WIRED and ad blockers

*Well, this oughta be interesting. For the semi-visible primeval blog here, as well as the WIRED ensemble.

*By the way, since the Big Five sucked up the planet's ad revenue, there is no business for journalism. Paper is dead, and digital is even deader than paper. To think otherwise is old-fashioned.

*I always knew that blogs wouldn't last, but to think they'd be a last bastion for journalism, and then get choked off by social media empires from above ad blockers from below, that's quite an interesting fate.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/wolff/2016/02/14/wolff-prints-dead-but-so-digital/80284046/

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https://slim-weight.info/how-wired-is-going-to-handle-ad-blocking/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cdiv class="AdWrapper-efOWgS khQFma ad ad--sponsor-product">

"OVER THE PAST several years, there’s been a significant increase in the number of people using ad-blocking software in their web browser. We have certainly seen a growth in those numbers here at WIRED, where we do all we can to write vital stories for an audience that’s passionate about the ongoing adventure of our rapidly changing world.

"On an average day, more than 20 percent of the traffic to WIRED.com comes from a reader who is blocking our ads. We know that you come to our site primarily to read our content, but it’s important to be clear that advertising is how we keep WIRED going: paying the writers, editors, designers, engineers, and all the other staff that works so hard to create the stories you read and watch here.

"We know that there are many reasons for running an ad blocker, from simply wanting a faster, cleaner browsing experience to concerns about security and tracking software. We want to offer you a way to support us while also addressing those concerns.

"So, in the coming weeks, we will restrict access to articles on WIRED.com if you are using an ad blocker. There will be two easy options to access that content.

"You can simply add WIRED.com to your ad blocker’s whitelist, so you view ads. When you do, we will keep the ads as “polite” as we can, and you will only see standard display advertising.
You can subscribe to a brand-new Ad-Free version of WIRED.com. For $1 a week, you will get complete access to our content, with no display advertising or ad tracking.
Either way, you will get to experience the great content that you expect from WIRED, and you’ll be supporting our journalism.

"At WIRED, we believe that change is good. Over the past 23 years, we’ve pushed the boundaries of media, from our print magazine to launching the first publishing website. We even invented the banner ad. We’re going to continue to experiment to find new ways to bring you the stories you love and to build a healthy business that supports the storytelling. We hope you’ll join us on this journey. We’d really appreciate it.

"The Editors

"Specific questions or comments? Please send us a note at talktous@wired.com."