Posted by
samzenpus
on from the this-bread-brought-to-you-by dept.
_14k4 writes "Video website YouTube is to feature advertising for the first time, after Google revealed it is offering companies the chance to run ads on some of the site's most popular content." I can't wait to sit through a dozen commercials while I try to waste some free time.
You should try RTFA. You don't need to sit through commercials before viewing the video you went to view. In fact, the overlayed 1/5th of the lower portion, commercial can be dismissed with one click.
Sitting through commercials
by
reset_button
·
· Score: 5, Informative
I can't wait to sit through a dozen commercials while I try to waste some free time.
Did you RTFA before posting? (I know, I know, it's Slashdot...)
From the article:
The featured adverts are animated semi-transparent banners, or "overlays", that run along the bottom of the screen about 15 seconds into the video. They stay there for 10 seconds, allowing viewers to click on the overlay, which launches a deeper interactive video advert, while the main video is temporarily paused. Or viewers can ignore the overlay, and it will disappear.
Seems to me like a pretty effective, yet not very obtrusive method for advertising.
Re:Sitting through commercials
by
_14k4
·
· Score: 5, Informative
Actually, I did rtfa... that line "I can't wait to sit..." was not from my submission and added by the person who approved the article for the front page. But, you knew that already anyway.
I agree with you - it is pretty effective and not very obtrusive... however, with the addition of "ipod/etc" download options on google video, and I would assume youtube, does this mean that if you dload a video for your ipod that it will have an advert in it?
It is all flash based, so one could assume/hope not...
Not that intrusive...
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 1, Informative
These ads are simply overlaid on the bottom portion of the video. They don't last very long, and can be closed at any time.
Since we all knew they had to have ads at some point- this is probably the best way they could have done it.
Re:Not that intrusive...
by
srmalloy
·
· Score: 2, Informative
And we now have the webvideo equivalent of the 'upcoming program advertisement' that broadcast and cable TV channels have taken to overlaying on program content, so that even if you record the program and view it later with a tool to skip the commercials, you can't avoid the in-program advertisements that can take up a sixth of your screen in bright, distracting colors (and, in some cases, sounds).
However, in this CNN article on the subject, it says that "the video owner can decline all ads or selected ones, such as those from competitors" -- although I'm not sure how the 'decline selected ads' mechanism would work; it sounds fiddly to set up individual exclusions when the video is uploaded. The ad placement is also going to be charged 'by the eyeball' -- a fee per presentation, not per clickthrough, which could make popular videos expensive to buy adspace on, and supposedly the video owner will receive a cut of the advertising revenue (details are not yet available), which gives them an incentive not to just check the "No advertising on this video" box when they upload the video. We will have to see what the video uploaders choose to do if they get a choice whether or not to have an ad slapped on top of their video, and whether YouTube will yank the option not to have any ads if too many people say they don't want ads on their videos.
Advertising Is The Internet
by
blunte
·
· Score: 2, Informative
It should be obvious that most free websites exist just as advertising delivery vehicles. In fact, that's the foundation of the new web.
Create a new free web architecture to hold user-submitted data, and stick ads on the site.
Maybe someone should link an article with some real information about the ads:
The ads, which appear 15 seconds after a user begins watching a video clip, take the form of an overlay on the bottom fifth of the screen, not unlike the tickers that display headlines during television news programs.
This is a different kind of ad, just like Google changed ads on the internet they are changing commercials in video.
Actually YouTube did have a business model. It was based on advertising, which is why Google bought it. In the beginning, the creators of YouTube ran up their credit card bills and did not have any advertising until they created a big user base. Then they advertised only with one company on the main page with special content to click on, this one advertiser found its way to other pages as well. Because they held out from selling ads for so long, they were able to create one advertising space that was highly desirable. Think supply not meeting demand. Although it was a strange business model for a startup, they did have one that started to pay their bills. Either they sucked at advertising, or they were so good you did not notice.
-- Choosing the lesser of two evils is a choice for evil.
Slashdot Mirror
You should try RTFA. You don't need to sit through commercials before viewing the video you went to view. In fact, the overlayed 1/5th of the lower portion, commercial can be dismissed with one click.
These ads are simply overlaid on the bottom portion of the video. They don't last very long, and can be closed at any time.
Since we all knew they had to have ads at some point- this is probably the best way they could have done it.
It should be obvious that most free websites exist just as advertising delivery vehicles. In fact, that's the foundation of the new web.
Create a new free web architecture to hold user-submitted data, and stick ads on the site.
.sigs are for post^Hers.
Actually YouTube did have a business model. It was based on advertising, which is why Google bought it. In the beginning, the creators of YouTube ran up their credit card bills and did not have any advertising until they created a big user base. Then they advertised only with one company on the main page with special content to click on, this one advertiser found its way to other pages as well. Because they held out from selling ads for so long, they were able to create one advertising space that was highly desirable. Think supply not meeting demand. Although it was a strange business model for a startup, they did have one that started to pay their bills. Either they sucked at advertising, or they were so good you did not notice.
Choosing the lesser of two evils is a choice for evil.