Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

 Squidmanlolz wrote:

 Sienisoturi wrote:
One could also make the argument that in the case of You tube, because you have no way to know what is the actual content of the video before you watch it, it is highly immoral to make you "pay" for the video before hand. Also, somebody will probably make the point that that is the case also with movies and games, but infact it is not, as widespread reviews are available.

But you do have the description, comments and rating system to decide whether or not the video is worth watching.

There might be no description, and the rating and comment systems are highly unreliable.

 Sienisoturi wrote:

 Squidmanlolz wrote:

 Sienisoturi wrote:
One could also make the argument that in the case of You tube, because you have no way to know what is the actual content of the video before you watch it, it is highly immoral to make you "pay" for the video before hand. Also, somebody will probably make the point that that is the case also with movies and games, but infact it is not, as widespread reviews are available.

But you do have the description, comments and rating system to decide whether or not the video is worth watching.

There might be no description, and the rating and comment systems are highly unreliable.

And you trust film and video game reviews? Those are equally unreliable.

 Squidmanlolz wrote:

 Sienisoturi wrote:

 Squidmanlolz wrote:

 Sienisoturi wrote:
One could also make the argument that in the case of You tube, because you have no way to know what is the actual content of the video before you watch it, it is highly immoral to make you "pay" for the video before hand. Also, somebody will probably make the point that that is the case also with movies and games, but infact it is not, as widespread reviews are available.

But you do have the description, comments and rating system to decide whether or not the video is worth watching.

There might be no description, and the rating and comment systems are highly unreliable.

And you trust film and video game reviews? Those are equally unreliable.

Have you actually read the Youtube comments before? I'm pretty sure Film and Game reviews don't start veering into racist/homophobic bouts of shouting as soon as someone disagree's.

That's not the point that I was making. Sure the youtube comments sections are the absolute dregs of the internet, but at least they aren't payed to give positive reviews like critics are in the video game and film industries.
The point of the matter is that neither is a great indicator of the quality of the product.

YouTube commentaries, on average, always have an extremely negative bias and thus aren't helpful at all.

Oops wrong thread

The premise that it's immoral to make you pay before you get something is flawed. I mean it's not all that smart to plop down money before you have a feeling of what you get, but there isn't really a moral argument that it's immoral to do something stupid. (OK there maybe is, but I won't make it for you.) I mean you buy your tooth paste before you read the reviews. (They don't even have reviews.) The other week I went to a high school play, they made me pay before they let me watch even I mean the nerve.

I will always use adblock and just unblock on sites I care about.

nomotog wrote:
The premise that it's immoral to make you pay before you get something is flawed. I mean it's not all that smart to plop down money before you have a feeling of what you get, but there isn't really a moral argument that it's immoral to do something stupid. (OK there maybe is, but I won't make it for you.) I mean you buy your tooth paste before you read the reviews. (They don't even have reviews.) The other week I went to a high school play, they made me pay before they let me watch even I mean the nerve.

Yes, but unlike your high school play example, when you purchased your ticket for the play, you knew what the play was going to be about, so you at least had a decent idea that it is what you wanted to watch (or you wouldn't have bought the ticket in the first place). With YouTube ads, all you have to decide whether to watch it or not is a thumbnail, an author and a title, they are hardly comparable scenarios.

 Krellnus wrote:

nomotog wrote:
The premise that it's immoral to make you pay before you get something is flawed. I mean it's not all that smart to plop down money before you have a feeling of what you get, but there isn't really a moral argument that it's immoral to do something stupid. (OK there maybe is, but I won't make it for you.) I mean you buy your tooth paste before you read the reviews. (They don't even have reviews.) The other week I went to a high school play, they made me pay before they let me watch even I mean the nerve.

Yes, but unlike your high school play example, when you purchased your ticket for the play, you knew what the play was going to be about, so you at least had a decent idea that it is what you wanted to watch (or you wouldn't have bought the ticket in the first place). With YouTube ads, all you have to decide whether to watch it or not is a thumbnail, an author and a title, they are hardly comparable scenarios.

I didn't know what the play was about. I knew the name, I knew some of the actors and the director. I didn't even get a thumbnail. Your not going to really know a lot about a lot of stuff before you buy. You can have a good sense of quality by who did it or recommendations, but heck a lot of things are spoiled when you know what happens.

There is a ethical argument to make that the cost of a youtube video is too small to actually care though. It's 30 seconds of time for that first ad, but trying to make a quality assessment of a video looking up reviews and comments can take more time then that. It's just cheaper to roll the dice ant watch the add. (That is a unitgolist argument I think?)