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TiVo Lets You Respond to Ads
WalletBoy writes "TiVo is implementing a new feature in their Series 2 recorders where viewers can choose to have their personal-contact information sent to advertisers when certain commercials air using just their remote control." This is actually exactly how I think advertising should work. If I want more information, I can press thumbs up and have my email address sent to the advertiser. It's opt-in. I'm sure it will work because they use the same concept for letting you record a show by pressing thumbs up when a commercial for it is airing. If only every commercial supported these functions. Now if only MTV would use the same thing to email me song info for videos I like instead of covering the screen in tacky text.
Second post!!!
And for the vast majority of iniane advertisering wouldn't it be nice to have another button that lets me tell them to "fuck off" :)
Sky subscribers are morons. They pay to be advertised at !
...and when I click the "unsubcribe" button they'll stop sending me spam.
"This is not unsolicited e-mail, you clicked thumbs up on Tivo to learn more about V1aGrA"
I would be afraid of the "spam" I had "voluntarily" opted-in to due to a fitful session of rolling over the remote in my sleep, except I already get it all now.
I, along with the article submitter, am all in favor of opt-in. I opt to provide the following feedback:
1) Unscrew back of remote.
2) Use X-Acto knife to cut the metal traces on the circuit board (or shave off the conductive traces on the plastic membrane) corresponding to the thumbs-up key.
3) Replace the "thumbs up" key with a picture of my middle finger.
> Now if only MTV would use the same thing to email me song info for videos I like instead of covering the screen in tacky text.
That'd be a cool idea, and might actually return something of useful information to the viewer in exchange for his/her expression of interest in the content. Unfortunately for the poster, MTV last showed a "video" in 1997.
When did MTV start airing music videos?
Yeah, and the top of the screen it would say "(Score:3, Offtopic)".
[on that note, yeah, it is excessive for tampon commercials to be piped into a house with 3 20-something guys as the only residents.]
What shows are you watching? I never see those unless my wife is watching "Lifetime" or daytime TV.
Really, you can get an idea for the target audience for a show by watching the ads. Watch late night TV? You must need psychic help so you can decide which work-at-home scheme you want to invest in. At home during the day? You must be an unemployed laborer who was injured on the job and got screwed by the insurance company or you're a homemaker that needs a lot of feminine hygene and cleaning products.
I watch the History channel at night so I am a elderly toothless man, who likes pickup trucks. At least they got the gender right.
Remember, You are unique...just like everyone else.
Without them you wouldn't have the option of watching the millions of channels of quality TV we can all enjoy today.
Where can I get a refund for the hours of commercials I've watched for shit TV?
I keep reading this and other comments like it and the sillyness of it keeps annoying me. When you grow up, you are no longer part of their target audience. Of course you'll think it "sucks ass" then, but it's not really the fault of anyone. Just stop watching it and quit whining.
Probably not.
Because you can be sure she'll specify exactly what brand, model and version she wants.
And that's what you'd better get her if you know what's good for you.
May contain traces of nut.
Made from the freshest electrons.
Because you can be sure she'll specify exactly what brand, model and version she wants.
Nope.
She'll specify just enough info that you can't grab a random brand, but not enough info to know which of half a dozen minor variations, so you stand there staring at these things like a dork...
Ooh, a sarcasm detector. Oh, that's a real useful invention.
When they're younger, yes.
As they get older, they tend to find the thought disgusting.
There are a lot of other things they stop doing as they get older, too.
Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.