If you can make one thing illegal...

[Sexual_Chocolate]

If advertisement was banned most of the internet would die off.

no it wouldnt.. lol

a lot of major websites would dissapear.

[wolf89]

eating meat / killing animals for our own benefit

Being a vegeterian

but on a serious note. I have no idea.

[Laszlo]

If advertisement was banned most of the internet would die off.

no it wouldnt.. lol

a lot of major websites would dissapear.

Either restructure your finances and find revenue from elsewhere or go under, yes.

If your product is solid you'll be fine.

[Marcus]

If advertisement was banned most of the internet would die off.

no it wouldnt.. lol

a lot of major websites would dissapear.

Either restructure your finances and find revenue from elsewhere or go under, yes.

If your product is solid you'll be fine.

What would happen to places like this forum where adverts are their only income?

[magma]

If advertisement was banned most of the internet would die off.

no it wouldnt.. lol

In its current form, yes it would. You'd have to replace all the advertising revenue by raising taxes and paying for it out of the public purse or charging subscriptions to every individual service.

I'm not sure if I'd rather pay a membership to use DSF or scroll past an advert each time I post.

Oh wait, yeah I am; it's really easy. I'll scroll past an advert that gets blocked by work anyway.

[Laszlo]

If advertisement was banned most of the internet would die off.

no it wouldnt.. lol

a lot of major websites would dissapear.

Either restructure your finances and find revenue from elsewhere or go under, yes.

If your product is solid you'll be fine.

What would happen to places like this forum where adverts are their only income?

Either restructure your finances and find revenue from elsewhere or go under.

[wub]

Would that not force non-commercial websites (that might rely on adverts to cover their running costs) to sell something in order to survive?

[Marcus]

Would that not force non-commercial websites (that might rely on adverts to cover their running costs) to sell something in order to survive?

Pretty much the point I'm trying to make. Do you really think people would start paying money for a brand new website they aren't too sure about and has very little members?

[Laszlo]

Perhaps there could be some kind of (dare I say it) taxation on products that would go to running sites etc. Like, this is a music forum so a percentage of ticket sales, album sales, merchandise etc goes into a fund which pays for DSF, DoA and the rest.

Obviously that idea can and will be torn to shreds but I reckon after the initial ten years or so of the law coming in, after all the web designers and graphic designers have died of starvation, the general happiness of society will be up. A lot.

[magma]

Would that not force non-commercial websites (that might rely on adverts to cover their running costs) to sell something in order to survive?

Pretty much the point I'm trying to make. Do you really think people would start paying money for a brand new website they aren't too sure about and has very little members?

Which is why the only workable alternative is to pay for it through the public purse.

But that opens up a pretty massive opportunity for censorship due to the need for "proper" use of taxpayer's money. I can't see the Daily Mail brigade feeling too happy about paying for a new competitor to The Silk Road, for example.

Advertising isn't as bad as Bill Hicks jokes about it are funny.

[Phase Down]

If advertisement was banned most of the internet would die off.

no it wouldnt.. lol

a lot of major websites would dissapear.

and new ones would take it place

[magma]

If advertisement was banned most of the internet would die off.

no it wouldnt.. lol

a lot of major websites would dissapear.

and new ones approved by the government or absolutely guaranteed to make money would take it place

Sounds just great.

[Laszlo]

Fine.
I'll edit my idea - internet advertising is fine (I can ad block that ) as are magazine ads as you choose to buy that and look at it. However, if the ad has some outright bullshit in it ("74% of the 251 people we asked agreed." that isn't a whole number. tnuc.) then the company is heavily fined.
T.V/film ads are out as are ads in public spaces.

Happy, fuckers?

[wub]

So this is more about the style and factual content of adverts than outright banning of all adverts?

[Laszlo]

It is now

[wub]

It is now

[Laszlo]

But tbh, I don't really care about websites either. Society seemed to get along just fine before rampant internet advertising, but whatever, i'll change my idea if only to placate the ninjas making money off the internet.

[magma]

But tbh, I don't really care about websites either. Society seemed to get along just fine before rampant internet advertising, but whatever, i'll change my idea if only to placate the ninjas making money off the internet.

I do lean to agreeing that society would be better without advertising, but some necessary evils are required to keep the balance between all the different facets of human progress... billboards and stuff, I reckon we could benefit without (especially if Graffiti is to be illegal); but I'm really sceptical that there's a better way to allow freedom of expression and enterprise in an environment like the Internet... put a financial block in the way and the Internet might as well just be the High St - things will likely only appear if the creators can convince their bank it'll be profitable (I have a feeling this would make the Internet a much more depressing place) and put a request for taxpayer's money in the way and things might start disappearing if the entire country can't agree on them.

Commercial TV is a difficult one. I never really watch commercial TV so I'd like to think we can do without it, but I wonder whether we'd have so many wonderfully made TV series recently if people couldn't try one or two episodes for free before buying a DVD Boxset. We even benefit from the Beeb running adverts in foreign markets to supplement our license fees...

Edit: But of course having good TV series =/ Happy Society. I'm rambling. You're right.

[Jizz]

We are all advertisements, of one thing or the other. Would be near impossible to ban unless we stop looking at ourselves through chains of command

You know what I mean - commercials

i'll take u seriously when u stop advertising urself as a boxer m9

[wub]

Boxer?