Super Way OT: Banner Ads on MGoBlog
I know this is absurdly OT, but it is MGoBlog-board related, and the board has been slow lately. Anyway...
Does anyone else get a banner ad to the left side of their screen for Russian mail order brides pretty regularly when they open MGoBlog? I know the banners rotate different ads in, but I seem to see it quite often.
This raised two crucial questions for me... 1. If it's not just me that is seeing this (i.e. it isn't targeting my specific Internet behavior when cycling ads in), why would MGoBlog users in general be a good target advertising market for a mail order bride service? 2. If it is just me, what in the hell am I doing online to make it seem as though I might enjoy a Russian mail order bride???
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:54 AM ^
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:55 AM ^
I bet you get a bunch of banner ads for mail order sock puppets
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:56 AM ^
It is just you and your browsing behavior
February 22nd, 2016 at 12:08 PM ^
for recent things I've searched. I'm at work so these are work related searches, so I see ads for Cisco, Ciena, various broadband providers, etc. I do see the occasional T shirt ads, which I think is based in Ann Arbor (or just have targeted Michigan content).
No, I haven't been searching for mail order brides. Good luck with yours, though!
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:14 AM ^
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:50 AM ^
I just get suitcases
February 22nd, 2016 at 12:11 PM ^
the dictator will know. i bet he's keeping the best ones for himself.
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:19 PM ^
I get those same Russian lovelies all the time too. And there are only four websites I visit here at my office:
MGoBlog
ESPN
Daily Mail UK
So apparently being an employed sports enthusiast who follows international gossip means you also need a Russian bride.
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:55 AM ^
This is meta, i.e., about the blog itself.
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:56 AM ^
Actually, I don't know that this qualifies as META. I don't think it's related to the actual blog, rather his browser.
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:21 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:55 AM ^
Something you did is put you into the bucket that would be interested in stuff like that. Probably an adult site or a dating/romance one.
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:56 AM ^
I don't see any, but I have AddBlock Plus running. Might want to... um... clear your cache, cookies and browsing history. Especially if you're married.
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:55 AM ^
No ads at all - I use AdBlock
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:04 AM ^
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:10 AM ^
AdBlock takes revenue away from the people whose site you're using for free. I hope that people who use AdBlock on sites like MGoBlog give money through Beveled Guilt or in some other way.
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:13 AM ^
I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon, so I use the Amazon link whenever I can remember.
But you'll have to pry AdBlock from my cold, dead hands before I would ever turn it off again.
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:24 AM ^
That's good. I think AdBlock is fine for sites that try to inundate you with ads (pop-ups, etc.) or that you wouldn't visit otherwise. But if it's a site that people truly like and want to support, then it's pretty uncool to turn it on. Like you said, purchasing on Amazon is a good way to support the site, though. I use the MGoBlog link to Amazon to make my online purchases, too.
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:28 AM ^
There was a pretty nasty virus that got spread around here through the site ads a few years ago. I can understand people using Adblock.
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:53 AM ^
That's a fair point, I guess.
February 22nd, 2016 at 12:53 PM ^
Here's an interesting point, Magnus. You want us to turn off AdBlock when coming here, as the ads are a source of revenue for MGoBlog that we are "using for free." But aren't you actually advertising for free here on MGoBlog whenever post a link to your website with a new story? In a sense, shouldn't you pay MGoBlog some of your ad revenue whenever you get a click-through from here??? Just askin'...
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:24 PM ^
I don't think your logic here is as strong as you think it is... How are those things equivalent?
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:29 PM ^
They're not. He's just trying to lure me into an argument.
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:34 PM ^
I did not claim the two things were equivalent, nor was I trying to lure you into an argument. I just think it is a tad self-serving of you (Magnus) to criticize others for having AdBlock on because it takes revenue from MGoBlog, while at the same time using MGoBlog for free to drive traffic to your website which - I assume - has profit-generating ads.
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:49 PM ^
a) I explained to you why it DOESN'T take revenue from MGoBlog.
b) I purchase a lot of items on Amazon, every one of which comes through the link at the top of this site. I also make other purchases through the MGoStore, HTTV, etc. I said that I hope people support the site through other ways, and I do.
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:26 PM ^
I've addressed this before, but I'll rehash it for you.
a) The links I post here generate more page clicks on MGoBlog than they do on my site. I have checked this before. Why is this the case? Lots of readers prefer to discuss the links I post in MGoBlog's format, rather than on my site. So they might click and read my content once, but then they refresh the MGoBoard thread multiple times, discuss, etc.
b) I am a content producer. I only post links to content that cannot be found here at MGoBlog. If information is relevant and interesting, then I sometimes post it, just like someone might post an interesting article from MLive, the Detroit News, Rivals, etc. The difference is that, unlike Rivals or the Detroit News or MLive, I also interact with MGoBlog quite a bit.
c) I have not been asked to change my posting habits by anyone. If you're wondering why, perhaps refer back to reason "A."
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:41 PM ^
have you stopped with the "What I've Been Reading" posts? I have been counting on you for a good recommendation for a while now.
February 22nd, 2016 at 2:04 PM ^
I was planning to post one yesterday, but I couldn't quite get it done. It will probably be posted next Sunday.
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:28 AM ^
And thank goodness they made it for mobile too. The kind of crap that comes from ad servers is abhorant, e.g., russian brides. I have no issue clicking on and buying from the site's sponsers and using the Amazon links, but "you'll have to pry AdBlock from my cold, dead hands" as well.
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:25 AM ^
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:56 AM ^
Trainers hate him....
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:57 AM ^
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:58 AM ^
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:59 AM ^
That could explain your weird browser history. Or thats what you can blame it on.
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:59 AM ^
I am refreshing just for fun. I get ads for the Hyatt Hotel, PayPal, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Russian Mail Order Brides. WTF??? The Bed, Bath and Beyond ads make me look super creepy...
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:59 AM ^
This is awkward...
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:59 AM ^
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:02 AM ^
Svetlana and I just cannot figure out why this is happening!
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:08 AM ^
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:00 AM ^
Not to laugh at your expense but this is funny. It reminds me of my friend who asked why he always gets ads for vaporizers on YouTube. I was like, "have you been searching for vaporizers online?" And he was like, "Yeah, I guess. Is that why?"
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:00 AM ^
I get that ad, and really do not do anything on-line that would prompt it (Seriously, I don't). Perhaps it is related to shopping on-line. I do shop on-line quite a bit, although I have never ordered a Russian woman, shipping is way too much.
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:14 AM ^
Thank you for your honesty, and this makes me feel better, as I really am not an Internet creeper.
But FYI, you can ground-ship your mail order bride at far better rates. Just ask FedEx to use the "Bering Land Bridge Route"... :-)
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:18 AM ^
I will check that out. When I narrow the search to "Buy Her Now" and "Free Shipping" on Ebay the selection is pretty bad so this may be a good alternative.
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:31 AM ^
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:01 AM ^
It's called Remarketing.
You probably visited a mail-order bride site or your browsing history matches that of mail order bride customers.
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:02 AM ^
You watch a lot of internet porn?
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:02 AM ^
I see a banner ad that asks if I want to be a mail-order husband for a woman who lives in Moscow.
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:04 AM ^
... your browsing behavior has put you in a group that, for whatever reason, is more likely to click on the ad OR you accidentally clicked on it once already and they are simply retargeting you.
The prior case could be anything as obscure as doing a google search on Russia.
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:08 AM ^
February 22nd, 2016 at 11:09 AM ^
This comes up every once in a while, and it's always hilarious.
For what it's worth, my banner ads here are Michigan Baseball and Michigan Alumni Association.