Blocking Opera and Firefox: Yet another silly webmaster

There are webmasters out there who don’t like that the ads they’re showing on their web pages can be blocked. Which is understandable, of course – ads give them a revenue so that they can keep on doing what they do. How webmasters react to this possibility however, vary, as I learned from an article by Pallab. Here Smileygenerator.us poses as an example of a silly way to react and “solve” the problem.

The web master seems to believe that Opera and Firefox includes adblocking as part of the browser – and thus he blocks those browsers. Well – as long as they identify themselves as what they are. Also, he does it in a silly way. If you visit the link above with Opera or Firefox, you’re being redirected to a different site, smileygenerator.com. No explaination, and if you’re not observant enough, you may thing that it’s the same site, just with two different URIs. It’s silly.

Back when Environmantalchemistry blocked Opera, you were at least told that you were blocked, and after some consideration given full access to the pages that told you why. Then you could take appropriate action, if you wanted access. Not so here, at least if you happen upon the index-page. If you’re an Opera or Firefox user looking forward to spending some money at the smileygenerator, the web master may have lost some sales outright.

According to a thread on the forum there, it seems that it is possible for anyone, no matter what browser they use, to browse the paid content. But – how will Opera and Firefox users learn that, when they’re sent away before they’re told this?

But that’s just one part of it, the reactions towards two browsers due to not knowing much about them. Neither of them includes ad blocking as part of the browser. You have to go to a third party to achieve that – and if you go to a third party, there’s also lot tho choose from for IE, too. There may be more people blocking ads in IE than ther are users of Opera/Firefox together, for all I know. This of course makes the whole business of blocking the two browsers even more silly.

An example of reacting before thinking.

Author: Svein Kåre

I have too many interests for my own good, in that I don't manage to make time for them all. A bit artistic, which can be seen to a degree.

6 thoughts on “Blocking Opera and Firefox: Yet another silly webmaster”

  1. I’m just amazed how much traffic we’ve gained from this 🙂

    This outrage over what I do with my hits has been far better for us than anything google ever did.

    Take a vallium, relax. It’s only the internet for FFS.

    I just hope you all get this militant when it’s time to select your politicians 😉

    Probably not though.

  2. its Silly that u people reacted this way ,cuz ur fav browser was blocked , tell me when was the last time before this u visited that site ? let me guess never ?

    so who is reacting here ?

    i think u people are jealous cuz we allow IE LOL !

    Firefox and opera are the crappiest browsers i have ever seen ,

    FF is based on lies , and opera who doesnt even uses its identity ,LOL what a bunch of losers

    Seeya bye!

  3. Oh dear, what a mature way to react. I just pointed out that the way the problem was “solved” is a silly one, that doesn’t solve anything at all. Looking at what you say you want to do with your site, you may in part have the opposite effect of what you want.

    But hey, it’s your site. If you want to do silly things with it, due to stubbornness or lack of information, or whatever – feel free. It doesn’t harm me. Personally I have no interest in what you offer and don’t care what you do – but that doesn’t prevent me from noticing that the way you’ve reacted is just plain silly. That’s all.

  4. Svein, “immature” is indeed the right word 🙂
    I guess it is impossible to convince those who won’t listen.
    This site is even blocking Google!

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