[iamdigitalman @ Nov 24th 2006 1:57PM]

heres an idea: how about NOT finding a sponsor for every fucking thing on this site? I come here for news on gadgets, not to have ads shoved down my face. Don't you already have enough help from corporate America, or do you need to fatten your wallet a bit more? Or, how about not doing this guide at all? Christmas is not all about gifts. Perhaps a couple more bits on your charity work, or something like it? But I guess you wont listen, as peoples opinions are always trumped by the Almighty Dollar.

[Ryan Block @ Nov 24th 2006 7:00PM]

I never get people who use that argument. We provide premium content 24/7 with a full staff of professional writers, and you complain that we need to advertise? We have two choices: don't advertise (and Engadget goes away), or switch to subscription (proven not to work in most online content, and Engadget goes away). Just avert your eyes if it's so painful, or use an ad blocker if you're the type.

[James @ Nov 24th 2006 11:56PM]

To "iamdigitalman". . . I'm not sure where you're going with that little rant. If you come here for news on gadgets, then surely you find it difficult to be disappointed in Engadget's offering. If you want that offering to be free, then realize that advertisements are what's making it possible for us to read up-to-date, quality gadget news with this kind of frequency.

If you have a better plan for how to fund a full-time blog then by all means, share it with the world. Make your opinion somewhat useful.

The current formula is simple:

Great content generates consumers of great content. Consumers attract advertisers. Advertisers enable the development of more great content for us to consume. (And so on.)

It's a self-perpetuating cycle, and it works. The bottom line is that we (the readers) wouldn't come here if the value proposition wasn't high enough. You don't have to thank Engadget for bringing that value to the table - but criticizing them for trying to be profitable is ridiculous.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to continue empowering the system. It may not be perfect, but it's effective - and in the spirit of Thanksgiving - I'm thankful for that.

[thethirdmoose @ Nov 24th 2007 12:24PM]

Ryan,
I would like to apologize for using Adblock on your site. I don't use it because I care about watching ads, but rather because my computer can't handle all the flash ads, and it slows to a crawl when I turn adblock off. However, I go to engadget at school all the time without adblock.