Orange text-ads

[itsnotabigtruck]

https://www.neowin.net/comments.php?categor...ftware&id=14044

Notice MSN Messenger, software, and application are in orange text, and when you put the mouse over them you see DHTML tooltips advertising stuff, and if you click them (as expected) it will go to some ad site redirect.

When were these added? Why were these added? This is one of the worst and most annoying types of advertising ever!

I looked at the source and found the offending line of HTML:

<script defer="true" language="javascript" src="https://itxt.vibrantmedia.com/system/liveintellitxt.asp?IPID=132&MK=3&BG=eeeeee&UL=color:FF6D00"></script>

It also tries to prevent me from right-clicking the ad text and changes the text in the status bar so I can't see where it goes to.

[Keldyn]

How is it annoying? As opposed to pop-ups and banner advertisements they are very unobtrusive and can easily be skipped over without interrupting your browser experience. Admit it. You just don't like the color orange. Would green or maybe purple suit you better? hehe

Neowin does not pay for itself unfortunately and advertising is necessary to earn us some kind of revenue.

[CtotheJ]

Calm down Keldyn. In this case, Neowin's getting exacly nothing for those ads.

Memodude, you've got a peice of Spyware/Adware on your computer. Those ads were not placed by Neowin, but a price of software running on your computer scanning all the websites you visit for spacific blocks of text like "MSN Messanger", "Software", and "Application". It's much like a virus/trojan, but because it brings in revenue to a corporation it's legal. Go to http://www.lavasoftusa.com and download AdAware. Then download the updates from within the program. Then run the program, and remove anything it finds.

[Keldyn]

Calm down Keldyn.

Ok. Sure... :blink: :unsure:

[Toxicfume Veteran]

Calm down Keldyn. In this case, Neowin's getting exacly nothing for those ads.

Memodude, you've got a peice of Spyware/Adware on your computer. Those ads were not placed by Neowin, but a price of software running on your computer scanning all the websites you visit for spacific blocks of text like "MSN Messanger", "Software", and "Application". It's much like a virus/trojan, but because it brings in revenue to a corporation it's legal. Go to http://www.lavasoftusa.com and download AdAware. Then download the updates from within the program. Then run the program, and remove anything it finds.

You are wrong my friend, those Ads ARE getting some revenue for neowin, and those orange text are put in by us, not any adware.. if you refer to: https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=103709

[CtotheJ]

AH. I correct myself. Sorry about that. I'm using Opera, they don't affect me.

Much sorry.

And once again, calm down Keldyn.

(It's just fun to say. "Calm down Keldyn". Hehehe...)

[Dazzla Veteran]

If we get rid of them will you volunteer to pay the monthly costs for the server? :huh:

[John Veteran]

:laugh: how much is it? :huh: just curious... :unsure:

[Steven P. Administrators]

I understand that the orange text can be intrusive for IE users but it is a source of revenue and still completely volunteer only ad's.. You can still choose not to click through the ads which doesnt get us any commision. We prefer this over popups and large flash ads that take up or cover part of the page. We are trying to use ads that wouldn't upset the Neowin experience. Normally speaking the words aren't linked and it doesn't affect words we link ourselves.

We are open to any suggestions for source of (longer term) revenue options that help pay for our server.

[-=SD=-]

Atleast you guys put them there, I was running spybot wondering how it got installed lol

[YaddaMe]

What's up with them? Why the need?

For those htat haven't noticed... on the news pages, all those orange links.

Anywho... at first I thought I may have some sorta spyware installed that was changing the links.... b/c afterall, a viewing of the source-code of the page doesn't indicate a link. It's not until you scrolll to the very bottom of the source that you see a script from "Vibrant Media" loaded that is changing text into ads..

A new twist by the ad co's it appears... if they can't get you to install their browser-hijacking software, then pay the websites to load some javascript to accomplish the same thing.

Loading some javascript that goes back and alters the content of the page on its own sounds a lil iffy to me... it's one thing to use scripts to create/format content, but a script that goes back and edits/changes content?? I dunno, me no like!

A thread in the spyware newsgourp about Vibrant Media/Neowin

Probably best to just add the following to your windows Hosts file:

127.0.0.1 www.gotoast.com

127.0.0.1 www.vibrantmedia.com

127.0.0.1 itxt.vibrantmedia.com

---------------------------

ty for moving Dazzla.....

Yadda

Edited September 28, 2003 by YaddaMe

[Dazzla Veteran]

Yadda, yadda, yadda...

Merged.......

[YaddaMe]

I understand that the orange text can be intrusive for IE users but it is a source of revenue and still completely volunteer only ad's.. You can still choose not to click through the ads which doesnt get us any commision. We prefer this over popups and large flash ads that take up or cover part of the page.

I definitely prefer text links over popups and large flash ads as well. Heck, while the box that pops up over the link is slightly annoying... I could care less about text links.... as they are hardly obtrusive by themselves.

My concern, and not so much towards Neowin and the use of ads... is what's going on with the Virbrant Media script. I run several large sites, and use lots of javascript myself... but have never seen a script that, once run, goes back and edits content for it's originally created form. Maybe I'm just naive, but it seems that the script has some powerful capabilities that Im not entirely sure I want running.

We are open to any suggestions for source of (longer term) revenue options that help pay for our server.

Instead of running ads like this, solely for the sake of running ads (they dont convert well anyways). Run ads that are relevant to the site.

One thing could be to incorprate more product reviews in with the front page news headlines.... either in-house reviews, or by partnering up with a review site to use their reviews. Then on those pages, place commission-based ads for the product reviewed. I know that product reviews are not the focus of the site, but if even put to moderate usage, could pay the server bills.

Another prob is that on the front page right now... you have 203 links that a person can click. So for any ad to be successful, you have to at least give them some kind of attention... there are way that this can be achieve w/o being too obtrusive.

Start up a news headline by email list.... just a daily listing of the headlines for those that may not have visited the site... insert an ad in the list.

Insert a text-based advertisement inbetween every 5th news headline on the main page.

Start selling ads placements for the site yourself instead of runing ads from the ad co's. There may be some need for some slight layout changes, but there are plenty of places for some small graphical ads that would perform well, be unobtrusive to visitors, and that companies would pay a decent amount for.

Edited September 28, 2003 by YaddaMe

[KC]

I think that selling the ad space your self rather then a ad company is a great idea. Isn't that what themexp does?

[Tim Dorr Veteran]

Doing so would be a *lot* more time intensive that outsourcing however. This site is still essentially run as a hobby by the admins (although, that's a borderline classification). I don't think they have much free time to start up self-hosted ads... Maybe when some savings are built-up so that going with a minimal number of advertisers is acceptable then it could be conderied. But I don't see how the admins could devote even MORE time without quiting their day jobs :s

[KC]

Doing so would be a *lot* more time intensive that outsourcing however. This site is still essentially run as a hobby by the admins (although, that's a borderline classification). I don't think they have much free time to start up self-hosted ads... Maybe when some savings are built-up so that going with a minimal number of advertisers is acceptable then it could be conderied. But I don't see how the admins could devote even MORE time without quiting their day jobs :s

good point, sometimes its easy to forget that neowin is not a full time job for the admins.

[Jay]

Yes, it's a bit hard to make money when you make everything available for free. :)

[YaddaMe]

Doing so would be a *lot* more time intensive that outsourcing however. This site is still essentially run as a hobby by the admins (although, that's a borderline classification). I don't think they have much free time to start up self-hosted ads... Maybe when some savings are built-up so that going with a minimal number of advertisers is acceptable then it could be conderied. But I don't see how the admins could devote even MORE time without quiting their day jobs

Yes, it would take some additional time to setup the ad scripts, find spots, edit the templates, setup a payment/ordering system etc. But, all of the above isn't as time consuming as one might think.

From there... with the reasonable amount of traffic that Neowin gets each day, and a lil time for people to realize that Neowin has the option to purchase ads... Neowin won't have to search for advertisers, they will come to Neowin.

Also, given the general demographic of the visitors, and the theme of the site... I'm just about certain that several product vendors/manufactuers would sign on for a long-term ad-campaigns.

Like stated above... the most time consuming portion is getting it all setup, from there, as long as one were to research servering ads in-house, and taking the time to setting up everything in an efficient manner, it ends up running on auto-pilot.... with exception to the tiny amount of time it would take to screen new advertisers for approval.

Even if in-house ads are not an option... going with ads that are actually relevant to the site (instead of running generalized text ads) with be far, far more successful.

Edited September 29, 2003 by YaddaMe

[itsnotabigtruck]

Even though banner ads and other advertising are kind of different, overall outsourcing gives you a crappier service that costs more (relative to doing it yourself). For example, my dad's company recently outsourced IT. Now, if he has a problem he has to get in an endless queue, and days later, he would get some irrelevant "answer" that came out of a script. Before, he could just call IT, tell them his problem, and get it fixed quickly. In addition, the outsourcing companies to reduce costs hire crappy unknowleadgable people. Plus, since the outsourcing company needs to make profit, as well as pay their employees and for costs like their offices etc., now which is cheaper: crappy outsourced IT, or good internal IT?

Also, outsourced tech support is similar, except their people are even cheaper and often they know NOTHING about the program and just read things of a script asking the person to reboot their computer.

[Spyder Veteran]

Even though banner ads and other advertising are kind of different, overall outsourcing gives you a crappier service that costs more (relative to doing it yourself). For example, my dad's company recently outsourced IT. Now, if he has a problem he has to get in an endless queue, and days later, he would get some irrelevant "answer" that came out of a script. Before, he could just call IT, tell them his problem, and get it fixed quickly. In addition, the outsourcing companies to reduce costs hire crappy unknowleadgable people. Plus, since the outsourcing company needs to make profit, as well as pay their employees and for costs like their offices etc., now which is cheaper: crappy outsourced IT, or good internal IT?

Also, outsourced tech support is similar, except their people are even cheaper and often they know NOTHING about the program and just read things of a script asking the person to reboot their computer.

thats a whole other topic

[Sn00pY]

How is it annoying? As opposed to pop-ups and banner advertisements they are very unobtrusive and can easily be skipped over without interrupting your browser experience. Admit it. You just don't like the color orange. Would green or maybe purple suit you better? hehe

Neowin does not pay for itself unfortunately and advertising is necessary to earn us some kind of revenue.

*Chants*

Keldyn!!!

Keldyn!!!

[brianicoleman]

personally i think it is good advertising.. alot better than banners (Y)

[samg]

I just was looking at neowin's giveaway thing and this started to happen.

i seen it on a few sites (i think they got money for it )

so is this a *new* thing on neowin or have i got sommin on my pc

this is a work pc, dont want this stuff on it, if its some stupid bug

cheers

[Veedems Veteran]

it's been discussed before. these are ads, completely server side. they gain Neowin a little bit of money and are much less obtrusive than popups

[MitchShrader]

2 cents worth. Sell Ad Space, for text only. Offer discounts on software/hardware with sales commissions.

Charge subscription fees for ad free versions. Beg a little for donations.. some combination of these, or other sensible advertising methods, is WAY more acceptable than the current orangy bits.. to me. AND: post current ad revenues, server charges, bandwidth useage.. as information needed by (concerned) users to decide to support neowin. Many of us would.