I suspect people dislike ads because ads have usually a very low information to noise ratio. This may be untrue for this particular ad, but always there are slippery-slope concerns.
"I suspect people dislike blog posts because blog posts have usually a very low information to noise ratio. This may be untrue for this particular blog post, but there are slippery-slope concerns."
All I'm suggesting is that we treat ads like any other post--vote up the ones we recommend and vote down the ones we disrecommend. I don't see any "slippery slope concerns".
You don't expect market norms on a billboard? I think a product listing page on Amazon isn't an ad because its purpose is not advertising, it just informs you what can you find on a site you have already chosen to visit. Advertising is usually not requested - if you enter a restaurant and ask for the menu, receiving it is not advertising. If you find the menu in your mailbox, it is.
OK, but it's still fundamentally about market vs social norms. A sign that says "hi there good looking!" or Rob wants to give you a hi five wouldn't be an ad, even if you didn't request it. A sign that advertised a transaction you could take part in that involved money and goods or services would be an ad.
My question is, is this aversion to marketplace transactions necessarily rational, assuming we can correctly vote ads up and down based only on their information to noise ratio?
All I'm suggesting is that we treat ads like any other post--vote up the ones we recommend and vote down the ones we disrecommend. I don't see any "slippery slope concerns".
I understand the recommendation. What I am saying is that it is plausible that a general norm against ads is a net win although it supresses even the few ads from which the community would profit. In other words, I consider it possible that we aren't going to be able to consistently let the beneficial ads in while keeping the typical ads away.
...OK, but it's still fundamenta
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