# How To Apologise Effectively

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-apologise-effectively/599595>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [October 14, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-apologise-effectively/599595 "2011-10-14T02:10:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-apologise-effectively/599595/41 "2011-10-16T04:10:22Z")

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> [@Nametag](#):
>
> Apologize.
> 
> To the sponge.

Is that like “talk to the hand?”

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**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-apologise-effectively/599595/42 "2011-10-16T04:50:17Z")

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Ads? What ads?  
Those of us who have a business relationship with the Dope do not see ads.

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**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-apologise-effectively/599595/43 "2011-10-16T05:01:35Z")

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> [@kayT](#):
>
> Ads? What ads?  
> Those of us who have a business relationship with the Dope do not see ads.

Those of us who don’t are contributing to their revenue with click throughs.  
😉

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**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\
**Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-apologise-effectively/599595/44 "2011-10-17T15:22:23Z")

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> [@Peter\_Morris](#):
>
> Your post shows that the problem has been going on for a long time, and any attempts to address it have not worked.

How do you know they haven’t worked? Just because an occassional ad with sound slips through, that doesn’t mean their efforts aren’t working pretty well.

> [@Peter\_Morris](#):
>
> Ed’s message predates the current problem. By several months, in fact. It therefore does not in any way answer the current problem.

The current problem is the same problem that Ed addressed - that internet ad providers are sneaky in how they interpret “consent to listen to audio ads”, they are sneaky in putting audio ads in ad provider lists, and ad providers have options to prevent audio ads but aren’t 100% in screening them because of the sneakiness of ad providers. And if you hear an ad, help identify the specific ad so Ed can send that info back to the ad providers and they can block that ad as well.

And really, I’m not seeing anything in the threads about audio ads where apologies are anywhere necessary. I certainly didn’t link the OP of this thread to audio ads. Rather, the context of apologizing and not apologizing well made _me_ think about think prior complaints about malware infected ads and the issues we’ve had dealing with them. YMMV.

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**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-apologise-effectively/599595/45 "2011-10-18T04:15:11Z")

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> [@Smeghead](#):
>
> I’m sorry.

Your apology is ineffective without the following steps:

1/ Acknowledge that there is a problem

2/ Apologise for it

3/ Explain how and why it is occurring

4/ Do something about it, and say what that something is

5/ Keep a sense of humour

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