As you know if you visit this site, I have Google ads running. I’m not getting rich via them but they help defray the cost of the site. Anyway, sometimes an ad will show up for something that is really counter to the opinions and views I’ve espoused here. When I see it, I put the URL in a “competitive filter” list and eventually it stops appearing. If you see one before I do, feel free to let me know so that I can similarly block it.
Disclaimer
The content on this site is my own and does not necessarily represent my employer’s positions, strategies or opinions. I work for IBM.
You mean like adverts for http://openxmlcommunity.org/ on your ODF posts?
yes, that would be one …
funny how that just showed up
I doubt many readers will notice the difference. Either way, I always put ‘that other company’ with its many domains right in the “competitive filter” bin.
You’ll be lucky to be able to cover hosting fees. I was never able to do even that.
Bob,
I am all for the idea of advertising on your site as long as it is not intrusive. However, I think it is a good idea to have a small title above the ads saying that it is “Google Ads” to tell readers that they are computer-generated ads. Otherwise, it might imply that you are endorsing the ads.
HTH
Thanks. I’ve turned them off for the moment, but that is an excellent suggestion for when I re-enable them.
Hi Again
[OT] Some of us out there sort of wait for you or Rob to debunk the stuff from Eric Lai and Mary Jo Foley (about Lotus and Google).
“EA pushes ad-backed video games”, from the BBC here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7199881.stm , says you’re in good company.
This could weaken the Microsoft Windows lock on Personal Computers as a gaming platform.
For many years, there has been an assumption that the Electronic Arts of this world will want to sell copies of CDs with games on; will want draconian legislation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DMCA to control their distribution channel; and will want to make sure you have the ‘original’ CD in the drive while you’re playing the game. Something Windows can do but Linux can’t.
Revenue from advertising, rather than revenue from media sales, turns that all on its head. EA will want to put their adverts in front of anyone who will pay attention to them; even the ones running http://www.ubuntu.com/ .
Will EA invest in improved open-source video driving software ? X11 and OpenGL make a comeback ?
I’ve turned off most Google ads on my site for this reason. The competitive ad filter is a clumsy tool to weed these things out, and I think you’re limited to about 200 URLs.
I’d like to have an option where some person or group of people could maintain a list of “approved” advertisers in a particular area (free software, for example). Interested publishers could subscribe to that group’s list, registered with Google, and only see the approved ads.
(Roy: I was making about $20 per month before turning off the tap, and my site is pretty low traffic. That was covering my hosting+domain costs nicely.)
Roy, Rob has a response at http://www.robweir.com/blog/2008/01/standard-trolls.html. This is getting downright silly.
I had a request this morning from my 10-year-old daughter. “Daddy, can you upgrade to the latest version of Microsoft Word ? The boarders at school can do their homework so much easier.”
The school should be nameless (as should the daughter). But in this respect it’s typical of schools in the UK.
What am I supposed to say ? A number of possibilities are …
“I know Microsoft gives deep discounts to schools, and to 300,000-person globally-integrated enterprises. But they don’t give discounts to me, nor to small-and-medium businesses”.
“The schools’ technology adviser, http://www.becta.org.uk/ , has recommended against schools migrating to Office 2007 unless-and-until it supports ISO26300″.
“It would be nice if the school deployed a variety of office productivity solutions; http://symphony.lotus.com/ , http://www-306.ibm.com/software/lotus/products/notes/ , http://pack.google.com/ , are some current ones that I know of. Just like the school deploys a variety of musical instruments for you to learn; if everyone had to learn piano and there was nothing else, we would smell a rat.”
“The answer to ‘interoperability’ is ‘standards’. ISO26300 looks good to me.”
But I don’t supply technology to schools. I’d help out if they asked; ultimately it’s their choice.
“Defer” the cost? Until when…?
I think you were looking for the word “defray”.
HTH! :-)
Christian: lol, thanks, and fixed.