Internet Advertising
There are many ads on the Internet.
You can not read more than a few pages before you see one banner ad
after another across the top of the page. Most of these ads are
shaped like the two shown here.
There is one type of ad that is
particularly deceptive to less experienced Internet surfers.
These ads look like a Windows error message. They have a title bar, an
X, an OK button, and text worded like an error message. Most
users assume that they must hit the OK or the X to make the ad
disappear (like a Windows message).
(Note: This is
not an ad - it is just a picture of one.)
But that doesn't work. If you
click on the ad - anywhere on the ad - you are
taken to the website of the advertiser. So if you click OK or X, the
advertiser's page shows up on your screen.
The ad shown below is a more traditional ad.
(Notice that the "Order Now" button is in the same general location as
the OK button on the ad above.)
(Note: This is not an ad - it is
just a picture of one.)
The biggest difference between the two is
that many users click on the top one - thinking that they must - where only
interested users click on the ad below.
Don't be
fooled by deceptive ads.
Here are some tips:
-
Scroll the screen. If the message
scrolls - it's just an advertisement on a web page. If the message
doesn't scroll, it may be a valid Windows error.
-
Windows messages don't flash or animate
like ads do. If the red circle or yellow exclamation point are
flashing, it's an advertisement.
-
Only click on an ad when you are
interested!
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