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What would people think of this type of ad?

Toefur

Toefur

Two Sheds
NLC
Instead of popups, or banners, or a standard text link... I'm thinking a more indepth text linking method.

It would involve much more work... but hey, one has to work hard for their money, right?

I'm thinking a text linking system where the users page is manually modified to change random words into a link to an advertiser.

Now, no content is changed, the site is still exactly the same... just normal pieces of text on the page are turned into a link. For example, we have the text:

"Hello, and welcome to my website"

The word 'website' may be changed to a link.

Does this make sense?

What do people think of this?
 
Originally posted by Docevl
I wouldn't like it. Seems annoying.
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How so?

To me it seems like it would be less annoying and intrusive than other forms of free-host advertising.
 
It's strange...people would sure click the links. They would be like "WTF??!?!", and click it, and make you some money. Now, you need Allclicks or some other blind link program to sponsor it though. I don't think SI would allow this becaue it wouldn't be on a site "you" control, even though you do have control...
 
Didn't GATOR get in trouble for doing something like that? Covering others links with it's on when it was installed and you visited sites. Very deceptive either way.

:rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by Docevl
I wouldn't like it. Seems annoying.
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Yeah, there's a site located at http://www.sphtml.com/ that uses blink links (in addition to the normal banner and pop-up ads) because the webmaster is paying loads of money to keep up his site because it's using mad bandwidth, and many people complain about that in his forums. You could expect to see a lot of complaints about that as well, and nobody would want to visit one of your members' pages.

Note: This trick can easily be thwarted (from the site visitor's side) by simply looking at the URL at the bottom of the address bar that appears when your mouse hovers over a link before you click the link.
 
The big-boys (microsoft, netscape, ISPs) are already thinking about using this sponsored text-links concept to make even more money for themselves. They would do it at the ISP level or thru the browser. sorry, i can't find the link.
 
The thought of blind links didn't actually cross my mind. I was thinking more along the lines of one of the search programs that uses text links.

However, blind links could be better. :D

You can use a fancy bit of javascript so that it doesn't look like the link is going offsite; which helps a lot with ctr.

It wouldn't be like toptext or anything; users would of course agree to it in the TOS.

Personally... i don't see what's so bad about using it as a form of advertising on a free host.

But then again... I spose most people that use free hosts want the world given to them on a silver platter. :rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by Toefur
The thought of blind links didn't actually cross my mind. I was thinking more along the lines of one of the search programs that uses text links.

However, blind links could be better. :D

You can use a fancy bit of javascript so that it doesn't look like the link is going offsite; which helps a lot with ctr.

It wouldn't be like toptext or anything; users would of course agree to it in the TOS.

Personally... i don't see what's so bad about using it as a form of advertising on a free host.

But then again... I spose most people that use free hosts want the world given to them on a silver platter. :rolleyes:
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How would it be any different than TopText, if you're randomly sticking links on pages? It's very deceptive, and while it may help with the CTR, it's more annoying than the Java/Flash ads some hosts have.
 
I dont know why nobody likes it but I think its a good way to advertise and not have popups/popunders..

It wouldnt bother me.
 
Originally posted by DCI
I dont know why nobody likes it but I think its a good way to advertise and not have popups/popunders..

It wouldnt bother me.
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It bothers me, especially as a websurfer, because you wouldn't know which were real links and which ones weren't.
 
Originally posted by conkermaniac


How would it be any different than TopText, if you're randomly sticking links on pages? It's very deceptive, and while it may help with the CTR, it's more annoying than the Java/Flash ads some hosts have.
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Toptext was deceptively installing itself on peoples computers, and then putting it's links on any and all pages a surfer went to.

The method I am talking about only places links on pages on my own server; exactly like what other free hosts do when they automatically insert their ads onto user pages.
 
no thank you

I agree with the comments that people have made about this being a deceptive practice. The people you're hosting may have agreed to this, but anyone who views their site and believes that the link they're clicking is related to the site's content or placed there by the author is being mislead.

Another concern is that by "randomly" choosing something to make into a link, you could be messing up the site's intended design, or worse, messing up what could be a real link.

Personally, I wouldn't like it and wouldn't use your services because of that alone.
 
Originally posted by DCI
I dont know why nobody likes it but I think its a good way to advertise and not have popups/popunders..

It wouldnt bother me.
Click to expand...

I'd rather have popups/popunders than deceptive links. At least with different windows, visitors KNOW they aren't part of the site (well, in most cases they aren't), but visitors who click on "blind links" will feel deceived and will probably not return to that site again.
 
Hmm...well maybe not blind links, but by searching out words related to specific terms, then linking it to the search results, that makes sense. I wouldn't feel "deceived" because if I click on a link title "Gambling", and am transfered to a page with lots of search results for "gambling", it makes sense.

It is messing with a users content, but if you are using a free host, the host reserves the right to do whatever they want to your pages. As long as it's in the 15 page TOS that no one reads but must agree to before signing up, it's legit.

Remember, it's not try to milk money from users websites, it's trying not to lose money by offering free hosting.
 
Re: no thank you

Originally posted by Cockmonkey
Another concern is that by "randomly" choosing something to make into a link, you could be messing up the site's intended design, or worse, messing up what could be a real link.

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No, it would be done in such a manner that any current links wouldn't be modified; it wouldn't interfere with any current navigation system; and it would in no way mess up the site's intended design.
 
Originally posted by Canuckkev
Hmm...well maybe not blind links, but by searching out words related to specific terms, then linking it to the search results, that makes sense. I wouldn't feel "deceived" because if I click on a link title "Gambling", and am transfered to a page with lots of search results for "gambling", it makes sense.

It is messing with a users content, but if you are using a free host, the host reserves the right to do whatever they want to your pages. As long as it's in the 15 page TOS that no one reads but must agree to before signing up, it's legit.

Remember, it's not try to milk money from users websites, it's trying not to lose money by offering free hosting.
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Well said, well said! :D
 
That would be fine, if Toefur could do what you said, Canuckkev. Blind links would be absolutely unacceptable. However, you also must make sure that links aren't everywhere. Just a few would be fine. But it definitely would have to be targeted.
 
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