That's why they call it "work". February 4, 2008 9:17 AM   Subscribe

Yes, my job does suck. How can I get you to stop reminding me of that unpleasant fact?
posted by timeistight to MetaFilter-Related at 9:17 AM (29 comments total)

There are a lot of ideas here on how to remove the occasional ads on mefi front pages.

If you add 127.0.01 ads.fmpub.net to your HOSTS file, they'll go away.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:20 AM on February 4, 2008


If it makes you feel better, my job sucks too.
posted by Dr-Baa at 9:20 AM on February 4, 2008


My job is awesome! Except for times like this.

For people that don't know what timeistight is on about, there's a dice.com ad that's viewable on AskMe, even to logged in users, for peopel that are not employing one of a zillion ad-blocking techniques. Since I use one of them, I hadn't seen the ad until just now.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:25 AM on February 4, 2008


Ads? On the Internet?

We're through the looking glass, people.
posted by Plutor at 9:30 AM on February 4, 2008 [7 favorites]


This gives me an excuse to ask why the ad appears sometimes, but not always. Like, just now, I clicked on the front page of MeTa, and there was no ad. But it was there a few minutes ago. Same thing happens in the blue. What up? (This happens, btw, on both my work box - Windows, FF 1.5 - and my laptop - OSX 10.4, FF 2.0 w/ adblock plus.)
posted by rtha at 9:43 AM on February 4, 2008


One more data point: It was there a second ago in the green, and then I clicked on a question, clicked back out to the front page, and it was gone. Windows box, btw.
posted by rtha at 9:45 AM on February 4, 2008


This gives me an excuse to ask why the ad appears sometimes, but not always

I always assumed it was because my job sucks sometimes, but not always.
posted by Jofus at 9:45 AM on February 4, 2008 [5 favorites]


If you add 127.0.01 ads.fmpub.net to your HOSTS file, they'll go away.

Ahhh... That's better. Thanks.
posted by timeistight at 9:48 AM on February 4, 2008


Do you work at a call centre, timeistight? Here's a simple solution to all your problems.
posted by Meatbomb at 9:51 AM on February 4, 2008 [3 favorites]


Do advertisers pay more to have their ads appear to logged-in users?

(Not saying it's wrong, just saying maybe they should).
posted by breezeway at 9:54 AM on February 4, 2008


I suck at my (awesome) job, if that makes you feel any better.
posted by RokkitNite at 9:58 AM on February 4, 2008


my job sucks - i sweep the floor at dice.com
posted by pyramid termite at 10:01 AM on February 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


My favorite ad policy is at Ars Technica, where it is a bannable offense if you say you block the ads.

So no one says that they block the ads. Problem solved!
posted by smackfu at 10:12 AM on February 4, 2008


Wait, so it's the saying, not the doing?

Anyway, Plutor has already won this thread, let's wrap it up.
posted by Mister_A at 10:23 AM on February 4, 2008


timeistight are you happy now? I will not close this thread until you are happy.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 10:37 AM on February 4, 2008


I am sensing a degree of happiness. I think he might be happy. Definite shift happiward, anyway.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:39 AM on February 4, 2008


I'm happy.
posted by Skorgu at 10:42 AM on February 4, 2008


So do they? Or is it none of my business?
posted by breezeway at 10:43 AM on February 4, 2008


This gives me an excuse to ask why the ad appears sometimes, but not always

Two reasons. One, the front page 125x125 ad doesn't get sold often. We have about 3 a year, usually for a month at most. Second, they only buy a few hundred thousand impressions and the front pages collectively get a few million. So if you refresh over and over, you'll only see it some small ratio number of times.

And timeistight, I guessed at the ads host off the top of my head, so if you see the ad again, view source and block the domain they're pulling the javascript on.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 10:52 AM on February 4, 2008


So do they? Or is it none of my business?

I personally have no idea. Mathowie has repeatedly said he doesn't want to get into the ins and outs of all of his ad/revenue arrangements here, and I suspect this is no different and I don't blame him.

My guess is that logged-in users are the only ones for whom he has even the slightest bit of demographic information about which would make it have a different appeal to people who try to target ads instead of the crazy buckshot approach the Google ads seem to have. Sometimes I look at the site as a logged-out user just to remind myself what it looks like to people who hit it from Google.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 10:54 AM on February 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


Job? I thought it was asking if my gob sucks, and I was all, like, well, yes, otherwise how would I use a straw?
posted by Astro Zombie at 10:55 AM on February 4, 2008


who hit it

Great. March 3rd, now.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:56 AM on February 4, 2008


Great. March 3rd, now.

Well it would be March 5th. February is a short month.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 10:59 AM on February 4, 2008


Yes, jessamyn, I am happy.
posted by timeistight at 10:59 AM on February 4, 2008


Aside from the fact that my job sucks the life out of me.
posted by timeistight at 11:01 AM on February 4, 2008


Other than both adding instead of subtracting and choosing to start with the wrong day, my math was impeccable. If the target was mostly "remember that it's a leap year", I'd say I hit it.
posted by cortex (staff) at 11:02 AM on February 4, 2008


Well it would be March 5th. February is a short month.

I don't think it should count if you're doing the hitting.
posted by timeistight at 11:03 AM on February 4, 2008


Damn you, cortex!
posted by timeistight at 11:04 AM on February 4, 2008


I didn't say it anyhow. cortex is a scamp.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 11:04 AM on February 4, 2008


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