Back in March I wrote a post about the Online Publishers Association’s plans to foist ginormous banner ads upon the masses of people who haven’t yet given into using ad-blocking software.
Well, they’re on their way now. CNN, MSNBC, Forbes, and the New York Times are among the large publishers that will soon be serving-up the supersized ads. (Forbes certainly has enough ads already…)
Suffice to say, I am not happy about these absurd ads. The “less is more” approach is what ad networks need to be moving toward, not hitting you over the head with a sledgehammer. The “pushdown” ad format, which “opens big to display the ad and then after seven seconds rolls up to the top of the page,” is 970×418 pixels when opened up to its full size. That’s nearly 80% of my 13″ widescreen laptop’s vertical real estate. And you, Mr. Publisher, want me to stare at that ad for seven seconds before it closes, letting me read your content? I don’t think so. Considering I already avoid articles on “mainstream media” sites, preferring the content from smaller, more relevant blogs, I’m not going to put up with that.
Though I’m not exactly a heavy AdBlock user, applying a selective approach to blocking ads, rather than subscribing to an overly aggressive filter, these are certainly going on my list.
