Author Topic: What are those green links on PGC? (Read 15389 times)

Jonnyboy117 · « **on:** October 26, 2005, 06:24:40 AM »

Here's what you need to know about IntelliTXT.

Most of you have probably seen those green, double-underlined contextual links on other websites. Now they're on PGC too, and they work exactly the same way. These links are activated by software called IntelliTXT, which scans the pages after they load and creates links for certain words that match up with sales offers. So it's a form of advertising, not unlike Google AdSense, banners, and other types already seen on PGC. IntelliTXT is a bit more invasive since the links are located within the content, but it doesn't take up any extra space or flash different colors or play obnoxious sounds through your speakers. And it's completely safe. From the IntelliTXT website:

IntelliTXT is not downloaded to your computer.
IntelliTXT does not upload personally identifiable information from your computer.
IntelliTXT does not collect or store any personally identifiable user information.

Our programmer, Brendan Gallagher (Gahiggidy), has worked hard over the past few days to set up IntelliTXT so that it works properly with our unusual website structure. He has also tried to exclude IntelliTXT from the main page, content listing pages, and other pages which we feel would be inappropriate for this form of advertising. If you find IntelliTXT to be interfering with normal links or slowing down the site, please contact Brendan via the Staff page and give him specific information about the incident.

As you know, PGC operates on a shoestring budget because we're not doing this to make money. The site has considerable expenses for this great WebCore dedicated server, and we support ourselves fully through these various forms of advertising. By exploring new advertising opportunities such as IntelliTXT, we hope to upgrade our capabilities to give you more and better content, including media, in the near future.

sycomonkey · « **Reply #1 on:** October 26, 2005, 07:45:21 AM »

If it hadn't been for this article I never would have known. I've had *intellitxt* as a rule in adblock since day 1.

You guys are evil for inflicting that crap on the ad-prone. Just so you know.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #2 on:** October 26, 2005, 07:51:29 AM »

I think I'm blocking them, too. Saw them a looooong time ago and never since. I think an entry into your hostfile can kill that, no need for any fancy plugins

.

Artimus · « **Reply #3 on:** October 26, 2005, 08:24:06 AM »

I think this is a good way to advertise, it's not invasive and it supports the site.

ShyGuy · « **Reply #4 on:** October 26, 2005, 08:34:35 AM »

I wouldn't mind this if it was used as a replacement for the annoying popup ads.

You guys must use a lot of bandwidth to require a dedicated server.

Artimus · « **Reply #5 on:** October 26, 2005, 08:42:23 AM »

They get thousands of visitors, host tons of media, have a forum, etc.

Ian Sane · « **Reply #6 on:** October 26, 2005, 08:42:51 AM »

I wish advertisers would learn that annoying ads don't work. I have never EVER been encouraged to support something because of a flash ad the gets in the way of the page I was looking at or some annoying loud thing I can't find the close button to or an ad that the text wraps around or a takeover ad or a popup ad or IntelliTXT. The only ads I ever pay attention to and don't feel ill-will towards the product being advertisted is banner ads along the top or right side of the page. See Penny Arcade for the perfect example of ads I consider acceptable or these forums which also have a good approach.

Would anyone tolerate ads that came up in the middle of a TV show and obstructed the screen or ads that came on in the middle of a song on the radio? NO! So why do internet advertisers think all this annoying bullsh!t is such a great idea?

vudu · « **Reply #7 on:** October 26, 2005, 09:01:29 AM »

Ug. I really hate those green links. They're the reason I completely stopped visiting GameSpy until I figured out how to block them. PGC, I had hoped you were better than that.

wandering · « **Reply #8 on:** October 26, 2005, 01:00:54 PM »

Apart from the fact that they completley clash with the color scheme of the site, I don't mind the green links so much.

What's really annoying me right now are the pop-up ads that manage to get through firefox's adblock.

MarioAllStar · « **Reply #9 on:** October 26, 2005, 01:38:13 PM »

Flashblock should help remedy that, wandering. Many sites used a scheme where an invisible Flash object will launch the link. Flashblock makes it so you have to click on every Flash object before it can start. This may seem annoying at first, but eventually it just becomes natural. I would take a quick click over a pop-up any day. Most sites use Flash frivolously, anyway.

KnowsNothing · « **Reply #10 on:** October 26, 2005, 02:06:14 PM »

Actually, on sites like IGN and the old Gamespot, Flashblock would almost always crash my browser. Must have been some flash script or something. Most of the time it worked fine.

Adblock works perfectly for me though, I haven't gotten a popup or flash-ad in a very long time, and on the rare occasion that I do, I just enter in "*[advertisment host]*" and it blocks everything from them till the end of time.

ShyGuy · « **Reply #11 on:** October 26, 2005, 02:12:56 PM »

actually, flashblock doesn't fully protect against the PGC ads. Maybe the new firefox 1.5 beta will block them, I donno.

Plugabugz · « **Reply #12 on:** October 26, 2005, 02:49:13 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
Would anyone tolerate ads that came up in the middle of a TV show and obstructed the screen or ads that came on in the middle of a song on the radio? NO! So why do internet advertisers think all this annoying bullsh!t is such a great idea?

No, yet it happened here on Channel Five. In-programme advertising started on there and was trialled for one evening before it got pulled due to the uproar. Plus doing that is banned in the UK anyway.

MarioAllStar · « **Reply #13 on:** October 26, 2005, 03:46:45 PM »

I get absolutely zero ads on PGC with my Adblock + Filterset G and Flashblock combo.

Edit: Filterset G is a list of websites/objects that are commonly the source of ads. You can download and import this text file into Flashblock or you can use this extension for automatic updates. The homepage is here.

UncleBob · « **Reply #14 on:** October 26, 2005, 04:02:53 PM »

While all the adblocking software is great and all, how long before all of those who don't block ads stop coming to a particular site because they're too annoyed with all the ads...

Jonnyboy117 · « **Reply #15 on:** October 26, 2005, 04:18:25 PM »

Hey guys, you don't need any software whatsoever to block IntelliTXT. Just hover over a green link, click "What's This?", and at the bottom of that page is the option to use a cookie setting to turn of IntelliTXT. I don't know if it applies on a universal or site-by-site basis.

I don't understand the comparison between IntelliTXT and the pop-up ads. IntelliTXT doesn't obscure your view, and there's virtually zero chance of you accidentally clicking on a green link. Believe it or not, about 1% of people who see these things do click on them, presumably on purpose, and that's how we get paid.

Jonnyboy117 · « **Reply #16 on:** October 26, 2005, 04:23:27 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
Would anyone tolerate ads that came up in the middle of a TV show and obstructed the screen or ads that came on in the middle of a song on the radio? NO! So why do internet advertisers think all this annoying bullsh!t is such a great idea?

Ian, I hope you keep a close watch on your blood pressure.

Television has the most obtrusive advertising of any medium I can think of, other than NASCAR. The online analogy to TV would be if two-minute interstitial ad pages interrupted your browsing, about three or four every half hour. AND television has the same contextual advertising that the Internet does, with product placement all over the place and sponsored features in everything from SNL's music performances to the end-of-quarter stat boxes in college football games.

vudu · « **Reply #17 on:** October 26, 2005, 04:43:53 PM »

Quote
IntelliTXT doesn't obscure your view, and there's virtually zero chance of you accidentally clicking on a green link.

Actually, when they first appeared on GameSpy I used to click them because I thought they were links to something I cared about. For example, if they were talking about Resident Evil 4 in some random article, I thought clicking on the link would bring me to the GameSpy review or something of that nature. It took a couple trys to figure out what was going on. I never said I was bright. Perhaps that's just because they were green and GameSpy's color-scheme is green.

EDIT: Just for the heck of it, I tried turning off IntelliTXT using Jonny's cookie method. Either I'm dumb, or the 'turn off cookie' option isn't where he said it was. I'm not ruling out either possibility.

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #18 on:** October 26, 2005, 05:14:44 PM »

Actually, the hover-tooltips do bother me, just as they did on IGN/Gamespy.

Nephilim · « **Reply #19 on:** October 26, 2005, 05:35:34 PM »

The reasons ads still get thu firefox and opera is because the java programming has a few glitches in both (got worse with the new versions)
I havnt seen a green link yet and I thank god

tForce · « **Reply #20 on:** October 26, 2005, 05:38:11 PM »

I don't get the complaints. I'm all for IntelliTXT as an alternative to pop up ads. It's not intrusive in the slightest. Wow, green links. Hover over it, and you immediately see it's an ad. What's the problem? If it's a link to a normal page, you wouldn't get the hover thing. You have to look at this from their perspective. Sure, everyone wants everything for free... but there has to be compromises.

couchmonkey · « **Reply #21 on:** October 26, 2005, 05:41:55 PM »

I have no problem with this, especially since PGC explained it to me in advance.

TV has started getting it's share of ads that actually cover the show while you're watching it, and I hate them with a passion. Most of the time I find advertising on the internet to be the least intrusive, but maybe that's because I surf this site at work (bad boy) and the same program that blocks cars, pr0n and other entertainment related sites also handily blocks out ads.

KnowsNothing · « **Reply #22 on:** October 26, 2005, 05:44:55 PM »

Oh, so video games aren't entertainment

vudu · « **Reply #23 on:** October 26, 2005, 06:21:27 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: tForce
I don't get the complaints. I'm all for IntelliTXT as an alternative to pop up ads. It's not intrusive in the slightest.

You really don't think this is intrusive? There are seven links in two paragraphs, five in the first paragraph alone. That's annoying. Especially with the double underlined text.

Artimus · « **Reply #24 on:** October 26, 2005, 06:25:58 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: vudu
Quote
Originally posted by: tForce
I don't get the complaints. I'm all for IntelliTXT as an alternative to pop up ads. It's not intrusive in the slightest.
You really don't think this is intrusive? There are seven links in two paragraphs, five in the first paragraph alone. That's annoying. Especially with the double underlined text.

Would you rather pay a fee to read that article?

News:

Author Topic: What are those green links on PGC? (Read 15389 times)