Normally I can just ignore web ads, and understand the need for ad support, but this current glurge of “Simple Mom from Yourtown USA” is getting on my nerves. They pop up everywhere on the web, and the gist is that Ashley Whosit, is but a simple Mom who discovered that by combining two free offers of yadda yadda supplement, recommended by Rachael Ray, or Oprah, found she could melt away the pounds or whiten her teeth. Such common sense genius, and, it’s free!
The Simple Mom morphs in name and location, and, I’m amazed to find she’s from a town right near mine! The Mom in the banner ads we see now on the SDMB was from Madison, but when I click the link she is right down the road in Kernersville, NC.
Crap products aside, these ads are really insulting to women. Targeting issues like weight and bright smile, the hack writers try to seem like Simple Mom is just like you, with a harried life of husband and kids, but hit on the wonderful combo of products alone. Except that Ashley Whosit is joined by Kelly Whatsit and Sandy Whothefuckami, and the names and towns change to lure the victims in. Does this tactic work at all? It just pisses me off.
I hate to see them anywhere, but it really is galling to see them here on the Straight Dope lately, because those ad tactics are pretty ignorant and insulting.
I don’t know the ad policies here, perhaps it’s out of control of the Admins, and solely up to CL. Does anyone know the Straight Dope on these ads? In clicking on the links, the address at the bottom of the page lists Preciousmind LTD, location: Cyprus, but I’d suppose that changes with the wind as well.
You know what I hate, is that it’s the photo of the same woman no matter where you are. I was up in Robinsonville last week and, gosh golly, the same gal who had FOUND THE SECRET TO A FLAT STOMACH who was from Madison the week before was MIRACULOUSLY now from Robinsonville.
Another twist on it is the "Acai Exposed"ad, right on this page. It looks like a news expose, the page is constructed to look like “News3TV”, with astute reporter Julia Noname, but it’s just another total sham of an ad.
I’m sorry, but until a Mom in your town discovers the secret, you’re not allowed to know.
I like the ones on sports web sites that say, “(web site team) fan earns $87/ hour working at home.” Oh well, ordinarily I would never believe that, but if a fan of my team is doing it, it must be true!
That ad has a pop-up message when you try to close the page saying “Do you really want to go away from this page”. I’m going to report it to the mods, because I think that’s a shoddy trick to use on web pages, and I think the link here should be broken. (I’m not blaming elelle for this – I think s/he linked there innocently.)
Giles, thanks, and sorry if that caused a problem. I’m not savvy with that sort of thing, and didn’t experience it in preview. At any rate, the ad has been up there on every SD page , so can be viewed there.
Moved from The BBQ Pit to Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share. I’ll also point out that there is a related thread in About This Message Board regarding board policy on this issue: Is There A ToS For The Ads Here? Many Are BS
Thanks, Gfactor, did not see that thread, just read it, so understand the issues with ads on the SD now. I put my thread in the Pit being pissed off at how those hucksters think that women are stupid with these ad tactics, and will fall for it.
The thing that pisses me off is that it panders to the general distrust of science that its becoming common among the LCD. Oh gosh no scientist messed with our product, for heavens no! it was a jackass just like you who discovered it with their common sense and salt of the earth knowledge!
I’m tired of seeing that chubby auburn-haired woman in the “[location]-Mom Lost 47 lbs Following 1 Rule”-ad. She looks like one of the Children of the Corn who grew up.
I hear you , Claire, and thanks, but, I’m not trying to block the ad for myownself, but get to the gist of if it works, and would certainly love to find out where these ads really come from.
I particularly despite the ads for weight loss products that couldn’t be assed to come up with actual pictures of fat people getting less fat, but instead use shoddy computer animations of a fat girl in a bikini deflating.
I’m going to attempt to write this without sounding condescending or snooty, but I’m one of those condescending snooty people who uses adblocking software and hasn’t seen ads in years, and I genuinely appreciate threads like this. The ads you describe sound just like the sort of thing that would piss me off, and I’m very grateful I don’t see them any more. It’s nice to be reminded that there’s one less source of stress in my life than there would have been otherwise.
Personally I don’t mind ads as long as they don’t move and keep their mouths shut. So instead of invoking ad blocker, I use Firefox + Flashblock. For the few times that a moving gif is delivered, I use Nuke Anything Enhanced.
I don’t mind unobtrusive ads: they support the sites that I visit.
Well, the “before/after” method doesn’t always work. I saw one once with two pictures, from the same angle, but clearly from a different location, one was of a fat black woman… who magically became skinny when she turned white following their method. Don’t ask how, it’s magic!
I have noscript, but I always feel guilty blocking ads on sites I’m fond of, don’t they not get the revenue if it doesn’t load? Feels like I’m not doing my part on non-'scription sites.
You know, you could probably find a way to make a catchy anti-ignorance slogan if you worked hard enough between the phrases “Salt of the Earth” and “Salting the Earth.”
I was late to the adblocking party. I didn’t mind ads per se for the reason mentioned above: I saw it as a way to support web sites I liked. However, as moving/talking ads became more and more prevalent, I got more and more annoyed. The ubiquity of some ads were really getting on my nerves; similar to the current ones mentioned in the OP, there were the mortgage ones that were so very all-over-the-place before the bust. You remember, the one with the dancing office worker, the ones that put new skins on The Dancing Baby? Yeah, those. The straw that broke the camel’s back, though, were the ads that would expand to cover the page or part of the page. Not only that, but these often were videos. When it got to the point that one other BB I visit had these EVERY PAGE VIEW, I gave up.
Sites want to show ads? In theory, fine by me. But DON’T sell space to what are essentially spammers, and don’t use adds that steal focus from content – that means no animation, no auto-play of video/sound, DON’T eat up bandwidth, and don’t cover up content with expanding layers. I know that web sites use ad services, but if the sites just shrug and say, “we don’t control it” nothing will ever change. Sites should DEMAND the right to control ad content, and I know in many cases they do. It’s possible, but it takes energy and fortitude to make it happen.
