Dear Web Page Designer

When I visit your web site I do out of my own free choice. If you choose to include content that is geared towards selling product I have no issue with that. We all have to make a living or get some form of reward for our efforts and I really appreciate that you make efforts to ensure you can afford to present the content.

Where I do draw a line in the sand is with the stupid roll-over advertisements. We all know the ones; the car driving across MY screen that interferes with my ability to view the content (interrupts my experience and the reason I visited the site in the first place), stupid figures dancing (to advertise mortgage or debt consolidation!), and the latest trend is to launch a video and/or sound. Remember this is on a roll-over and it is perfectly feasible in my navigation of your site for this to happen. The point is, I do not necessarily want to have my action interrupted in this manner. If I am sufficiently interested in the product being advertised I will click on it. Thrusting the product in my face is not the way to do it. If anything, it will do nothing less than irritate me and make me more inclined to not want to look at the product. And as regards me having a positive experience in relation to the product ... enough already.

At one time (about two years ago) Yahoo.com was my home page. Every time I launched my browser I was there. Then came the Chevrolet (Toyota?) adverts where the car drove about the screen. Not only did this annoy me, I no longer have Yahoo as my home page. Based upon the drop in revenue for Yahoo that took place there may be a correlation.

Advertising has to be clever/subtle to be effective. It should attract the eye and not offend it. I am certain there are many people who feel this way too.

So...

Advertisement creators - Be creative, do not be crass and intrusive.

Any company with a product to sell - Get the creators to ensure my experience with your product is not negative.

My 'old year' resolution, that will extend into the new, will be to NOT buy any product that is thrust in my face or obstructs my surfing. Additionally, any site that irritates me in this manner will drive me away. No matter how good the content.