Let's talk about those Hummingbird ads ...

by Christopher Grant on Jun 5th 2008 1:10AM

Click for 3x better image quality

Dear Joystiq Reader,

You may have seen the above ad for a new line of HP laptops, right here on Joystiq. You clicked on a link or voted on a comment and, next thing you know, your comfortable, cozy gaming blog was replaced with a giant, full-page ad featuring a video of ... what is that? Is that a hummingbird?

For some of you, the ad appears multiple times a day; for others, you need to close your browser tab or window to get rid of it; for others still, it comes and goes as intended, but disturbs your browsing experience; and lastly, some may not mind the occasional full-screen ad at all.

We're not fans of the interstitial, but we don't call the shots. All we can do is communicate your indifference and/or displeasure to the people who make those things happen. Ads on Joystiq aren't going away, but ones that interfere with your ablility to read Joystiq should. So, sound off in the comments. We're listening.

Love,
Joystiq

What do you think about the Hummingbird ads?
I like the ads and am now (totally) considering an HP laptop	144 (1.9%)
I don't mind the ads (hey, everyone's gotta make a buck)	951 (12.7%)
I dislike the ads	969 (13.0%)
The ad makes me close my browser window or it shows up multiple times a day	851 (11.4%)
The ad makes me want to stop coming to Joystiq	2048 (27.4%)
I haven't seen the ads	2508 (33.6%)

Tags: ads, hummingbird

Reader Comments (151)

Firefox + Ad Block Plus = Win

I concur, it's full of win. In addition, Easylist along with Easylist Element make the web a lot more inviting.

I just run NoScript when I have good 'ol firefox running.

Seriously. I didn't even know full page ads existed until reading this article. And I mean that literally.

I hate when people add "literally" on to their statements when it is clear their statement is literal. Almost as much as I hate these ads.

#Anticrawl.

Its great in a Mad TV skit though!!!! ;)

While I don't like taking away revenue form sites i visit, I also block ads because... well because of shit like this.

Firefox + Ad Block Plus = not always works

i only use firefox, i have ad block plus... i get the ad on occasion.

the biggest annoyance however is that i don't get the top of the ad with the hummingbird video, i get a black screen and have to scroll up to find the top of the ad to close it... and that doesn't always work.

I just used Opera to block all the ad content. Works all the time.

Literally, Firefox + AdBlock Plus + NoScript, literally works. Literally.

Firefox + Ad Block Plus = Win
YAY!!!

Firefox ftw... Ads FTL

Chuck Norris FTW

hells yeah brother!

Was is it really that clear? I figured most people would take it to be an exaggeration. And it was a lie, anyhow, albeit an unintentional one. For some reason I took "full-page" to mean "full-screen," as if the ad would act like when an embedded video is blown up to full screen. But after taking a closer look at the image, I realize it seems to be something similar to those IGN ads that will usually appear rather than the page you clicked a link to, which I've definitely seen before.

I second that: though I only use it for sites that have annoying ads, I know they pay the bills

I installed AdBlock about a year ago, specifically to hid the flash-based ads on Joystiq. So I haven't seen these new, extra annoying ads yet.

Am I the ONLY person who dislikes Firefox?
I'm using Opera. Firefox just seems to...inflated for my liking. I prefer the less mushroomy look.

Yaknow, most full-page ads have a "skip ad" button that appears after a few seconds.

any reason these HP ads decided to break precedent?

These ads do have that.

They have that feature, but it doesn't work always because of shoddy coding.

"but it doesn't work always because of shoddy coding."

Which, of course, may or may not be totally unintentional...

How do you get AdBlock with Firefox? I just downloaded the beta for Firefox Version 3 on my lappy...

And for the love of God please remove the ad...

Gah, I saw the ads three times while trying to reply...

If you're going into a story or clicking into the comments section, the skip commercial link works. If you are voting on a comment or replying, the skip commercial option doesn't work and you have to browse back twice meaning you're all the way back on the main page and chances are excessively high that you'll see it again.

Exactly. The "skip commercial" (or whatever it's called) button only works half the time for me. And when it does work, I have to let the ad load and then wait a few more seconds before I get the chance to "skip" it.

Usually, the ad pops up when I try to vote on a comment or post my own comment. And when it does suddenly pop up, I just as quickly close that tab in my browser, forget about the comment I was going to leave, and move on.

Really, they're worse than pop-up ads that open in a new window...

I agree I often decide just not to comment if that add pops up when I intended to. So maybe a lot of you might rethink wanting to get rid of that ad knowing that it encourages me not to comment.

that's a few seconds of my life i will never get back.

That one gets me a lot, I have a perfect reply to a comment in mind, then i get that damn ad, have to use the address bar to go all the way back to the main page, and then have to find my way back to exactly where i was about to reply to

And hope that it doesn't happen again on the way

firefox
adblock filterset.g updater
adblock
NoScript
???
profit

You mean [No] Profit (for Weblogsinc!)

I don't mind ads, but ones that bork my browser are very obnoxious. Please find a happy medium joystiq.

Yeah, ads are fine, but these are messed up bad. I have them hit me in strings 3 times in a row when I try to add comments sometimes. Other days I am hit with them each time I reply and have to give up!

The code is broken and its gotten very frustrating.

Any ad that totally interrupts your reading is kind of retarded. No one should have to download browser add-ons. If the add was for something someone wanted, a small ad on the sidebar would work fine. Shoving something down my throat, especially when it takes up the whole screen and stops me from reading game-related news, is a surefire way to make sure I never buy your product.

Oh, Also this ad came up every single time I clicked "next" in your feature on which Xbox Arcade games where on the chopping block. I stopped reading after about about 4, because I got so sick of it.

Total agreement. I have no problem with nonflashing/annoying sidebars. Just no to all breaks in my site experience.

I like the ads and am now (totally) considering an HP laptop
2 (3.3%)
I don't mind the ads (hey, everyone's gotta make a buck)
6 (9.8%)

Who are those 8? Show your faces!

AOL/ad firm employees

I put my vote under "Everyone's gotta make a buck", because I appreciate the service Joystiq provides. If keeping this content profitable means a couple of seconds of inconvenience for me, so be it.

I concur with Dyslexic, they don't pop up much for me (even though I browse with IE) and I do love joystiq so they don't really soil it when they do pop up.

But there are ads already , on both sides of the page, and at the top. Honestly, this is the first time that I knew the ads were for HP laptops. Every time I see the ad, I hit 'skip ad', or close the window. They suck, and I don't see what's changed in the last few months that means Joystiq now requires these ads to pop up every other click of a Joystiq link.
And no, I don't want to change my browser, so stop telling me that's the answer.

but guys, I really like hummingbirds. They are so pretty.

Clicking the hummingbird is a dead link, so what's the point. I don't mind ad's as long as they're not too obtrusive, but when i click "skip", i expect it to take me to where i wanted to go, rather than some blank white page.

Funny. I was trying to comment on this article. But then the ****ing hummingbird ad started. If I didn't write for you guys, I'd want to stop reading too.

Argh I was voting you up for that comment Andrew and got the f'ing bird!

I don't mind full screen ads if they come up 1st thing when I visit a page, but it's really obnoxious if you're 2000 px down a page and click something that bring's one up. In my copy of firefox at least, the entire screen turns black and I need to scroll back up the whole 2000 px before I can even see the ad and click the "close this ad" button.

Obnoxious.

haha. Wow. I tried voting you up as well, Andrew, and I got the humming bird ad! Then I clicked to close the ad, and the tab went black (pssshhh, browsing with one tab? I think not) so I had to refresh. Not the biggest deal in the world, but it's an annoyance for sure.

LOL so, if I get blocked by the ad, that's their way of flipping me the bird?

(I don't mind ads, but the ones on the sides and in between articles are fine. If they insist on it being a page ad, then do it like IGN's, I guess...)

I actualy stoped reading Joystiq last weekend because of this add.

What an ironic comment.

Yeah...Those 'pushed' ads do the same things that the ads attached to the comics section do.

I mentally take a note to NEVER buy anything from that company. I'm never getting Lasik, a hearing aid, anything from Checker Auto Parts, and now, I'm not buying an HP laptop...ever.

It's propaganda. I frown.

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Let's talk about those Hummingbird ads ...

Reader Comments (151)

Posted: Jun 5th 2008 1:15AM (Unverified) said

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Posted: Jun 5th 2008 2:09PM GreyFox said

Posted: Jun 5th 2008 2:32AM jrr said

Posted: Jun 5th 2008 3:02AM Anticrawl said

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Posted: Jun 12th 2008 5:05PM Alex R said

Posted: Jun 5th 2008 1:17AM Shignami said

Posted: Jun 5th 2008 1:45AM Vidikron said

Posted: Jun 5th 2008 2:31AM Anticrawl said

Posted: Jun 5th 2008 3:04AM bm111 said

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Posted: Jun 5th 2008 9:03AM SheppyReturns said

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Posted: Jun 5th 2008 2:11PM hotpuck6 said

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