I was watching a documentary about the rise of search engines and how they (Yahoo, then Google) went from small scale hobbies to the giants they are today simply by introducing banner adverts. The revenue they generate each year runs into hundreds of million ££.
It got me thinking, who's clicking on all these adverts ?
I can honestly say that in over 25 years of internetting I have never, not once, clicked on any banner, popup or any other type of advertising on any web page at all. It's not that they haven't offered anything I want, but if I want a printer, holiday, penis enlargement pills I go and search specifically for it. I wouldn't buy because it was on a banner advert.
Have you ever clicked a banner advert, do you do it frequently, and have you made a purchase as a result of clicking that ad. ?
I clicked on an ad for an (as is turned out) wildly overpriced Intel PC case and it's been stalking me ever since at work where tenfourfox inconveniently does not support extensions such as ad block.
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"We're introducing this change so that we can show a powerful application full of high-quality content, rather than what we have now which is a equal mixture of awesome and sadness"
GreyHair was over at my place the other day, casually browsing thermal underwear on Little Blue, and now every other page I visit is thrusting big grey knickers in my face.
"We all have flaws, and mine is being wicked." James Thurber, The Thirteen Clocks 1951
I may have clicked on one or two, but I don't recall making a purchase directly as a result. I certainly don't click on them habitually.
It's odd, but recently I've been trialling antivirus software, and the software that I have installed is the one that seems to be placed on the pages that I visit. First it was F-secure, then Kapersky, not I'm getting NOD32 ads. Curious.
I'm also quite fed up with those bloody ads for photo smoothing software. I can't imagine why they think I'd want that. <looks at self>. Oh :(
It is somewhat disturbing that ads on websites know what you've been looking at even when you understand the processes behind it.
I got some pyjamas for the missus for Christmas, and now every ad is geared towards lingerie and shows ladies in their underwear. :) It is the same site that I'd ordered from though, so the prices are the same.
Mostly any attempt to view ladies in their undercrackers meets with scorn and more than a little anger.
I have recently had a new infatuation with a famous person. My old flame for Nicole Kidman is out and Amy Adams is in. The wife (being ginger) grudgingly approves.
"We're introducing this change so that we can show a powerful application full of high-quality content, rather than what we have now which is a equal mixture of awesome and sadness"
We need some documentary photos of a hairless bastard.
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"We're introducing this change so that we can show a powerful application full of high-quality content, rather than what we have now which is a equal mixture of awesome and sadness"
bastard by name