Blocking Scripts: Security Or Scroogery?
Jesse James' thoughtful entry on Digg blocking, a crusade that seems more than a little wrong-headed, brought to mind a question we don't have the luxury of ignoring here at GayGamer and Homotron - script blocking and its effect on traffic. As the least technical member of the GayGamer editorial staff, I have to be reminded by Mikey and Flynn that script blockers seriously impact our ability to measure and track traffic - and therefore reduce our income and rankings, which we need to stay afloat, not to mention for growth.
But I'm a dogged script-blocker myself (although I enable all scripts on GayGamer - and if you want to support us, please do the same!). I use NoScript for Firefox, an easy-to-use plugin that scored a mention on CNet as one of their five "must-have" privacy extensions. Am I a hypocrite or a rational, security-minded interneteer? What about everyone else: do you use script blockers, or are they unnecessary?
Also - testing out the poll feature, so forgive me if it goes awry.
tiny dancer
Posted to Hot Stuff, On Your Desk on 27 November 2007
· Comments (5)
Other stuff like this: noscript, poll, script blocker
3D iPhone glasses. Why?
I really like to support you guys, but I read you using Google Reader, does that help?
Interestingly enough, I'm one of the few computer science/technically inclined people that does NOT run a script blocker at all.
It might be due to the fact that I use Macs, and therefore am less susceptible to the horrors that may lurk in a script, but I also feel strongly about people blocking all scripts on all sites.
As a writer here on Homotron and GayGamer, as well as a website operator at theInput.net, I understand all too well how important client side scripting is to the livelihood of a site.
It's even more crucial to how Web 2.0 sites operate.
Making sure that you're letting scripts run on sites you patronise is an important piece of supporting those who work to provide you with content to read.
I'll tell you what, after reading this I unblocked all of yours. (Before I just had homotron.net enabled)
I'm a script blocker. I admit it.
I use NoScript mainly to prevent unknown sites from taking over my machine (anyone seen the memory footprint of Flash in Firefox? not pretty)
I enable scripts for sites I trust. Unfortunately, Goggle is one of the sites I don't trust and I know this impacts sites I visit. Until Google lets me opt-in/out of various tracking options, it will stay disabled. I don't trust a company that can track all my web activity without my knowledge and without letting me see what is being tracked.
Sorry Homotron (and family). Let me know if there are other ways to keep your ad revenue up. I do click on "donate now" buttons from time to time too, if one is available.
@Ducky:
If you log in using a Google account, you can opt out of web history tracking in your account settings.