ADS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PAGE???? REALLY????

+10 votes
215 views
I just saw an Ancestry.com ad on a search index page.  I know you have to pay the bills. But IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PAGE???

This style of ad is annoying. I go to other sites that use this same style ad. I can't read the article I went to that site for due to ALL THE DAMN!!! ads.

The ancestry ad is cloyingly deceptive. Its sole purpose is to take people off of Wikitree and drive traffic to Ancestry. Why do I want to go to ancestry?

The other sites that fill their pages with this style of ad, I don't have to visit anymore.

When I owned my own sites, my tech and I butted heads a lot over ads. Why do I want ads that compete with my sellers?  And Why do these ads have to be in the middle of the page that interferes with my seller's items?  If my sellers didn't' make the sell, the site didn't make money.  He put the ads inconspicuously out of the way.

Are these ads PPC? If they are, and we don't click on them then you don't make any money. so why are they there?

And if they are static payment for placement, you better be getting top $$ for pay per view.
in WikiTree Tech by Lynette Jester G2G6 Mach 8 (83.1k points)
Hi Lynette, I hear you LOUD AND CLEAR about the topic of ads on websites.  As a professional web developer I am super careful to make sure that if my clients want the benefits from allowing ads, the ads are as unobtrusive as possible.

I have not seen any ads on WikiTree that are in the middle of pages - the only ads I have seen here are the ones in G2G that are on the right side.

I also fully agree that ancestry ads are undesirable to have on WikiTree, but I don't believe that Chris has any control over what specific ads are put here - they come from google, who varies them and perhaps permits Chris to exclude certain types of content that is objectionable, but if so then the more he excludes, the less they'll pay him.  I'm sure they wouldn't permit exclusion of a specific advertiser.

You bring up another very interesting question - if the ads here are pay-per-click then Chris needs to let us know that.  I would click on all ads just to give him the payment credit - it doesn't take a half a second to do and you can close the new tab it opens immediately within the same half-second.
Hi Gaile, I had replied, but I wasn't logged in. And even after verifying I wasnt' a robot... no reply. must not have hit the final post button.

Be careful tho, when clicking on PPC ads. too many clicks too rapidly, will cause severe penalities. been thru this with adsense before.

The ad wasn't on G2G. It was on an index page. I was searching for specific names that I need to add category tags to. every thing was fine one minute, the next there was the ancestry ad.
Ah-hah!  The cluebird just hit when you mentioned being logged in.  I am set up to automatically login on whatever browser I'm using, but I understand that if you are not logged in then you will see ads in places other than G2G.

I guess those advertisers are on the lookout for people who want to game the system, huh?
Gaile, I was logged in and working on profiles when I saw the ad. Since the time of my original post here and my reply,  I had to reboot my computer. And yes, I have to manually log in each time I reboot or close out my browsers.
Gaile, try this... http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Special:SearchPerson  what do you see between steps/options 2 Search for a Surname and 3 Search for Ancestor Matches.
I see nothing between 2 and 3, but then I am logged in.
Lynette,

WOW!!!  That is disgusting!  I sure do see what you mean!  Not only is the ad in the middle of the page, but under "Ancestry.com" it says "Search Census, Birth, Marriage And Death Records - Start A Free Trial" and that line fits right in with all the headings on that page - there are four items that all start with "Search".  That is absolutely insidious - it blends right in with the page and you have to blink twice to see that it's an ad!!!!!

I almost think that WikiTree got hacked by ancestry, who put their ad in there!!!!!

By the way, I am also logged in!
You mean the big bold lettering and the circled arrow didn't give it away?
Hasn't this ad in the middle of the search form been there for ages?
So just to make sure what I was seeing while logged out... there are numerous ads on profiles. Fine, I'm not logged in.

there is a lovely banner ad for myhistory at the top of the index pages and one for ancestry at the bottom.  Log in, those ads aren't there.  Except for the one where you do the special search and the ad is in the middle.

1 Answer

+2 votes

I am logged in & I see the lovely Nicole Kidman selling Etihad at http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Special:SearchPerson 

Regards

Graeme

by Graeme Rose G2G6 Mach 1 (15.2k points)
Kitty, I am logged in too. The only time I wasn't logged in was when I attempted to respond to Gaile's first resonse.

Its a rotating banner, with a click here circle button, the two I've seen are ancestry and Mormons Genealogy which is Myhistory.

If you click on it, you are taken off Wikitree and to that site. It doesn't open a new window.
Strange.  I see no adds at all.  I am on an older borrowed iMac.  It has Ad Blocker (ABP), so I guess it is doing its job.
I'm logged in and see the Ancesfry add in the middle of the search options. I'm on an iPhone.

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