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How Text Ads Tamed Ads on the Wild, Wild Web

Posted by Hemos on from the been-much-much-better dept.

securitas writes "In Sunday's New York Times, Randall Stross writes about How Google Tamed Ads on the Wild, Wild Web and how it is largely responsible for the demise of the odious pop-under ad. From the article: "Without intending to do so, the company set in motion multilateral disarmament by telling its first advertisers in 2000: text only, please. No banner ads, no images, no animation.... Google introduced these ads at the very moment when X10 ads were strewn like chewed gum on every square of sidewalk. X10's pop-unders were accepted at mainstream sites run by companies including Microsoft, Yahoo and The New York Times." Remember that "in mid-2001, X10's company Web site was the fourth-most visited" on the Web. Thank you, Google." I'd actually argue that while the text ads had something to do with it, the massive growth in pop-up/under blockers made as much of a difference, if not even more.

4 of 278 comments (clear)

  1. The Google-fication of the facts by Billosaur · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I see... so Google saved us all from ourselves did they? I seem to remember that even though Google was much talked about in 2000, it had yet to become the preminent search engine it is today.

    Perhaps this has more to do with it: Results 1 - 10 of about 7,590,000 for Pop-up blocker software. (0.20 seconds). Taken from Google itself. Pop-ups weren't simply replaced, they were stamped out. They still exist, but not at the staggering, nauseating level they were once.

    Does anyone know anyone who ever bought one of those X10 cameras?

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    GetOuttaMySpace - The Anti-Social Network
    1. Re:The Google-fication of the facts by dslauson · · Score: 5, Insightful
      "Pop-ups weren't simply replaced, they were stamped out.
      Very true, but Google had a hand in that, as well. The Google toolbar, with popup blocking, was popular before browsers like Firefox that have integrated popup blocking were part of the mainstream. It's definitely what I used in IE before I made the switch.
  2. I like google as much as the next guy... by grasshoppa · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...but what a stretch. Even Hemos notes it:

    I'd actually that while the text ads had something to do with it, the massive growth in pop-up/under blockers made a large difference as well.

    ( ignoring missing words and all. I have no room to talk in that dept )

    Can we please attribute things to where they belong? google may be the second coming of Christ, who knows, but let's try to keep their achievements realistic.

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    Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
  3. Adblock by DrJAKing · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Are there adverts on the internet then? WTF...

    True enough though, for a while I couldn't be bothered to filter Google's ads. Nowadays I find RIP and CustomizeGoogle keep the interface nice and clean.

    Useful links for those that like to make their own mind up:

    http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
    http://www.customizegoogle.com/
    http://rip.mozdev.org/index.html
    http://adblock.mozdev.org/
    http://www.pierceive.com/

    And for those that might bleat "without advertising, many sites would fail" I say Good. Let those sites fail. Give me micropayments and an honest relationship.