I block ads for good reasons (even if I say so myself). It is because I really hate tracking and allowing ads shows that I somehow agree with the big guys that they are allowed to track me. Also, I loathe the banner/flash type of ad (instant leave and no return if you run one of those on your site and I happen to catch you). I don't mind unobtrusive, unpersonalized and clearly marked text ads since those are, well, unobtrusive and easily ignored without using technology. If you need to use trickery and flashiness to sell your product you are clearly doing it wrong.

I recently read the first page of mnmlist.com. It talks about a minimalist website, the how and why. He argues that you also need to care for the reader. The reader also hopes to gain something from being at your site. The most amazing part is that even though all his work is in the public domain and there are no ads on his sites, he still manages to make a living off of his sites. Clearly, there is another way.

Things like flattr are a step in the right direction to make money making on the internet easier. It allows people to give to creators without having to deal with the annoyance that is advertising. Even large sites like news sites could use something like this. Maybe it is really flattr like, or maybe it is a paywall where you need to pay a few cents to read the complete article. A bit like buying music via iTunes of a similar store.