I wanna talk about something serious for a moment. And I’m not talking at you, I wanna talk with you about it. But I will start, mostly because I’m writing this and that’s how blog posts work. But do share your thoughts, suggestions, objections, and complaints in the comments.

What I wanna talk about is: the ads on the site. Some of you may not know there are ads because you’re running ad blockers on your browser. And I understand why you’d do that. I get so ticked off when I go to a Website and an ad pops up over what I’m trying to read. Or one folds down on top. Lots of Websites do things like that and those Websites really tick me off.

Another thing I hate is when a Web page starts playing a video. I don’t want a video to play unless I tell the video to play. News Websites are the worst about that. And, come to think of it, the fold-over ads and pop-ups are common on news Websites, too. No wonder we hate news media.

But I do want to let you know about the ads here on IMAO. They don’t pop up. They don’t fold over. They don’t auto-play video or noise. They’re not intrusive. They are in the sidebars and they stay there. They don’t float around — I hate those that do that — and they don’t get in your way. They’re simply there, offering their wares if you are interested. Like a billboard out by the highway, they’re off to the side for you to look at or ignore. They’re not in the middle of the lane of traffic.

Another thing about the ads on IMAO is that they don’t slow down the page. Although the main content is in the second column, it’s really in the first column. You see, the content items — the posts in the middle column — actually load first. Then the column on the left. Then the column on the right. That way, the ads don’t slow you down from the main content. A lot of Websites don’t work that way. You end up waiting on some ad to load before you get to what you went to the Website for.

The thing is, we here at IMAO use the Internet too. We know what it’s like. We don’t want any ads to cause you trouble during the time you took out of your life to come visit. I don’t wanna waste my time when I go to a Website, and you shouldn’t have your time wasted either. Yeah, some of what we post here seems like a waste sometimes, but you know what I’m talking about.

So, here’s what I’d like to ask of you. If you’re running an ad blocker, try turning if off when you come to IMAO. See what it’s like. Find out if the ads are a bother or a nuisance. If they aren’t, then whitelist IMAO and let the ads show through.

The truth of the matter is it costs money to run a Website. And the ads help offset that cost. If you have an ad blocker running, you’re not helping to offset the cost. So, consider it at least. Try it for a little while.

If you decide to not, that’s okay. We’re still glad to have you here, enjoying yourself and participating in the conversation. But, we’d like you think about it.

We’d appreciate it.

Okay, I said to let us know in the comments your feelings on this. Agree, disagree, let us know. Anonymously, if you’d rather. It’s okay. Your feedback matters.

Thanks for listening. Or reading. You know what I mean.