NAZ HAMID

This isn't a post about ad-blocking. That the technology is now here, is a direct result of the privacy, security and less-than-ideal user experiences that publishers have pushed on readers. It was inevitable. It is their reliance on advertising and its accompanying rules that have pushed people into corners where they didn't want to be — playing the role of Baby. Swayze, come save me.

This is a post about how you can do things well.

I've long admired Jim Coudal and his entire humble crew. I got to know Jim from being a designer in Chicago, and then better when I co-founded Gapers Block, and even better yet during the end of our run in Chicago, when my wife worked at Coudal. I may now be biased, but from day one, Coudal Partners was an inspiration. They still are.

Here's an article from Fast.Co Design that gets at what Coudal's doing pretty well. Actually, scratch that. You should really just read it straight from the horse's mouth. Jim's always been a great writer, and it's no surprise that their Privacy Policy is direct and plain spoken: "We're fine with knowing nothing."

The Deck has been the ONLY ad network whose ads I've ever clicked on. There are reasons for this (which they plainly state on their homepage) but the simple matter of it comes down to trust. The Deck carefully curates both advertisers and members, and does it tastefully.