Jeremy Zawodny on Yahoo getting Slashdotted. [Scripting News]
While reading through Jeremy's description of why Yahoo could handle so much traffic when it got 'Slashdotted', I ran across a reference to something Brent wrote - Flashturbation. Brent's gotten 38 comments on this post - anjd I just added my own, but this is so important of a subject, that I;ve created the diatribe below.
In his post Brent complains about spam, 'pop-unders' and Flash ads.
Now I'm against spam as much as the next guy and Brent's solution to switch to Apple mail client - seems smart. Microsoft BTW is charging $21 a month for spam filtering - as part of MSN. How's THAT for a revenue source!
Brent's solution to pop-unders has been to switch browsers. He talks about pop-unders being surpressed by Mozilla and Chimera - as I somehow don't see Microsoft getting rid of pop-unders. :-)
But the important point I wanted to bring up about Flash ads is how they're seen today, what they do and DON'T do and where I see this 'ads' related issue.
1. First of all - Brent has thrown out the baby with the bath water. There are and will be PLENTY or really cool things done with Flash (and it's predecessor - Director.) The fact that Macromedia ripped the heart out of Director and is now having to put most of that functionality back in - is one reason there hasn't been cooler stuff done with Flash. But that doesn't answer the distatse in everyone's mouth for things 'moving on the web page'.
2. By definition - those ads wouldn't be there if the NY Times or Yahoo could make money - other ways. I'd bet they'd LOVE to turn of fteh animating ads - if you were willing to PAY THEM for their content. So which will it be - keep the web alive as we know it today - or contribute to it's demise? I just don't get how all these starving progarmmers and scriptors could NOT get this very basic issue. We NEED models that can get us paid. Know of any others - that work? How many bloggers get paid to blog?
3. Not only is it 'short sighted' to takr out Flash, but it highlights the big problem here - these are intrusive, stupid and inuslting. So here's a question: "what if tehse ads were fun, relevant, entertaining and suite dyour 'fancy'?" Now I'm not going to attempt and ascertain what's entertaining to you - just theorize that IF we could get relevant and entertaining ads deleivred to our experience - how would THAT BE? See below.....#6.
4. Rich media Fat Clients are the future. We have spent many years developing fat client software and whether it's our own, or someone else's fat client platform we'll use - let me tell you - THIS - is where it's at! Some of these platforms are based on Flash. But it's up to companies like ours- to prove the value of Flash. Give us some time - for that.
5. I'm not here to defend ads, but I'm also not promoting a web where no one has to pay for anything - ever. I support trying things out and free software - to a point. I also support free content, free love and free marijuana as well.
6. But whatever happened to laser beam marketing? The web (and the current browser architected world) is still stuck doing shotgun blast campaigns - running the same ads for everybody. The current attempts are 'focusing in' on target customers is a joke and everybody knows that. I'm talking about ads that ONLY show me what I'd be interested in, what I specifically said I wanted to know about - or from existing vendors or retailers - that I've done business with before and I've authorized them to tell me about more stuff 'like that'.
And we can take it one step further - I want laser beam targeted ads - that know WHEN I need something, such as Halloween costumes THIS week, as opposed to Pasover Seder plates in March. While we're at it - Cokes should cost $.15 in the winter and $.85 in the summer - but the world isn't a perfect place.
7. Flash ads are a good thing. But they're being done poorly today. Games, surveys, interactive interfaces - all are a new artform - and believe me when I tell you this - there aren't many good ones out there.
Lets just close this diatribe by saying: "Please don't turn off your Flash - it's taken Macromedia 10 years to get to the point where we can START to define a new world. Now that we've finally gotten beyond straw sipping - don't shoot yourself in the foot by getting rid of your Flash. Give us a chance to change your world - again."
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