Pop-Up Ads on the Net are Moving Targets
Many of today's Internet
users are distressed over a new form of
Internet advertising that is becoming increasingly thrown at them.
The newest type of Internet advertising is called
"Interactive advertising." You certainly don't request it,
and it is sometimes hard to remove or close when you try to move to
another page. The most prominent of the current pop-up ads, although
recently toned down, is the overpowering ad for the wireless X-10
video camera. At least now you can shut down the Window it opens in.
Prior versions simply popped up on your screen and you had to close
the window or the URL you were working in.
Now, the next generation
Internet ad is popping up. the animated ad. This
was really unique in the film "Moulin Rouge." A worker
appeared on your screen, and posted a flyer for the movie. No matter
where you scrolled, the ad stayed on your screen. It dissolved after
several aggravating minutes, but no action prior to that would remove
the ad. You could not see what was on your screen behind the ad
unless you scrolled to a screen position the ad didn't cover!
Where
is the Internet going in its increasingly difficult advertising
market? The banner ads that adorn most sites simply are not pulling
the "click-throughs" to increase Web traffic the way Web
advertisers claimed, so the forced ads seem to be the answer. Their
usefulness has yet to he determined, yet just about everyone on the
Internet knows what the X-10 is.
The problem is most Web
users see the Internet as a free resource. They
paid for their PCs, telephone or cable lines and modems, the
software, and learned how to negotiate the Web without your help,
thank you! Putting up advertising to view during the trip along the
Internet was at first actually enjoyable, but now it looks like
Interstate 75 in Georgia. Nobody pays any attention. The banner ads
and splash boxes visually overpower many sites. Some sites have
become so cluttered with visual garbage that it is difficult to tell
the function or even the purpose of the page!
Some
of the new Web pages assume that all users have 19-inch monitors with
a minimum screen size set at 1280 x 1024 pixels, Unfortunately. those
very large monitors are most often found in corporate America, where
someone else foots the bill. Most home users arc still set at 640 x
480. or 800 x 600 screen size to fit their 15· or 17 -inch monitors.
The result is many of the new pages look terrible to the average
surfer, The overcrowding becomes overpowering. and the site is
ultimately removed from users "bookmarks" or "favorites"
files.
Perhaps the advertisers
think if you can't read the Web page, you would like to watch an
animation video of a car manufacturer's latest SUV roll across your
computer monitor, At least you can see it without a magnifying glass.
George
Mindling
©
2002
