Comments on: WashingtonPost.com deploys Apture link overlays

By: Foxy

Foxy — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:52:46 +0000

like these

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:57:44 +0000

Ads (worse) or not (photos), popups triggered by a simple mouseover are still going to annoy your audience. Just moving your mouse from one part of the page to another accidentally pops up with something which blocks your view and you have to click to close it, even though you didn’t have to click to open it in the first place. I agree that this mouseover popup technology has much more downside than upside.

By: Michael Gay

Michael Gay — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:48:49 +0000

I actually like these. As Bongobutt points out, these are editorially chosen, and they each provide more information about the subject. They aren’t ad links to offsite, which I would agree are disruptive.

I sure feel like I learn more about the post topic when I can mouseover items to get details.

By the way, Amanda - Why would you double click on a word anyway? I’ve never accidentally double-clicked anything.

By: bongobutt

bongobutt — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:41:03 +0000

Hello!!! Did any of you notice that the Washington Post put those links there, that they are NOT automatic pop-ups, that they are NOT ads. Get off your beer soaked couch and actually look at it. You might learn something! LOL!!!

By: Amanda E.

Amanda E. — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:13:34 +0000

Not only no, but hell no.

NYT uses those popups in a similar feature on their stories if you accidentally double click on a word. In the NYT case, its to provide definitions and etymologies on the word you clicked on from answers.com

Quite frankly I do not need the definition and etymology of various words such as “the”, “any” “school”, etc., and if you really think your audience does, get off your high horse and quit insulting and belittling your audience’s education. You are just digging yourself deeper into the hole of irrelevancy when it comes to the brave new world of online media.

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:17:36 +0000

How long before a Firefox plugin gets developed to block that kind of thing? God bless NoScript, Nuke Anything and Adblock.

By: tdc

tdc — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:32:04 +0000

better put down that drink… “thinking ‘their’ simple links…”????

hey, if cory can’t drink around here, then no one can.

but on the subject matter- if they were links to numerous sources (yes, outside your walled garden), then yes yes yes always yes!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:18:52 +0000

No no no always no! Nothing is worse than links that POP-UP commercial, possibly unrelated, possibly inappropriate content beyond your control. Mom and pop home users do not understand the difference between your intentional links (to sections of your site or related stories) and these automated links. The vast majority of your users will assume that YOU put those links in there that trick you into thinking their simple links but really give you POP-UP spam ads that you weren’t expecting. I seriously can’t believe you think these have value to a business. Make a few bucks via deceptive practices today, lose half of your previously loyal visitors tomorrow. Get real. No no no always no!