Images: Annoying yet effective ads | BNET

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• abbiesomeone04/23/07 Report as spam
  1

  Dancing silhouettes completely backfired

  These ads were single-handedly responsible for my decision to purchase ad-blocking software.
  
  So yeah, I agree they're annoying, but how effective can they be now that they've driven me to make sure I never see them again?

• kcredden204/26/07 Report as spam
  2

  Must be nice...

  But moving ads such as those 'you may be a winner' and just basic SW/Flash ads drove me to use ad-blocking software on Firefox. Adblock+, and it's updater is all I need to finally be able to use the web.
  
  I have no problems with static ads, and I don't block them. Google text ads as well. But if they move, and annoy me, or pop over/under, or act like a commerical (in which I have to click though it, or wait), well they just lost out.
  
  The web is NOT TV. It's mostly static pages, like a magazine. So I treat it as such. I'll look at an ad IF the product is useful or important. But I will not click on one that annoys me.
  
  It's not me; google ads shows that I'm not in the minority here.
  
  - Kc

• jmadsen@...06/07/07 Report as spam
  3

  browsing complacently

  It's funny that while I agree with you to an extent, this position feels more Luddite-ish every time I hear it. The Web is not TV, but it has similar characteristics. I watch TV on the Web, fewer commercials and what not.
  
  I think the Web for whatever reason has moved beyond the initial pristine collegian information library into a viable communication stream. As such, money needs to be made to keep the platform viable. And that comes from advertising.
  
  Unfortunately, it being a world wide internet, There is little regulation on acceptable advertising policy. All we have is best practices and tracking to justify a campaigns existence.
  
  The problem is with the money a company saves by not hiring a talented conceptual ad agency, a significant media purchase can be made. And the media buy if properly saturated will bring in an increase of revenue. This translates to a successful campaign, all-be-it an ugly bastard of a campaign.
  
  The solution, as it has been for as long as democratic societies have existed, is not to avoid the problem. But to complain to the right person. In the case of the web, it makes no sense to complain to the company serving the ads, but the owner of the media channel or web site showing them. If they understand that the current advertising isn't helping them, and may in fact drive off subscribers, the savvy ones will make change. The others will find obsolescence.
  
  All that being said, I still block ads when I visit certain sites.

• caesarmoridon@...05/03/07 Report as spam
  4

  I always liked the little bear

  I used to play with the cute little bear. The others are annoying. Honestly though the most annoying are the ones that take over you page like they have at PC mag and IMDB.

• tech_ed@...06/04/07 Report as spam
  5

  Not as annoying as the tracking sites you use

  what a sham! I click on the link to view annoying adds and I have to go through two tracking sites to get here!
  http://adlog.com.com/adlog/c/r=9106&s=728330&o=9595:&h=cn&p=2&# 38;b=2&l=en_US&site=22&pt=2100&nd=9595&pid=&cid=6188337& #38;pp=100&e=2&rqid=00c18-ad-e946433321FE4C9C0&t=2007.06.04.20.34.53 /http://dw.com.com/redir?tag=hs.bnet.ads&destUrl=
  
  Yeah, both of these tracking URLs are prefixed to the actual URL for the annoying sites. Well, guess what....You can't track me because I stripped out the tracking part and left behind only the part I need...I'm so glad I have a hosts file that prevents over 3,800 add/phishing/pharming URLs from sending me their traffic...
  
  Ed
  Web/gadget guru

• mltt07/05/07 Report as spam
  6

  Well then, next time they'll use their ESP software...

  Off topic to the article but how else do you think a site can effectively and economically ascertain what content users want to read?
  
  If they can't do this, then you'll complain two months down the line: "I remember when you used to be relevant to me and write stuff that I was interested in."
  
  Back to the ads...
  
  Perhaps I'm blind or complacent because I don't see these kinds of ads often although I'm online 40+ hours a week. In fact, I've only ever used ad blockers when I was first online years 'n years ago. The ones that come embedded in browsers are so competent that I often turn them off in order to see more of a page.
  
  Err, with the exception of "lower my bills" maybe I just like ads?