February 27, 2004

Space Merchants

Posted by Henry

Has anyone else come across the new ads on the NYT’s website with both animation and sound (I hit one reading this piece)? It’s offensive and obtrusive; when you’re trying to read an article, the last thing you want to deal with is some bloke yelling inanities about the latest box-office stinkeroo. We’ve moved from static banners to animated banners, to popunders, to popovers, to popthroughs, to flyovers to this. Mozilla Firefox doesn’t seem to block it. If this sort of thing becomes standard on the Times, it’ll be enough to stop me reading the paper (I use my computer as my sound system, so don’t want to have to disconnect my speakers).

Posted on February 27, 2004 09:09 PM UTC
Comments

Disable Flash or Java. One of those two should do it. Actually, I don’t think I’ve seen them since I’ve had Java disabled.

Posted by Chuchundra · February 27, 2004 09:48 PM

I’ve disabled Flash, not Java, and I’m getting neither animation nor sound on the NYT page you
link.

Posted by Tom Myers · February 27, 2004 10:02 PM

Oh, just the most brilliant and apposite reference in the title! Haven’t thought of that book in years…

Posted by coder · February 27, 2004 10:19 PM

I’m not seeing this monstrosity, but then I have some pretty effective adserver blocking in place.

If you want to know more, drop me an email.

Posted by paul · February 27, 2004 10:23 PM

If you’re using Fire[bird|fox], you owe it to yourself to install Flash Click to View.

Posted by Steve · February 27, 2004 10:42 PM

Part of the eternally ongoing misconception by web-advertising sellers that if they just annoy you enough you’ll buy what they’re selling.

I wonder when/if they’ll notice the opposite is true?

Posted by Sigivald · February 27, 2004 11:45 PM

Most big-media web sites have always been unpleasant to use, and are becoming more so. The very busy page layout (including both content and increasingly-obnoxious ads) may work for paper, but I don’t think it works very well in the online world.

With the emergence of flat, flexible “electronic paper” displays (which are getting pretty close to commercialization), I think some major media re-sorting is going to take place.

Posted by david foster · February 28, 2004 12:29 AM

Flash Click to View is the business. Thanks so much. Coder - nice to know that someone got the pun (seemed like a good one to me too, if a little obscure to non-SF readers).

Posted by Henry Farrell · February 28, 2004 05:57 AM

Just wait…they’ll figure out a way to pump Mokie Koke into your fingertips through the keyboard.

Posted by John Stein · February 29, 2004 02:54 AM
Followups

This discussion has been closed. Thanks to everyone who contributed.