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Graphics Coming to Google Ads
Firmafest writes "New York Times reports that "Users of Google's search engine will soon see something they are not used to on the notoriously spare site: advertising with logos and graphics. And the advertisers will not be limited to America Online, whose talks with Google prompted the change in policy, according to two executives close to the companies' negotiations." The Financial Times has more on the partnership" CT: Sorry folks. My email is broken this morning and i'm not getting error reports.
-Eric
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
What ever happened to 'Don't be Evil' ?
The days of the digital watch are numbered.
https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php ?id=10&application=firefox
Not too much of a surprise, but considering the lack of 'tacky' advertising was what seemed to have led a lot of people to Google (as opposed to staying with Yahoo) ... I have to wonder if it is really the best move.
... but we'll all take it in stride, since we have no other choice, I guess...
Financially, it's a good move. They get a lot of traffic, it's good money.
Socially, perhaps not such a wise choice.
MoM++ - A Classic Expanded - [Master of Magic 1.5]
http://mompp.sourceforge.net/
I do hope that whatever Google does about displaying logos, images, etc, they do not sacrifice the decent speed the search engine has right now. I'd hate for Google to turn into another site that has good information but that stupid image from doubleclick has to load before you can see any of it.
whats google?
Slashdot...home of the hackers
Maybe time to find a new search engine. Anyone any suggestions?
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
Google is preparing an opening for a competitor.
At least it appears that the graphics they'll be using will be limited in scope. Hopefully this isn't a precursor to flash ads and animated gifs. The day they start using pop-over flash ads is the first day of Google's demise.
Is that they are started on that slippery slope. The reason we all think that they are so cool is the lack of graphics. I remember the other search engines going down this same route.. anyone remember alta-vista ? Same thing. HotMail was ok until MS took it over. This is bad. This is the beginning of the end. Someone once said that AOL would mark the downfall of the internet if they were allowed onto it. Hmmmm sign of the times ?
I have mod points and I am not afraid to use them.
It should also be added that any policy change that comes from meeting with America Online... well, God only knows what other horrors have been unleashed.
I'd say it's downright Lovecraftian, but that might be a little melodramatic.
MoM++ - A Classic Expanded - [Master of Magic 1.5]
http://mompp.sourceforge.net/
I read here that the graphical ads are just for people who use adsense, and not for the main page. (from the site, "I sent an email to the Google Adsense support team and 'Jim' tells me that the beta is for the content network only.")
In any case, if it _is_ for google too, this could easily make me use another search engine if it's at all obtrusive. One of the few reasons I use google is because it's simple, so it's quick to load and easier to find what you're actually looking for.
You could adblock iframes long ago.
Insert clever sig (here)
Google, by going public now has to deal with the investors. They want to see cash flow increases every quarter. So, to continue revenue increases they will continuously be attempting to increase ad revenue.
Search on Windows - 10 results and 50 million ads. "Hi, have you thought about double pane windows for your home?"
Search on Linux - "Hi, have you thought about fuzzy penguin slippers for Christmas?"
Search on Cars - "Test drive the new Ford 150 today! Print this google ad and we'll give you a gallon of free gasoline"
Search on Slashdot - "Xerox - for when you want to make your own dupes"
Yeah, the over-commercialism of Yahoo is one of the things that allowed Google the usership that got it to the point that... it could begin the same commercial process.
Irony!
I wonder if the process will repeat itself with another search engine... ?
[but I doubt it, I think we'll all just suck it up]
MoM++ - A Classic Expanded - [Master of Magic 1.5]
http://mompp.sourceforge.net/
Google has been quite adept at keeping themselves distanced from obvious corporate sponsorship. Their advertising model has been refreshing, with ad space sold very democratically. In addition, their decision to keep advertising to simple text has made using their search engine, even with advertisements, pleasurable to use.
I do not understand the need to partner with AOL, except that AOL perhaps brings in quite a bit of advertising revenue. The downside, though, is obvious. Google has lost their independence and is slowly succumbing to AOL's wishes. First is image advertisements.
I wonder what the general consensus at Google is about this latest deal. Perhaps they don't expect to lose users when the new ads arrive, or maybe they are strapped for cash and AOL's money is bailing them out. I don't know, but I do know that I don't like AOL, and I don't like image advertisements. It's why I have Adblock installed and why I don't frequent certain other sites anymore.
This is a big mistake, I think. In a long-term business sense, I simply don't see what could possibly be so attractive. Then again, I haven't seen the check that AOL used to buy Google's soul. It may have been worth it.
Jesus saved me from my past. He can save you as well.
Google: widely respected and quite profitable.
AOL: being bought out, and gets exactly the respect it deserves.
[closed captioning for the humor impaired: sarcasm to follow]
Obviously Google should be taking AOL's advice about how to finally achieve some real success, right?
[end sarcasm]
The universe is a figment of its own imagination.
BTW, get Adblock here: http://adblock.mozdev.org/
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity but they've always worked for me" - HST
MSN Search has only text ads. Sure, it is MS, but the new engine is actually pretty accurate and has useful features like encarta integration.
Yahoo! search also has no image-based ads. Funny how people are constantly bashing Yahoo!, and now Google is going to have image ads on it's search, where Yahoo! removed them a long time ago.
It's called a free market, we wil see how it plays out. If Google alienates their customers, they will migrate elsewhere.
It was as if a Million Geeks cried out in terror and then were silenced.
If you don't vote, you don't matter, so don't waste your time telling me your opinion
The glorious sounds of the plump woman vocalizing.
This is not the greatest sig in the world, this is just a tribute.
Honestly, it looks to me that Google has jumped the shark. Google now reminds me of just about every other company during the DotCom bubble burst.
Don't get me wrong -- I'm glad Google is around. They're providing some much needed competition in the web area, but I fear that things are going to get much worse before they get better.
Google has a lot of great technologies, but all of their income comes from advertising. So if they want to expand, and maintain free services, their only option is basically to ramp up their advertising. Whether they can do that without annoying their users remains to be seen.
Titus Barik
http://www.customizegoogle.com/
Clusty also serves Google ads. How do I know? I just looked up myself on Clusty and my Google text ad popped up. Interesting nonetheless; I'll add it to my search collection for a while and see how it goes.
You're exactly right about Yahoo bashing - I use Google for search, but Yahoo's IM client works better with Linux. And Google (still) has made little to no effort to make their "beta" Google Earth work with Linux (which I use) or Mac OSX (which my wife uses). So why does Google get all the good press on Slashdot (and elsewhere)?
And I have a gmail and yahoo email account - waiting to see which one turns evil first!
Using plain ol' text since 1968
As long as Google remains a publically traded company they're going to have to keep the stock holders happy. The only way to do that is to make more money.
There's also the fact that running a major site like there's isn't free. Somebody has to pay for the fiber connections, server hardware, power, and cooling. There's also labor costs involved.
As long as the ads aren't those annoying animated banners I don't think I'll really mind.
You don't even need to use google's web page any way, just use the google search box in firefox or galeon.
You may find http://www.regular-expressions.info/ helpful. Adblock supports regex strings. I yearn for the day when a search engine does as well.
I'd also note it's not related to the ads, but the first search result.
Not only is A9's search powered by Google, but it's ads are as well.
So it is unknown how this deal will effect them. You may see graphics in A9's results as well.
They do. I've had them blocked since the "Download Ep3 here!" and "Get your free PS3" ads. If it's not IFRAME's, then it's script tags with an external source. Either way, it's blockable with AdBlock.
I'm lazy and did not read TFA. But are we talking about a Dell Logo next to the standard text add? Or are we talking about a marketing supplied advertising graphic?
I would be fine with logos. The are small, simple, and not too distracting. The let me immediately associate a link with a corporate entity.
I along with pretty much everyone else here would throw google adds in the block list if they start tossing out animated gifs, flash, or even just tacky images. I waste enough of my employer's bandwidth with out having to deal with that crap.
-Rick
"Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
Images is the path to the dark side!! Sooner than you think, Google will partner with Gator and you'll see Bonzi Buddy dancing in your desktop!!
I am going to start up a text based only on-line ad service.
I am looking for start up captial.
I am gong to call my service "Community Advertising Shopping Helper".
All funds can be made out to the Acronym C.A.S.H.
The good people at "Society Helping Inept Technicians" (S.H.I.T.) is already on board!
My Sig indicates the end of the comment I posted.
I wonder how many of your folks actually remember that Yahoo had the same status in our minds like what Google is (up to) now.
We were all in awe about the few kids that decided to start their small search engine business, and how the original Yahoo logo was drawn in Paintbrush with a mouse (and that aliased rough version was their logo for a long time before it switched to the nice refined version we see now).
Noone thought of Yahoo like some evil commercial entity trying to cram ads in your throat... But things change. And I suppose every big business is prone to go this way, Google is no exception.
I'm amazed at the leaps and bounds by which MSN Search has improved over the last several months. There have been many instances where I've done the same search in Google and MSN and MSN provided more relevant results. I like it when Microsoft gets hungry. They can actually deliver when they're forced to compete.
Google started up as this benevolent, Do No Evil company whose goals were to consolidate Internet data making it easier to search for and catalogue web sites.
Since then, they adopted a heavily utilized advertising program that is generating billions in revenu.
Since then, they initiated a program where people can buy their web site rankings.
Since then, the have progressivly increased exporsure on the internet by ripping off ideas from other web services and making their own version, undermining other benign ad-free efforts and placing Google advertising prevalent throughout their services.
Since then, hardly a website has enough balls not to pepper themseleves with Google Ads or Ad Words because of the bribes Google offers to include the feature.
Since then, Google is initiating services which have questionable legal merits, such as the recent Google Print service ignoring pleas by publishers and authors to be included in deciding if this feature violates copyright laws.
With billions in hand and ubiquitous web presence, can we safely believe that Google intends no evil? Like any company that gains power, power corrupts. Google is no different from Microsoft or any other technology company that suddenly finds themselves making money hand over fist and being adored as an industry leader. Only Google is deluded into believing they intend no evil. They are and will continue to grow and become an ad cluttered web service whoring themselves to anyone throwing them a buck, skewing search results in favour of those who throw enough money in Google's direction, supporting Google to create more rip off and malevolent services.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
You mean you haven't heard of Flashblock? (Install it from here.)
It does exactly what you want—blocks all Flash with a box with a Play button on it, which you can click if you want to allow that Flash object to play.
people started using google because it gave the best search results, not its clean interface. as long as it continues to do that, it will continue to lead the search market.
go get it
I wouldn't mind some ASCII art ads.
Check out this article from 2004:
s -image-ads-success.html
See how it ends: 'So, is the "do no evil" search engine already feeling the pressure from Wall Street? Could we ultimately see Google displaying Image ads at Google.com?'.
http://www.searchenginelowdown.com/2004/10/google
. . . to start collecting Google CDs! I just hope they do no evil and use those easy to remove address stickers on the DVD case mailings.
The article is unclear on whether the graphical ads will appear next to the main (text) search results. I don't think they will:
One format being discussed is a box, which may include a photograph and a logo, that would appear on the main search results pages toward the bottom of the advertisements in the right-hand column. Traditional banner ads may appear on Google Image Search and the Froogle shopping site, which already include many photographs, an executive involved said. No advertising is contemplated for the Google home page.
I think having commerical graphics on pages that already display many graphics is a good compromise.
Google said: Don't be evil.
They didn't say: Don't be annoying.
But what, if annoying is felt as a bit like evil, too?
Image Adblockers are history.
If this is the case (which I don't believe it is) then i will disable all images. They're generally just eye candy anyway, and any site that uses them for navigation with leaving an ALT caption doesn't deserve my attention.
After reading all the comments with the wailing and the gnashing of teeth, I have to say this:
Given the success of Google, and the decline of AOL, isn't it possible that the flow of culture from one to the other might be primarily from Google to AOL, with Google's positive aspects effecting a positive change in AOL's behavior, rather than AOL's crassness infecting Google?
Yeah, it's hard for me to believe too. But the horse might just sing.
Trust not a man who's rich in flax / His morals may be sadly lax
Flashblock sucks.
It blocks all flash except for the flash it doesn't block.
It causes firefox to crash on certain pages (e.g. links from Huffington post),
If you use firefox's built in extension updater, flashblock runs amok and corrupts your preferences.
Flashblocks uninstaller doesn't actually work, you have to fire up emacs to cleanly uninstall or upgrade it.
Run away, far away.