Ad agencies of the world, please note this story over on Slashdot. You’ll rarely find a more tech-savvy crowd than /.’ers and so it would behoove you to read the comments and find out why, precisely, people are installing ad-blocking software in droves. They’re providing you with market research, free of charge.
Read all 1100 comments, then reconsider your business plan. Take a look at Google’s methodology and realize this fact: people really don’t like being annoyed by your ad placement. Don’t pop windows up, don’t use DHTML to make annoying ads slide in from the corners of the screen, don’t add sound to your ads. You’re going to run yourselves right out of business and, at least for this old tech hand, it can’t possibly happen a moment too soon.
Site operators, take note as well. If the advertisers you choose to sell space to engage in the behavior outlined in that link, drop them immediately. Consider well whether a few dollars more per month are worth potentially alienating a large portion of your potential readership. Above all, don’t reward such obnoxious advertisers with your business. The Internet population at large will thank you.
Web Advertisers Take Note
