My brother runs adblock on every site he visits. He is unaware of what the real MySpace/Facebook/Gizmodo sites look like. In general his web experience is a pretty sparse one - one which wholly resembles WordArc: a site devoid of all ads, focusing purely on content.

As a web-developer this troubles me. I for one don't mind ads and, for the most part, dislike scripts like AdBlocker and GreaseMonkey. As I'm someone who laboriously works on numerous designs - with layouts after layouts, I have an idea of just how tough it can be to really make a site function while also looking half-way decent. AdBlocker et al. really destroy all this effort. Sure it frees up room, but at the cost of having completely blank regions and empty spaces.

On the whole, however, ads provide me with knowledge in a number of ways. For example, because I don't watch TV, I rarely know what movies are coming out. It's not something I particularly research - yet I'm always coming across ads that contain trailers for the next big blockbuster. Not only that, but I've come across indie art-house flicks too.

Most ads aren't very relevant to me - though many people put an effort into improving that. Even so, I find myself attracted to the various basketball games/squash the spider ads. They're entertaining, and though I immediately close the pop-up, I get my fill of gaming without having to really invest much time and effort into the gaming world. I may not be able to get a single kill in Halo 3, but I can certainly do more chin-ups than the computer in the Chin-Up ad.

Whether they're on websites, on park benches, or on buildings - I don't mind an advertised world. If you consider Times Square, with all it's flashiness and it's News Tickers, it's quite interesting. Maybe an entire world of Times Squares would be a little overwhelming, but we've got a way to go before that.

Advertising is how you get the word out about yourself though. It's a necessity. That's why even those "No Ad" stickers I keep seeing that are posted over-top ads have little urls to get you to visit their anti-ad websites.

I lived in Toronto for 4.5 years, and Bloor Street always had new ads being draped across buildings. Massive ads that you couldn't miss. I had seen the building without an ad before, and it was nothing particularly interesting. Just a dark-grey concrete building. The ads livened it up. Plus it made the walk down Bloor informative. I knew what the latest hair products were for women, such that if I ever found myself in the position of needing to buy some shampoo for a girl, I would know which brand would provide shiny hair while simultaneously reduce split-ends. And all that from just walking a couple of blocks.



Ads have their place of course. The moon is not one of them... nor would picturesque sceneries like the Grand Canyon be a good spot. Though I wouldn't mind if a Coca-Cola "Cool Zone" popped up, to mist me as I walked out into the hot desert air.

As Advertisers try harder and harder to grab our attention - simultaneously competing with other Advertisers, we're seeing a delightful new set of ads. Interesting ones, that require lots of imagination and thought. When I listen to the radio on the way to work I hear a variety of ads - ones from huge corporations, as well as ones from small and local shops. Each have their unique quality and I find myself constantly wondering about the success of the ad, the uptake rate, how I would improve the ad, what the ad contains that I didn't think of.

What I'm getting at is simple: When it comes to ads, don't be so superficial and look at what it's advertising. There's so much else to them than simply their product. There's a wealth of information - all at no cost. And without them, we'd be staring at ever-unchanging surfaces that are likely to grow boring and dull before long.