What's the story behind the "GoToMyPC" ads on the MeFi front page?

October 22, 2005 9:28 AM

What's the story behind the "GoToMyPC" ads on the MeFi front page? Even for the logged-in.
I notice they are the only advertiser for that spot and that it appears for the non-members in the same place.

Is this a big new advertising deal for you, Matt, or is it a template issue? Are we being sold to again, and if so, why?

(don't know if this should be in "MeFi-related" or "etiquette/policy")
posted by NinjaPirate to MetaFilter-Related at 9:28 AM (26 comments total)

Thanks NinjaPirate, I just saw that blinking thing and came here wondering if anyone had yet voiced objection. Blink is, as if it needs to be said, freakin' horrible.
posted by peacay at 9:36 AM on October 22, 2005

matt said a while back that he had a new ad deal that meant he could work full time on this place.
posted by andrew cooke at 9:48 AM on October 22, 2005

Are we being sold to again, and if so, why?

Why do you think? And I don't have a big problem with the blinking, if those ads generate enough revenue for Matt to decide its worth it.
posted by gsteff at 9:55 AM on October 22, 2005

I can't see it. Was it taken away again?
posted by jamesonandwater at 10:01 AM on October 22, 2005

fwiw, I can't see it.
posted by Count Ziggurat at 10:18 AM on October 22, 2005

I saw it last night but it's gone now.
posted by dobbs at 10:19 AM on October 22, 2005

I don't think I've ever seen that. Strange indeed.
posted by chunking express at 10:29 AM on October 22, 2005

Well I, for one, find the whole dios/rothko contest disgusting.
posted by shmegegge at 10:35 AM on October 22, 2005

I've never seen it. I have seen a naked lady before, though. Can I please have 50 cents?
posted by Captaintripps at 10:39 AM on October 22, 2005

It was there before, but now it's gone. I didn't think it was that bad. It wasn't like it was a 'shoot the monkey' ad or anything. It was just an ad that changed between two graphics every couple seconds.
posted by my sock puppet account at 10:45 AM on October 22, 2005

It pops up every so often, to dole out the number of impressions they bought, so not every pageview will see them.

For the past six months or so, I've kept Google ads and any additional ads off the member pages, but up until just a few months ago, I was running the small jewelboxing flash ads for everyone on the front page, so when some advertisers approached me, I said that I'd be willing to show some tall narrow ads for non-members on comment pages and small 125x125 ads on the front page.

The last time the topic came up when the new comment page ads started for non-members, a sizable number of members said they wouldn't mind seeing them on logged-in pages and wondered why I still kept the comment pages ad-free for them. So given that feedback and that I was running those small flash ads just a few months ago, I figured it was cool to run small ads before the sideblog on the front page for everyone. They are animated, it's true, but they didn't seem to be too annoying (no flashing or major color changes).

And yeah, the bottom line is an extra ad on the front page side there and on the comment pages let me quit my job. Starting Nov. 1st, I'll be working on this full time and hammering out all the features and additions that have been in the backlog for years.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 10:51 AM on October 22, 2005 [1 favorite]

Yeah, 'tis gone again.
Answer 2: it was "a template issue"

Sorry Matt, you can stick a bung in this thread and go try to explain the situation to amberglow (again) in the one below. Have fun!
posted by NinjaPirate at 10:52 AM on October 22, 2005

OK, so no, it was answer 1. Jesus, I set the test and got a 50/50 question wrong.
posted by NinjaPirate at 10:54 AM on October 22, 2005

Starting Nov. 1st, I'll be working on this full time

[head explodes!]

Someone take this to MeTa! Congrats, Matt!
posted by scarabic at 11:16 AM on October 22, 2005

Starting Nov. 1st, I'll be working on this full time and hammering out all the features and additions that have been in the backlog for years.

The Redesign! Woo!
posted by NinjaPirate at 11:28 AM on October 22, 2005

The Redesign! Woo!

I'd forgotten. Please let that be near the top of the todo list!
posted by gsteff at 11:31 AM on October 22, 2005

"Starting Nov. 1st, I'll be working on this full time"

This makes me feel very good deep down inside. To see a simple idea grow this way is a wonderous thing.
posted by y6y6y6 at 11:31 AM on October 22, 2005

$ cat /etc/hosts

127.0.0.1 adserver.fmpub.net
posted by Armitage Shanks at 12:18 PM on October 22, 2005

What Armitage Shanks said, and also Adblock (Plus). Who actually sees ads anymore? I'm honestly surprised that they're still a significant source of revenue on a site so heavily viewed by the types who would use these tools.

(For the record, MeFi is a site I would actually pay cash dollars to continue using, if it came to that).
posted by rxrfrx at 1:14 PM on October 22, 2005

you can also just right click in Firefox and say "block images from...." right?
posted by mathowie (staff) at 4:05 PM on October 22, 2005

Does metafilter get less money if we block the images? Within reason, I try and not block ads - even click sometimes - on good websites that get by on advertising. I never know technically if that matters. It seems like it would, since I think my browser doesn't actually hit the advertiser when I'm blocking, but I don't know how that's all calculated.
posted by freebird at 4:17 PM on October 22, 2005

Matt, if you can get Metafilter for this kind of cash, take it and run.
posted by my sock puppet account at 4:51 PM on October 22, 2005

The Redesign! Woo!

Or as it will become know - the biggest shitstorm in metafilter's history. It needs doing but golly, it's going to be messy.
posted by dodgygeezer at 5:22 PM on October 22, 2005

I hate to repeat myself today, but if you're complaining about an ad on MeFi, a site you enjoy for free, you are a whiny bitch.
posted by eyeballkid at 5:24 PM on October 22, 2005

You can do "block images from," but most websites with multiple ads seem to host them in different places, and at that point it becomes much easier to use a regular expression(s) that describes multiple kinds of ads you don't want ot see.
posted by rxrfrx at 6:43 AM on October 23, 2005

Sure - but if blocking the ads makes it harder for Matt to make a Metafilter a fulltime job, I'd rather suffer the ads.
posted by freebird at 12:40 PM on October 23, 2005