I'm not sure you need to worry so much though, devin, as most people - Firefox users or otherwise - won't install plugins. If it becomes a problem then we might find Google just buying out Firefox. After all it'll cost them billions as well - and no company will want that happening.
If people really believe it's a problem then for ads that use javascript you can just display a non-javascript/flash/java ad if JS is disabled. And include stats tracking from something like statcounter (non-js tracking too). This would give a real idea of the "problem". But consider this - as these people are less likely to click ads anyway (whether shown to them or not) what else can be offered to them? There's other stuff that doesn't require JS, is just a simple link (so not blockable) and can make money per sale/signup, etc.
In terms of being worried about your AdSense revenue, I would be more concerned with virus/internet protection software where ad blocking is turned on by default than over Adblock for Firefox. With Norton Internet Security, it came pre-installed on many new computers for a time with ad blocking turned on by default. I suspect the demographic of Firefox users that are installing ad blocking extensions are probably not amongst the advertising click happy users that would be clicking your ads if it wasn't installed.
Maybe the solution is to use some server side script to detect Norton and any ad-blocking plugins and show some other adverts instead.
Not even server-side scripting is needed. As I wrote before: i.e. this means if javascript is disabled/doesn't work then alternative content (HTML-only) is displayed. Just use <noscript> after the JS: <noscript><!-- Your HTML/image/non-JS advert goes here --></noscript> Code (markup):
So far, I haven't found an adblocker that stops noscript from working. I don't see why anyone would filter noscript as it's only going to contain harmless HTML. But I haven't tested norton or similar (I use Linux mainly, except at work and for some reason this company doesn't want to install anti-virus or similar ). I really doubt that even Norton would filter it, though.
google is god when it comes to the internet right now if it really becomes a problem they will just buy or bribe the Mozilla Foundation to let their ads be seen.
It's the people who make the extensions that they'd have to "bribe". They're third party. Anyway, it's really in the minority. I know a lot of people who use firefox and very few use adblocking extensions (maybe only 1 or 2). Although, seamonkey has a lot of features built-in that were previously provided by extensions. The last build I tried didn't have an adblocker built-in, just the obligatory pop-up/-under blocker.
Imagine if Microsoft bring out a rival to Adsense and then also bring out an ad-blocker for IE which blocks Adsense by default. That would stir things up a bit!
This would be a nice tool for any webmaster that afraid clicking their own ads. They can simply block the ads in their own site from their own view.
Yep, not just that but also reduce the impressions caused by viewing one's own site (in case someone has eCPM ads).
Not mine either, doesn't mean it shouldn't be worried about though. What happens when ad blocking becomes default across all browsers, possibly IE7? It'd hit me incredibly hard at this point, as it stands it doesn't make a difference. My bad on that. Still, as far as I'm aware the filterset is a pretty popular extension, quite a lot of home users own firefox, it's not too hard for them to install both of these and they're highly unlikely to specificly delete or whitelist adsense. It's an ad, to the user it's unwanted. They shouldn't be able to choose what I'm showing though. I've given them some content and an experience, they shouldn't be able to deny me of some compensation from that. The internet isn't a free lunch and this message needs to hit home with a lot of users. Now, maybe - I honestly have no problem with the situation as it is, I'm looking at this in the long term, it could become a huge problem if somebody builds it in by default or includes 3rd party ad blocking software with an OS or something. Admittedly I wouldn't be in much of a position to do anything about it but it's something that concerns me.
IF adblocking (and enabled by default) became prevalent it would not matter because advertising networks would evolve. They did and will again... Web technologies evolve, too, and because of this bettering offerings can be made by companies for their products. But adblockers would never become prevalent to a point where it would be a problem (built into a browser/OS AND enabled by default) as it would make no commercial sense whatsoever.
It would make sense for browsers/OS to bloack ads served by competitors though. Things could get a bit messy with legal precedings though.
Exactly, legal issues due to incompatibilities/blocking. And easily demonstratable, too. It wouldn't be worth it, not even for M$ of Google.