comoman]

Just discovered that AFF has just enabled ad blocker detection. Can't disable it due to corporate network - the iOs app is flakey so running out of options.....

 

[J-P]

Follow these steps:

https://help.getadblock.com/support...o-disable-adblock-before-it-will-show-content

Took a couple of minutes and the AFF site has gone from completely unusable to working fine again

 

[samh004]

AFF is a business and costs money to run. Consider buying an AFF subscription that removes ads if you enjoy the content but don't want to see ads.

I find it hard to believe someone with status in 3 airline programs, including one that requires a minimum spend in premium cabins, can't afford a yearly subscription to a valuable site like AFF.

 

[Comoman]

AFF is a business and costs money to run. Consider buying an AFF subscription that removes ads if you enjoy the content but don't want to see ads.

I find it hard to believe someone with status in 3 airline programs, including one that requires a minimum spend in premium cabins, can't afford a yearly subscription to a valuable site like AFF.

With respect - I think that is absolutely uncalled for from a moderator of this site. Very disappointing. The iOs app is poor - so I would be paying for membership to use an app which is full of bugs. That was my point, can't use the website and the app is problematic. Of course I would consider membership if the app worked properly.

Yes I do have high status - doesn't mean I'm paying for it does it?

Sometimes/often AFF is full of aggression and tension (recent experience for JohnK showed) - sometimes propagated by mods! First line of response fine, second one not IMO.

 

[Pug1]

With respect - I think that is absolutely uncalled for from a moderator of this site. Very disappointing. The iOs app is poor - so I would be paying for membership to use an app which is full of bugs. That was my point, can't use the website and the app is problematic. Of course I would consider membership if the app worked properly.

Yes I do have high status - doesn't mean I'm paying for it does it?

Sometimes/often AFF is full of aggression and tension (recent experience for JohnK showed) - sometimes propagated by mods! First line of response fine, second one not IMO.

OK I've turned off my adblocker to reply to this post and agree with this comment. Adblocker is going back on again. Goodbye AFF

 

[straitman]

With respect - I think that is absolutely uncalled for from a moderator of this site. Very disappointing. The iOs app is poor - so I would be paying for membership to use an app which is full of bugs. That was my point, can't use the website and the app is problematic. Of course I would consider membership if the app worked properly.

Yes I do have high status - doesn't mean I'm paying for it does it?

Sometimes/often AFF is full of aggression and tension (recent experience for JohnK showed) - sometimes propagated by mods! First line of response fine, second one not IMO.

Please look back and see why the app is not good as it once was. It was great but the problem was beyond the control of admin and AFF and it had to be redeveloped from scratch. We all find the new versions of the app a pain but they have been gradually improving and are still doing so. Also please bear in mind that the app is only fully functional for those with paid membership.

OK I've turned off my adblocker to reply to this post and agree with this comment. Adblocker is going back on again. Goodbye AFF

At risk of sounding flippant about this I believe you should reconsider as AFF has more to offer you than the cost of a Gold membership. By walking away you stand to lose a lot more than the cost of the paid membership. Sorry to see you go.

 

[Simo]

I use the paid version and no problems at all...

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

Reading this thread I am reminded of the new mentality - I want everything for free and I want it now.
Sadly those of us who understand what actual value means it seems are a dying breed.
I will add that as a paid member of many years, the app has been disappointing, but as others have said it is slowly improving. The value that has come from this forum has far outweighed the few dollars I have thrown its way over the years.
I'd suggest members with these attitudes to the forum won't be terribly missed.

 

[samh004]

The iOs app is poor - so I would be paying for membership to use an app which is full of bugs. That was my point, can't use the website and the app is problematic. Of course I would consider membership if the app worked properly.

Yes I do have high status - doesn't mean I'm paying for it does it?

On the first point, while the app has been a big selling point of a subscription to AFF, it wasn't always a selling point. I first bought a subscription when there wasn't even an app, and I was a student... still am! I'll concede the app has lost some of its usefulness since the requirement to rebuild from the ground up, but it is slowly improving as a few have mentioned. We're getting there!

So I wouldn't look at a subscription as a payment for the app, it is not just that. You can also add a signature to your posts, remove most ads from the desktop browsing experience and additional travel discounts as a Gold member.

On the second point, not to sound flippant, but if you're not paying for 3 premium airline statuses, then it would be even easier to support a website like this.

At risk of sounding flippant about this I believe you should reconsider as AFF has more to offer you than the cost of a Gold membership. By walking away you stand to lose a lot more than the cost of the paid membership. Sorry to see you go.

Don't forget, there's also a Silver membership level.

 

[junbugging]

Reading this thread I am reminded of the new mentality - I want everything for free and I want it now.
Sadly those of us who understand what actual value means it seems are a dying breed.
I will add that as a paid member of many years, the app has been disappointing, but as others have said it is slowly improving. The value that has come from this forum has far outweighed the few dollars I have thrown its way over the years.
I'd suggest members with these attitudes to the forum won't be terribly missed.

Fair enough, but as a counterpoint to that argument, I drink with someone in Tokyo who stopped participating because of what she saw as a growing trend towards monetization of community-provided information. And I can understand the hesitancy to provide a juicy tip that might end up in a subscriber-only document.

 

[samh004]

Fair enough, but as a counterpoint to that argument, I drink with someone in Tokyo who stopped participating because of what she saw as a growing trend towards monetization of community-provided information. And I can understand the hesitancy to provide a juicy tip that might end up in a subscriber-only document.

The great thing about this site is that there are no premium-only forums. Everything that is posted is accessible to everyone else, it's just hard to see everything that is posted sometimes!

The issue is that keeping the site online costs money: servers, storage, bandwidth... and that has to be recouped somehow. I'm just like anyone else here, I dislike seeing ads, but they're a way the site can stay afloat, and if you want to be extra nice you can always pay a nominal fee to disable the ads. As I have said before, the first thing I did when I joined AFF was get myself a subscription. At that stage, I hadn't even posted, but I knew I was going to get my fill of information, and supporting the site would help make sure it stayed put.

 

[grounded]

The great thing about this site is that there are no premium-only forums. Everything that is posted is accessible to everyone else, it's just hard to see everything that is posted sometimes!

The issue is that keeping the site online costs money: servers, storage, bandwidth... and that has to be recouped somehow. I'm just like anyone else here, I dislike seeing ads, but they're a way the site can stay afloat, and if you want to be extra nice you can always pay a nominal fee to disable the ads. As I have said before, the first thing I did when I joined AFF was get myself a subscription. At that stage, I hadn't even posted, but I knew I was going to get my fill of information, and supporting the site would help make sure it stayed put.

I offer to provide hosting (server, storage, bandwidth) free of charge... it's not that - that's not a big cost.

The adblock-blocking is more than about recouping hosting.... it touches the fundamental problem of trying to make a business out of a community. I think PH do a good job of the referral business... AFF has the best community!!!!... maybe you guys should talk???

 

[trippin_the_rift]

I used to run the largest social network in The country and we routinely blocked users who had ad blocking enabled.
Advertising pays to keep the AFF business running and by blocking ads you are effectively stealing.

It's a deeper problem which flows into email advertising, push notifications etc. there is a lot of research around users who block ads being worth significantly less to Internet ecommerce than those without blockers. It's not about blocking but rather those who block have actively gone out to find a solution and therefore less likely to pay for anything else.

So either pay, or enable ads IMO. The content, users and shared knowledge on AFF is worth a heap more the ticket price.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

I used to run the largest social network in The country and we routinely blocked users who had ad blocking enabled.
Advertising pays to keep the AFF business running and by blocking ads you are effectively stealing.

It's a deeper problem which flows into email advertising, push notifications etc. there is a lot of research around users who block ads being worth significantly less to Internet ecommerce than those without blockers. It's not about blocking but rather those who block have actively gone out to find a solution and therefore less likely to pay for anything else.

So either pay, or enable ads IMO. The content, users and shared knowledge on AFF is worth a heap more the ticket price.

I pay for access without ads so this doesn't affect me.

However, ad blocking is not effectively stealing. Anymore than downloading a movie is stealing. (Propaganda notwithstanding.)
It may be unethical, it may be a violation of some terms of use, it may be a copyright infringement.
But one thing it most definitely is not, is stealing.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

I pay for access without ads so this doesn't affect me.

However, ad blocking is not effectively stealing. Anymore than downloading a movie is stealing. (Propaganda notwithstanding.)
It may be unethical, it may be a violation of some terms of use, it may be a copyright infringement.
But one thing it most definitely is not, is stealing.

If you download a movie the content owner isn't directly affected other than it may have been extra revenue for them.

If 100% of users blocked ads - AFF wouldn't be able to run the business and keep the server lights on.

There is a very real effect on the bottom line from ad blocking. Unlike movies - not viewing an ad can have a very real cost associated with it.

It may seem innocent... But the effect is real.

 

[russ]

I offer to provide hosting (server, storage, bandwidth) free of charge... it's not that - that's not a big cost.

Thanks, sounds great! Much better than coughpy ads or fiddling around with subscriptions.

 

[admin]

Maybe also read the first paragraph from that link!

More and more websites display a message asking you to disable AdBlock to be able to access the website's contents (e.g., videos or articles). If it's a site you enjoy and visit frequently, we encourage you to whitelist the site to support the content provider.

(My Bold)

Follow these steps:

https://help.getadblock.com/support...o-disable-adblock-before-it-will-show-content

Took a couple of minutes and the AFF site has gone from completely unusable to working fine again

 

[russ]

The content providers are us
grounded has offered free hosting
The moderators are moderating for free

What other costs are there?

 

[samh004]

The content providers are us
grounded has offered free hosting
The moderators are moderating for free

What other costs are there?

I can also offer free hosting on my server at home, however I'm sure my uptime pales in comparison to the uptime AFF is currently getting (not withstanding the occasional issue). There's reasons for taking free hosting and reasons against, but I'm sure one thing to keep in mind is not allowing yourself to be indebted to someone else as they may expect some special treatment in the future. In the real world, you have to buy things.

 

[njba]

I wonder if there's anything to be said for the argument that users are 'paying' (or more accurately contributing) to the site via sharing in depth knowledge of frequent flyer programs and the airline industry and by posting the content that makes AFF such a delight in the first place? Surely the value add of that contribution is worth more than both the CPM and potentially more than the subscription fees.

Of course there's those of us that post nothing but nonsense and puns who probably should be subject to some sort of tithing system. For the avoidance of doubt, I consider myself a member for life of this second group.

My first reaction was to be quite annoyed by this. My second reaction was similar. However some reasonable arguments have been made here so I will have to adopt a more moderate position.