Come on people...
Sunday, January 30, 2005
I'm surrounded by them!
So someone took a survey of internet users and discovered that its still 1995. I could understand this 10 years ago when everything was 'new' (although it wasnt really new) and the general american public thought that computers and the internet was rocket science... but this is all old stuff now.
It's seems that 1 in 6 people who use a search engine on the internet click 'unknowingly' on ads when they are searching for various things. 1 in 6 people cannot tell the difference between an ad and a search result.
A large percentage (almost 50%) said that they would stop using search engines if they didnt make the search results stand out from the ads more clear.
Search engine results all have the same format, the title of the site, then the discreption of the site, and some content from that site followed by the actual URL.
Ads on the other hand look nothing like this. Ads look like the thing in the bottom right hand of this site. (a spot where I place my google ads).
Even more people fall for those pop up ads that look like windows error messages about your computer running slow or that you have a virus.
It's simple really... know what you are looking for. If you are looking for lyrics to the latest Britney song then dont click on the pictire of britney that says 'Get her new C.D. now!'.
Here are some tips:
No one is really giving away a free iPod, no one is really giving away a free lap top, and no, you dont really have a PLayStation 2 waiting to be claimed. Smashing the roach, punching the monkey, or catching the robber will not get you anything but tons of spam mail and a few spyware programs.
If you are not looking for 'Paris Hilton Video' then dont click anything that says it. If you are searching for '1957 Ford Thunderbirds', then dont click something that says you can get 'perscriptions filled free'.
Do yourself a favor, go to download.com and get an anti spyware program, install it and run it. Then head on over to the good people at mozilla.com and get yourself a browser (the thing you surf the web with) that really blocks pop ups.
Both of these are free and easy to install. Also, start fresh with a new email address... dont use this address for anything but close trusted friends, businesses you can trust (local phone and cable company, ect...) and work. Then make another email account that you use for filling out forms. This 'junk' email account will be where all your spam, active X emails (nasty emails that have built in spy ware) and various other unwanted email will go.
I can't believe you people made me post on a weekend.
Source: Full story here
