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For the last couple of weeks I have been diligently, like one of Skinner's pigeons, giving the thumb's up or thumb's down to the various SE network ads that appear in the right sidebar.

Why? Because you can. And because, thanks to the cunning UI, you are actually encouraged to do so. Mousing over one of the ads will reveal the option to approve (Green thumbs up) or disapprove (Red thumb's down) the respective ads. Selecting a red thumb allows you to choose a reason for your displeasure, from "Uninteresting" to "Offensive".

However, the only thing offensive about this is the fact that no matter how strongly or repeatedly I insist that I don't wish to see ads about Failbook or some obscure parenting issue in a Beta site, they keep re-appearing.

We have a selection of ads that the community want to see displayed, why are we forced to keep seeing the same drivel despite clearly indicating a desire not to?

Is the feedback just to taunt us? Is this part of some cunning operant conditioning whose nefarious purpose will be revealed at some later date?

If the powers that be want to treat us like lab animals, please at least send a treat down the chute every once in a while; all this pecking is making me thirsty...

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  • I know, at my age, my eyesight is slowly failing me,but I have no clue what ads you are talking about. Given the upvotes I might be the only one missing something. Where are these ads, on the U&L main site, SO and Ebooks where I regularly visit I have not noticed them (only job offer ads in SO). Or is this something I'm "missing" because my browser (NoScript, AdBlock Plus) filters things.
    – Anthon
    Apr 17, 2015 at 8:44
  • @Anthon it must be your ad-blocker. I have edited an example in for you...
    – jasonwryan
    Apr 17, 2015 at 8:47
  • 4
    Thanks, I sure don't have that. I briefly considered switching AdBlock off so I can do a bit of extra up/down voting, but as I don't think that will earn me a badge, I think I'll lieave things as is ;-)
    – Anthon
    Apr 17, 2015 at 8:53
  • I'm guessing that the votes up/down are not counted on a per-user basis. The votes of all users are probably summed when deciding which ads appear. That might explain why you feel your votes are being ignored.
    – terdon Mod
    Apr 17, 2015 at 10:11
  • 2
    @terdon Well, the copy explicity says they won't show the ad again. Which is the primary reason I find this so irritating...
    – jasonwryan
    Apr 17, 2015 at 10:15
  • 3
    Oh. There goes that argument then, that is annoying. In fact, I would even call it a bug.
    – terdon Mod
    Apr 17, 2015 at 10:23
  • @jasonwryan Are you clearing your cookies?
    – stevvve
    Apr 17, 2015 at 20:41
  • @stevvve no, I would not have posted if I was.
    – jasonwryan
    Apr 17, 2015 at 20:45
  • @jasonwryan Just checking! Next up: checking to make sure they voting module is functioning as it should.
    – stevvve
    Apr 17, 2015 at 20:46
  • @stevvve cool: thank you.
    – jasonwryan
    Apr 17, 2015 at 20:56
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    @stevvve: I suspect the problem is that the cookies are set on a third-party domain (engine.adzerk.net). If you have third-party cookies disabled in your browser (as just about any privacy-conscious person would), the ads will keep showing no matter how many times you vote them down. Adding an exception to allow cookies from adzerk.net might be a possible work-around.
    – Ilmari Karonen
    Apr 18, 2015 at 20:59
  • Ad blocker up, no distraction at all...
    – Deer Hunter
    May 1, 2015 at 19:31

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