Gee, thanks for making my moral judgements for me. I can choose to make whatever decisions I want about what I watch on the net, and I don't need you to tell me whether it is morally correct to do so or not.
As someone in advertising/marketing, and who understands this quite well, I should add that the one way the most successful ad agencies (Fallon, Campbell Mithun, Carmichael Lynch, Deutsch, Satchii and Satchii, etc) stay at the top is by distinguishing themselves by their content.
There will always be the agencies who play dirty. They are just trying to make a buck the quickest way possible, and it usually doesn't get them as far as you might think. The best ad agencies are the ones who shoot for quality.
I know people on here hate advertising, but I'm sure all of you have liked an ad at some point in time. How about the web ad done by BMW. The whole BMW Films campaign was a huge success, not intrusive, entertaining, and tasteful advertising. I wasn't the least bit surprised that it was Fallon who made it either.
The one truth which has remained in advertising is that good, quality ads will win out time and time again, regardless of how invasive the bottom-feeder agencies try to get. As in any industry there are your high quality agencies and your low quality agencies, which people on here often don't realize.
If this was the military testing something, even if it was accidental, if they could target this it could be one hell of an effective weapon if developed further. Imagine targeting another country somewhere in the world, and making it so their electrical devices randomly combust. Powerful indeed.
I was just visiting the UK for the first time over Spring Break and when I was just ready to start going home from London back to where I was staying in Brighton, the Picadilly line, which I was on, stopped, and an announcement came on saying:
"We're sorry this train is late, but there is a person under the train further up."
I kind of looked around at everybody expecting some sort of reaction.........looking...........still looking........nope! Not a damn blink from anybody, except for someone asking another which line they should switch to to get somewhere. I love Britain.
" On the other hand, the article notes: 'If it looks like a pop-up, feels like a pop-up or interrupts like a pop-up, we might as well just assume consumers will outright hate and reject the format,"
It is so much more than this. If it looks like an ad that is interrupting me, or insults me or my intelligence by attempting to sneak its way into the text I am reading when I have clearly rejected looking at the ad in a more traditional location (banner ad, popup, popunder, etc), it won't work.
In fact, if that happens I will make it my business to make note of the company, and make a vow never to buy from them again and make damn sure to spread the word.
" "My God! She's bleeding all over! Smegley, call for an ambulance immediately! Is there a doctor in the house? Anyone?"
As a side note, I wonder if all those hours I clocked playing GTA:VC would make me a better ambulance driver. I certainly know I'm better at jacking them.
Perhaps you'd be a good person to ask then why there weren't any mechanized armor suits? Seriously, nothing would have made more geeks cream their pants than if they had well done power armor in that movie.
Um....actually I didn't say it was over, I just said that this is their next attempt at something really stupid. Trust me, I WISH it were over, but that'll never happen.
Offtopic I know, but funny nonetheless. While reading Wang and Sword together it reminded me of when my friends gathered to watch Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Only whenever we read the word "sword" we replaced it with the word "cock". Childish I know, but try it and prepare to piss yourself. Seriously........especially the scene where they go into great detail about the sword, and its dimensions, and how beautiful it is.....o god the humor.
Best quote from the article: "This job, which Nguyen does earnestly from 9 to 5, surrounded by a half-dozen other "computer forensic specialists" like him, has become the focal point of the Justice Department's operation to rid the world of porn."
First, where do I sign up, and second, I sure as hell hope there are at least cubicle dividers between these "computer forensic specialists".
Three cheers for the stupidest attempt at controlling Americans since Prohibition and the War on Drugs.
I mean, seriously, of all the things they could have picked........if there's anything us Americans like more than our booze and weed its porn and sex. Is Ashcroft BEGGING to have a lynch mob show up at his front door?
In the bullet points on the right hand side of the page for the free player, after clicking the Download Player link on the main page, there are several bullet points. One of them reads: "- Best video and audio quality ever".
Now, IANAAL (I am not an advertising lawyer) but I AM in advertising, and that claim seems somewhat dubious, and I'd love to see how they back it up. I know its nitpicking, but I can spare the attention for a company I hate so much, so if anybody can shed some light it would be appreciated.
"What I cannot fathom is why marketing people seem to all believe that people have to be tricked. Ad agencies are tripping over themselves to come up with the next "killer" stealth technique. Why? Can someone please provide some insight into this? Why is more effort put into convincing a large audience that they need what you're selling instead of finding the people who are knowingly seeking your products/services?"
Well, speaking as someone in advertising/marketing, I can say we DON'T all believe this. I sure as hell don't. Unfortunately, one of the problems you run into is when the people paying you demand something, or they'll take their money elsewhere. No amount of reasoning with them and explaining how it will be less effective will convince them. Fortunately, despite what Slashdot seems to think, many people in advertising/marketing (well, the skilled, intelligent ones at least) realize that too much advertising is bad, and annoying advertising is bad. You see, its the bad examples people tend to fixate on, as is true with anything. Ad agencies are not tripping over themselves to come up with new "stealth" techniques, just new techniques in general. It's called growing your business, and what ad agencies sell is their ad making abilities. Please realize that not all advertisers are out to deceive and trick you. Many only want people who would be interested in their product. Many people realize that in order to build a solid reputation, they need the help of those who buy their products, and they need to AVOID pissing people off at all costs. Hope this clarifies.
Sometimes salespeople ask for my info, and when I decline to give it, sometimes they even start getting uppity with me. Now, I've worked my fair share of retail, but I always respected a customers desire, and right to privacy. One guy was getting peeved when I wouldn't give my name and number, and when he asked for my address and I wouldn't give it he asked why. I told him to enter his address and personal information.
He didn't really like that idea and I told him to please hurry up with my purchase already.
Mod parent up. Seriously, April Fools can be really funny, when there is actual humor involved. This story looks like someone got bored and couldn't think of anything to write *cough*Michael*cough*.
You seem to think that this "druglike secret formula" is unique to Blizzard. I got news for you, its not unique to Blizzard, its not unique to Verant, its not even unique to MMORPGs.
I suggest you do a little reading on what a Skinner Box is. Here is a great essay which explains how MMORPGs are essentially giant skinner boxes.
The trap you fell into is called psychological addiction, and it is quite vicious indeed. But what better way is there to ensure a continuous revenue stream from your customers.
As with all things in life, these games are fine in moderation, but always be careful that you aren't getting TOO into it.
"They give you a nice little breakfast buffet at a nearby resort, and tell you that they'll only take 90 minutes of your time, and there's no obligation.
Four hours later you're signing one document after another, agreeing to pay thousands and thousands of dollars over the next ten years for something that's not worth jack squat, and then you go and get your stupid theme park tickets.
"
I realize some people have less willpower than others, but for those that have it, I'm curious what tactics they use to keep you longer than the time they tell you. I mean, if someone offered me free tickets for 90 minutes of my time, I'd say can I take the tickets at the end of 90 minutes and leave? If they said yes, and then tried to keep me longer than that, I would be EXTREMELY pissed. So for someone who's never had the experience with one of these timeshare sharks, how do they do it?
I always like to think of myself as someone who wouldn't be conned into one because I understand persuasion tactics and work in advertising/marketing (so its not like I don't know what they're trying to do).
So what exactly would stop someone now from sending an order from the US to a Canadian company for a cd with 700mb of mp3s on it, have them fill the order and mail it back?
They had something similar in Minority Report. Frankly, I'd love to have a car that could go on autopilot to my destination on a track at extremely high speeds, while letting me do something else like surf the net, or watch a movie or eat or something.
Of course, another part of me wants to be able to have full manual control whenever I want. The big barrier for this is constructing the roads and getting people to accept a computerized car system where they don't have control on certain roads. I realize this could be a Bad Thing(TM) but it is a technology where I feel the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
Again, you are flat out WRONG. You are stating an opinion as fact. YOU feel they have no taste period if that is their sole intake. It can quite easily be flipped around and they could say that you have no taste in music, but no, they don't do that. I always find it amusing how on a site like this where a vast number of the population was picked on, mocked, and in general not accepted for who they are and what they were into, that people are so quick to judge others.
I will state this one more time, you do not have final say over what is crap, and what defines good taste and bad taste. It is a matter of personal opinion. That is the point I am trying to make.
Please explain to me how you are the absolute final word on what is crap and what is not? Different people have different tastes. While I agree that most of the music out there today is garbage, that does not mean it IS garbage, just that it is in my opinion.
I'm sorry if this seems like a rant, I'm just really sick of people on here who feel that anything they don't like is garbage and that is the final word on it. Accept people for their differing tastes in music, even if you don't particularly like that music.
Slashdot Mirror
There will always be the agencies who play dirty. They are just trying to make a buck the quickest way possible, and it usually doesn't get them as far as you might think. The best ad agencies are the ones who shoot for quality.
I know people on here hate advertising, but I'm sure all of you have liked an ad at some point in time. How about the web ad done by BMW. The whole BMW Films campaign was a huge success, not intrusive, entertaining, and tasteful advertising. I wasn't the least bit surprised that it was Fallon who made it either.
The one truth which has remained in advertising is that good, quality ads will win out time and time again, regardless of how invasive the bottom-feeder agencies try to get. As in any industry there are your high quality agencies and your low quality agencies, which people on here often don't realize.
Now where can I buy this device?
"We're sorry this train is late, but there is a person under the train further up."
I kind of looked around at everybody expecting some sort of reaction.........looking...........still looking........nope! Not a damn blink from anybody, except for someone asking another which line they should switch to to get somewhere. I love Britain.
It is so much more than this. If it looks like an ad that is interrupting me, or insults me or my intelligence by attempting to sneak its way into the text I am reading when I have clearly rejected looking at the ad in a more traditional location (banner ad, popup, popunder, etc), it won't work.
In fact, if that happens I will make it my business to make note of the company, and make a vow never to buy from them again and make damn sure to spread the word.
As a side note, I wonder if all those hours I clocked playing GTA:VC would make me a better ambulance driver. I certainly know I'm better at jacking them.
"This job, which Nguyen does earnestly from 9 to 5, surrounded by a half-dozen other "computer forensic specialists" like him, has become the focal point of the Justice Department's operation to rid the world of porn."
First, where do I sign up, and second, I sure as hell hope there are at least cubicle dividers between these "computer forensic specialists".
I mean, seriously, of all the things they could have picked........if there's anything us Americans like more than our booze and weed its porn and sex. Is Ashcroft BEGGING to have a lynch mob show up at his front door?
Now, IANAAL (I am not an advertising lawyer) but I AM in advertising, and that claim seems somewhat dubious, and I'd love to see how they back it up. I know its nitpicking, but I can spare the attention for a company I hate so much, so if anybody can shed some light it would be appreciated.
Well, speaking as someone in advertising/marketing, I can say we DON'T all believe this. I sure as hell don't. Unfortunately, one of the problems you run into is when the people paying you demand something, or they'll take their money elsewhere. No amount of reasoning with them and explaining how it will be less effective will convince them. Fortunately, despite what Slashdot seems to think, many people in advertising/marketing (well, the skilled, intelligent ones at least) realize that too much advertising is bad, and annoying advertising is bad. You see, its the bad examples people tend to fixate on, as is true with anything. Ad agencies are not tripping over themselves to come up with new "stealth" techniques, just new techniques in general. It's called growing your business, and what ad agencies sell is their ad making abilities. Please realize that not all advertisers are out to deceive and trick you. Many only want people who would be interested in their product. Many people realize that in order to build a solid reputation, they need the help of those who buy their products, and they need to AVOID pissing people off at all costs. Hope this clarifies.
He didn't really like that idea and I told him to please hurry up with my purchase already.
I suggest you do a little reading on what a Skinner Box is. Here is a great essay which explains how MMORPGs are essentially giant skinner boxes.
The trap you fell into is called psychological addiction, and it is quite vicious indeed. But what better way is there to ensure a continuous revenue stream from your customers.
As with all things in life, these games are fine in moderation, but always be careful that you aren't getting TOO into it.
I realize some people have less willpower than others, but for those that have it, I'm curious what tactics they use to keep you longer than the time they tell you. I mean, if someone offered me free tickets for 90 minutes of my time, I'd say can I take the tickets at the end of 90 minutes and leave? If they said yes, and then tried to keep me longer than that, I would be EXTREMELY pissed. So for someone who's never had the experience with one of these timeshare sharks, how do they do it?
I always like to think of myself as someone who wouldn't be conned into one because I understand persuasion tactics and work in advertising/marketing (so its not like I don't know what they're trying to do).
No, but now I'd really like to.
Of course, another part of me wants to be able to have full manual control whenever I want. The big barrier for this is constructing the roads and getting people to accept a computerized car system where they don't have control on certain roads. I realize this could be a Bad Thing(TM) but it is a technology where I feel the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
I will state this one more time, you do not have final say over what is crap, and what defines good taste and bad taste. It is a matter of personal opinion. That is the point I am trying to make.
I'm sorry if this seems like a rant, I'm just really sick of people on here who feel that anything they don't like is garbage and that is the final word on it. Accept people for their differing tastes in music, even if you don't particularly like that music.