We are trying out some new forms of advertising, as you may have noticed. The latest is “IntelliTXT” which we started testing yesterday evening. A user must mouse-over an IntelliTXT word (green, double underlined) to view an advertisement, which makes IntelliTXT is a 100% user-driven form of advertising. We like ads that the user can control. IntelliTXT works in real-time and is the last piece to load on page. IntelliTXT comes into play long after the article has been written and posted to the website.
Our interstitial test went well, but based upon reader feedback, we decided not to utilize that form of advertising. We are looking for a form of advertising that can offset the revenue from other forms of current advertising that we wish to discontinue.
Thank you for your patience while we test out these ads and thank you for patronizing our sponsors without whom we would not be here today.
Please let us know what you think of the IntelliTXT ads below.
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Maybe MDN should let us readers have ads in our comments. Maybe I could make some money off my wittiness and astute commentary. As we all know everyone comes to read my comments.
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IntelliTXT is cheesy advertising at its worst, and nearly as annoying as flashing/animated ads. MDN’s implementation of IntelliTXT has been a blessing in disguise, however, as i found they can be blocked by SafariBlock (which i also use to block any form of flashing/animated advertising). Also speeds up page loading as you don’t need to wait for a bunch of animated ads to load.
So if you want me to see your advertising, it best not flash nor use IntelliTXT.
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To block IntelliTXT, goto the SafariBlock preferences and add:
*intellitxt.com*
Works for ALL sites, not just MDN!
MDN (heart) Microsoft, for those of you without Mac OS X:
“You really have to admire Microsoft for its proficiency at what it does. You also have to admire the proficiency of sharks, scorpions, and black widow spiders. ” — Sean Dugan
in an article about Microsoft’s “smartlinks”:
ComputerUser.com – Net Ventures – Who owns the Web? Well, nobody–except maybe Microsoft.
Yes, how soon do we forget? MDN, you do yourself a disservice by using web advertising engendered by Microsoft.
Why don’t you go back to selling T-shirts??
Once I discovered what the intellitxt hyperlinks were I avoided them at all cost. They are nothing more than pop-ups. The only thing they do is annoy me by occasionally blocking text I am trying to read if I happen to inadvertently let my cursor pass over one. I am more concerned with the amount of CPU cycles MacDailyNews is consuming when I have multiple tabs open which causes Safari to pause and hiccup. This doesn’t seem to happen on most other news sites I visit and I believe it has to do with the amount of animated ads.
MacDailyNews + IntelliText = Jump the Shark
Seriously guys, the site is tacky enough with all of the ads. Enough is enough.
What, you think you’re going to be millionaries from this site?
Keep putting more ads online, and we’ll leave in record numbers. There are tons of Apple news sites, most with duplicate stories. And your editorials, while funny and passionate, are no Daring Fireball.
Don’t over-reach. You’re at your limit right now.
This is not the way to generate revenue. This is a way to drive away readers. I find sites with Intellitxt to be incredible obtrusive and annoying because no longer are the (numerous) ads confined to the sidelines for the most part, now they are literally shoved down my throat. I’m one of those that “reads” with my cursor and as I’m moving through a paragraph, *BANG* an obnoxious ad for something I’m never going to buy pops up. I’ve already started reading this site less. This site is lousy with advertisments. No more. I count like 20 ads on this page alone.
I Hate them!
IntelliTXT = Yuck
The number one reason I come to this site is for news and information and it is my favorite Apple news site, I do glance over at the ads on the side every now and then, but I’m here for the news content… Cluttering up the content makes it distracting and difficult to read as well as aesthetically unpleasing…
We’re all Apple fans here, and we’re big fans of the beautiful, clean and simple design of Apple. The best way to lose readers is make your website look like Microsoft packaging, just keep adding crap to the layout until none of it is comprehensible.
My suggestion is to take note from that “What if Microsoft designed the iPod box” parody video that was here awhile back. That says it all.
Another note, seeing hyperlinks in text, I’ve been trained that a hyperlink means “more information on this item”, not “buy this crap”. When I’m interested in a linked word and I instinctively click on it expecting more information, but I instead end up at a store selling stuff, I feel like I’ve been hijacked and hoodwinked and it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
Count me AGAINST so-called “IntelliText” ads.
Personally I firmly believe that web pages need to be EASIER to read – and IntelliText makes them much harder to read.
The only way I would endorse them is if I had an option to turn them off (globally, just once).
This site, respectfully, is turning into a joke with all of the advertisements.
Want feedback?
Go ask the folks at:
Spymac
MacNet2
MacNN, MacMinute, etc.
They pissed off their readers and community, and they are pathetic nowadays.
Count me as one of the many votes that this site should dump intelitext and cut the number of ads in half.
Seriously, the site looks like shit nowadays.
I appreciate all the work you guys do for the site, and I know that your bills must be huge, but I’m sure there’s another way, this IntelliTXT thing is just so annoying it hurts!
MDN Magic word: ‘Married’. As in… ah forget it.
i still hate it. get rid of it. please.
intellitext ads is the worst idea ever, I didn’t think sites MDN would ever include them.
Aside from slowing down the loading of pages, the main problem I have with them is that they break the ethical line between ads and content.
Articles and content MUST remain separated from the ads, at all cost. You are undermining your journalistic integrity by integrating ads into your articles.
Whatever happens, I hope you never add intelitxt ads to the user comments…
As for people saying “just install this or that software to block intellitxt”… Well MDN won’t get their ads revenue if we all do this.
And I’m against some form of elitism where less knowledgeable people are the ones getting all the annoying ads, while “the initiated” get around it.
Here’s a 2-cent question, MDN.
Did you know, when 3rd party software is employed to block your advertising, it also blocks your Magic Word anti-comment-spam mechanism??
If you don’t get rid of the ads, then you will not have an audience spicing things up, which, I’m sure is one of the big draws to this site.
MDN Ghost town… just has been already said.
Now you’ll know the whys and wherefores before it happens.
I prefer no IntelliTXTs at all. I find them more annoying than the banner ads.
IntelliTXT ads = GOOD
static image ads = GOOD
pop-unders = BAD
crazy animated ads = BAD
pop-ups = VERY BAD
I also HATE the ads that prevent you from scrolling down the page until you’ve clicked into the window (which launches a pop-up). Those really are a waste of time – I always hit command-W before the ad is visible, so all you’re doing is wasting my time and annoying me. Oh, and making me wait to read your article.