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Please let this not be the future of reading on the web

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Re: Please let this not be the future of reading on the web

#101

Post by prawn »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #42
prawn wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You pay for a newspaper and it still has advertising...

...but my newspaper ads are a wad of color-printed coupon sheets etc. I extract the ad-wad and drop it in the bin on the way out of the market. Leaving me with 3 or 4 thin sheets of local news.

Newspapers here in Australia will have those catalogue inserts (we don't really have coupons) PLUS ads on almost every page. In fact, the amount of pages in the daily newspapers is directly decided by the ad inventory they have - fewer ads and they'll leave out content, more ads and they'll find more stories or lower the bar a bit.

Re: Please let this not be the future of reading on the web

#102

Post by prawn »

prawn wrote: post #35
scriptproof wrote: post #31

There was a statement of Matt Cutts at PubCon saying Google will penalyze pages with too much ads above the fold. Expect to see that.

I'm an AdSense publisher and I get emails from Google suggesting that I add more ad blocks to my site, and also tips on where to place them to get noticed most - above the fold, primarily. They also coach on making the ads stand out by using bold/bright colours. I suspect you'd have to go above and beyond with your ad placements to frustrate Google...

Also wanted to mention that they also routinely email me suggesting I swap out my text-only ads for image-based ads (which in my testing don't perform as well).

Re: Please let this not be the future of reading on the web

#103

Post by pyre »

ladon86 wrote: post #70
edw519 wrote: post #41

edw519's simple rules for reading on the internet: That's a Back Button (to the cadence of "That's a Paddlin'" from "The Simpsons") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFgR0m-9FmM Login button below the fold? That's a back button. Animated ads? That's a back button. Shifting content? That's a back button. More than 2 pages? That's a back button. Need to be logged in to Facebook. That's a back button. Unexpected video? Tha…

Publishers' solution to your problem: Disable the back button.

More like this:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/flashpoints/theater/ima...

Re: Please let this not be the future of reading on the web

#105

Post by tonio09 »

wavephorm wrote: post #95

Q: Do you want to pay for reading content on the web? A: No. Q: Do you want to see ads while reading content on the web? A: No. Q: Do you want everything to be free all the time but maintain a capitalistic society? A: Yes.

what's the problem with wanting these?

Re: Please let this not be the future of reading on the web

#106

Post by moheeb »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #96
brigade wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue is not the existence of advertising. The issue is (primarily for me) the new wave of popup ads that don't let you view the content until you find the 30x30 pixel close area. And secondly the sites where ads have become more important than content (reflected in the design.) And thirdly the dozen social media buttons on every single page. Non-horrid advertising should be possible for any respectable website.…

> And thirdly the dozen social media buttons on every single page. You mean the "Like" / "+1" / "Tweet" buttons under articles? What's wrong with these? I personally want them to be on websites and I actively seek them after reading an article, because clicking on two or three buttons is so much easier and less distracting than having to copy the URL and paste it into every social website I use.

I personally consider Facebook, etc. to be lame wastes of time and consider those buttons tacky and unneeded.

It seems a simple browser plugin could still allow Facebookers and Diggers and whomever else the ability to poop back and forth as much as they like while not polluting the web for the rest of us.

As it is now we have to pray that some of these sites don't make it...imagine how many buttons there will be in 50 years!

EDIT: Just wanted to point out this was not a personal attack. I was just trying to raise awareness that not everyone has the same interests.

Re: Please let this not be the future of reading on the web

#107

Post by TeMPOraL »

moheeb wrote: post #106
TeMPOraL wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And thirdly the dozen social media buttons on every single page. You mean the "Like" / "+1" / "Tweet" buttons under articles? What's wrong with these? I personally want them to be on websites and I actively seek them after reading an article, because clicking on two or three buttons is so much easier and less distracting than having to copy the URL and paste it into every social website I use.

I personally consider Facebook, etc. to be lame wastes of time and consider those buttons tacky and unneeded. It seems a simple browser plugin could still allow Facebookers and Diggers and whomever else the ability to poop back and forth as much as they like while not polluting the web for the rest of us. As it is now we have to pray that some of these sites don't make it...imagine how many buttons there will be in 5…

> Just wanted to point out this was not a personal attack. I was just trying to raise awareness that not everyone has the same interests.

Don't worry, it didn't sound like one :).

Thanks for explaining your point of view. I just realized I didn't really stop and think about people who, like you, don't like Facebook et al. Personally, I think I'd be happy to use a browser plugin or whatever, just like I use e.g. Instapaper. Hell, in browser like Conkeror it would be even more convenient (for Instapaper I now just press "C-x i", it's even easier than pressing a button on the address bar).

Re: Please let this not be the future of reading on the web

#108

Post by prawn »

dasil003 wrote: post #80
drumdance wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it's that thousands of sites with good content will only have crappy options.

Ads are a race to the bottom though. The Deck recognized that exclusivity is the only way to create an oasis, and I'd rather have that oasis than have nothing at all. To effect wider change what's necessary is for users to start to value content and be willing to pay for it. If the major pubs could make money from the readers than they would be inclined to improve their experience. However, mass-market readers have n…

And there's not much stopping others creating their own versions of The Deck, especially around niche areas. I'm surprised more people haven't done this, or even created some sort of simple and reliable engine that allowed people to do it easily.

Re: Please let this not be the future of reading on the web

#109

Post by prawn »

DanielBMarkham wrote: post #89

This is driving me crazy. I feel the author's pain. It's gotten so bad I've created a web site that gives me plain headlines of all the tech, science, world, sports, and political stories I might want to read. Phase 2 is walking the links and using something like Readability to make those readable as well. http://newspaper23.com I didn't do this as a for-profit startup kind of thing -- it's for my own sanity. Everywh…

I don't think the issue is just stickiness, I think it's more about publishers trying to squeeze out the next dollar, and the one after that. They're all gradual steps down into reading hell that is horrible when looked at from afar, but easier to understand when you consider them on their own.

  Add one more promo spot for a few extra bucks. I guess. OK.
  Make the header banner larger. OK.
  Boss wants a Send To Friend feature because they heard about someone using one, once.
  Maybe trial an interstitial because it will cover the costs of the new SEO guy.
  Etc.

Re: Please let this not be the future of reading on the web

#110

Post by pjscott »

ladon86 wrote: post #70
edw519 wrote: post #41

edw519's simple rules for reading on the internet: That's a Back Button (to the cadence of "That's a Paddlin'" from "The Simpsons") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFgR0m-9FmM Login button below the fold? That's a back button. Animated ads? That's a back button. Shifting content? That's a back button. More than 2 pages? That's a back button. Need to be logged in to Facebook. That's a back button. Unexpected video? Tha…

Publishers' solution to your problem: Disable the back button.

I tend to open things in new tabs. Closing the tab works. If things get annoying enough, other people can adopt my habits on this.
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