Linux Format forums

RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Intrusive advertising

guy — Tue Apr 12, 2005 9:08 pm

Author: guy

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 9:08 pm

Thanks, mugstar.

Whoever thought up such a weird thing as a left-click menu when clicking on links. Sheesh!

I still think renaming the flash plugin was easier

Coo, look at all the f logos on this website...

Re: RE: Re: RE: Intrusive advertising

mugstar — Tue Apr 12, 2005 8:56 pm

Author: mugstar

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 8:56 pm

guy wrote:

I don't get it. The only download link is to something.xpi. Other linked pages are no better.
Googled "flashblock linux" and it threw up the same page. Searched for "linux". Not there. So why did Google throw the page up???
WIHIH?

All links point to this page because <drumroll> this is where you install the extension from. There's no need to download the xpi file.

Open Firefox, edit -->preferences-->web features, ensure the checkbox is set to 'allow websites to install software'

Go to the page. *LEFT* click on the 'Install Now' link. Press the 'Install Now' button on the dialogue which appears. You can safely ignore the bit about it not being signed.

Restart Firefox when instructed..

If you're paranoid, uncheck the checkbox under edit -->preferences-->web features to 'allow websites to install software'

Browse to a site which has flash animated ads. Observe the 'F' in a circle where the ad should be, and the fact that it changes to a 'play' arrow thingy if you hover the mouse pointer over it.

Sorted.

Re: RE: Re: RE: Intrusive advertising

guy — Tue Apr 12, 2005 8:38 pm

Author: guy

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 8:38 pm

towy71 wrote:

Guy
look again I have flash block working on Firefox in Kubuntu

RE: Re: RE: Intrusive advertising

wyliecoyoteuk — Mon Apr 11, 2005 10:59 pm

Author: wyliecoyoteuk

Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 10:59 pm

The problem is that SOMEBODY needs to pay for the media.

Advertising companies are getting increasingly worried by the ongoing decrease in television viewing.
There are 2 issues:;
1.traditional channels (terrestrial tV and newspapers)are decreasing their audience by 5-10% every year
2. total television viewing (including all the new channels ) is decreasing by about 5% every year.

As broadband increases, so traditional channels decrease .
PVR systems can filter adverts out of TV, so where is the revenue stream to pay for the content?
Strangely enough, radio audiences are increasing..

Maybe the dismal state of the mainstream TV channels is partly to blame.

So choose..pay the tv license, and have the BBC, write it off and have nothing but meanTV and adverts.

My main puzzlement with persistent advertising is :
you buy and install anti virus, antispyware, ad blocking, and these people think you will be so thrilled that they got past all the programs you bought to block them, that you will buy something from them!

Next time you are in Tesco, a motorway service station, or a train, look around you and try and guess how many people are actually looking at the advertising screens.

I reckon it is less than 5%.
Advertising is facing a crisis, the problem is, it may actually stop paying the bill, and that could be a problem for all of us.

RE: Re: RE: Intrusive advertising

towy71 — Mon Apr 11, 2005 7:44 pm

Author: towy71

Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 7:44 pm

Guy
look again I have flash block working on Firefox in Kubuntu
Dick

Re: RE: Intrusive advertising

guy — Mon Apr 11, 2005 7:25 pm

Author: guy

Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 7:25 pm

mugstar wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There's an extension for Firefox which blocks flash ads?

Of course there is! What you need is FlashBlock: http://tinyurl.com/57zj2

XP only. Grrrr! That's no use to me!

Re: RE: Intrusive advertising

mugstar — Mon Apr 11, 2005 2:02 am

Author: mugstar

Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 2:02 am

Anonymous wrote:

There's an extension for Firefox which blocks flash ads?

Of course there is! What you need is FlashBlock: http://tinyurl.com/57zj2

It's good to be back

RE: Intrusive advertising

guy — Sun Apr 10, 2005 9:25 pm

Author: guy

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 9:25 pm

Don't think there's a flash-blocker as such. I guess because many sites have Flash content, to make them dynamic.

I renamed the flash plugin to stop it executing.

RE: Intrusive advertising

Anonymous — Sun Apr 10, 2005 7:20 pm

Author: Anonymous

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 7:20 pm

There's an extension for Firefox which blocks flash ads?

RE: Intrusive advertising

phil_m — Sun Apr 10, 2005 12:22 am

Author: phil_m

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 12:22 am

Umm, maybe I'm being stupid, but I don't see any adverts on this site. In fact, since I started using Firefox and a couple of handy adblocking plugins, I don't think I've seen any adverts on websites in over a year.

RE: Intrusive advertising

doctorflange — Sat Apr 09, 2005 11:47 pm

Author: doctorflange

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2005 11:47 pm

Try going to PCFormat's forum.

* Evil popup adverts
* Banners across the top of the page
* 120x60 banner down the right of the forum, shrinking the page width and making a huge white margin.

That's intrusive advertising.

RE: Intrusive advertising

linuxgirlie — Sat Apr 09, 2005 8:04 pm

Author: linuxgirlie

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2005 8:04 pm

To be honest, why does ITV advertise and BBC not? Answer: Because the BBC has us mugs pay a 'license' (hehe, well not me, I don't have a TV!!)....I can understand why LXF has adverts though I have always refused with my own websites, even though I have proposed twice for banners.....maybe it shouldn't be a ban adverts but more than a ban flashy ads?!? Would they get less money for static banners?!? It would be ten times better....

RE: Intrusive advertising

Erin — Sat Apr 09, 2005 7:59 pm

Author: Erin

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2005 7:59 pm

I agree mainly but we cannot chew LXF's ears off. It is forced upon us, I believe, by Future, the company that produces LXF. It would seem the adverts get driven by global banding, such as IT, cars etcetera rather than *nix or M$.

We need to educate the masses about Adblock and get people to block these things. With no revenue stream because the adverts get zapped, they'll go out of business.

Until then, to paraphrase a certain '80s anti-drug song, "Just say no [to clicking banners and get Adblock and popup stoppers], just say no!"

Erin

RE: Intrusive advertising

Anonymous — Sat Apr 09, 2005 7:32 pm

Author: Anonymous

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2005 7:32 pm

BRAVO (sounds of loud clapping)

Intrusive advertising

guy — Thu Apr 07, 2005 3:00 pm

Author: guy

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 3:00 pm

Been thinking about the revenue streams that good people (like LXF) try to gain from advertisements on their websites, and why I continue to use Firefox's ad-blocking toys with such glee.

It comes down to intrusion in my personal mindspace. The ads I hate are the popups and the animations. The irritation of clearing popups is obvious enough. The irritation of distracting motion in the corner of one's eye is obvious enough too, when one stops to think about it. In my case, such animated adverts can help to trigger a migraine attack. Not nice.
Other web sites place ads in the middle of the page, with the content flowing round. I block those, too.

I'd like to suggest that the online advertising community get together to agree ethical and practical standards for the way they present their material.

Sadly, ethical advertising methods are something of an oxymoron at the moment. Hard sales techniques work, there seems no point in doing something different that won't. But think for a moment about where and when to do the hard closing. A good saleman doesn't wave promotional leaftets right in your face the moment you walk in the shop. That would make you pass right on by. No, the introductory manner is unobtrusive and relaxed. Only when you show an interest does the hard sell begin.

The same should be appied to web sites. It's common sense. A scattering of static, clickable adverts - great. Text links for those who have blocked images from other websites - great, too. Flashy, irritating nonsense leaves us passing right on by: save it for after we've followed the link.

Appropriateness of the material to the subject of the site is important, too. I have before likened Microsoft adverts on this website to General Motors advertisements in a Ford showroom - absurd, and to loyal customers surprisingly offensive.

These things could be got away with in the bad old days of anything goes. But that was then and this is now. Firefox has changed the rules of the game. Microsoft have had to add pop-up blocking to IE, with more me-too features due this Summer. The customer is king again and pop-ups are dead. Learning how to tactfully dissuade the likes of me from reflex ad-blocking is somthing which the online advertising community needs to embrace as a matter of urgency.

Hence my idea for ethical standards. If I saw a logo and banner proclaiming "Ethical Advertising Standard 1.0 compliant", I'd be more likely to go "Oh, yeah, now where's that Enable button?".

<fantasy>Down the line, a register of compliant sites could be hooked into the web browser, to automatically enable advertisements on compliant web sites.</silly_daydreamer>

IMHO the LXF website would be a great place to start. After all, what have you got to lose? (Oooh!)

Cheers,
Guy