I don't want to contribute to your weird blog

In case anyone is actually still reading this blog, here's a new post.

Someone recently said to me, "I don't want to contribute to your weird blog." Though I'm pretty sure she missed her period, and I just added it in for her.

To me, this has two implications about what data we're not getting online.

1. We're not collecting data on people who choose not to opt in to online research, and

2. We're not getting info on people who choose not to click online ads.

Otherwise normal people who might be interested in participating in a voluntary data collection exercise might be willing to if the provider weren't so "weird."

Similarly, if online ads weren't so "weird," otherwise normal people might be willing to click on stuff.

Back in the early days of the internet, we had pop-ups that you had to answer "yes" or "no" to in order to continue on with what you were doing. We essentially had that "I don't want to contribute to your x (in my case, "weird blog")" data. And the fact of the matter is that most users don't want to do that.

Most users want as little to do with giving me their data as most people want to do with this weird blog. They are happy to go along with it as long as they aren't told about it, but we miss those who aren't happy with it.

It's got to be one of the most irritating things I see on the web when something pops an ad up in my face and tells me that I have to either accept the ad or not accept the ad. (I'm leaving out media stuff like the Daily show that forces the same stupid shit ad every however many minutes down your throat like a giant retarded cock of doom).

My point here is that while forcing ads like that might be the best way to generate revenue for now, it would be far better to gather some data before you show any ads. Give the people the content they want up front, then force an ad (if you must force, that is).

We all know that pay-per-click-by-the-gagilion is a stupid model. It's only a matter of time before google's clients realize that nothing is really working for them. But at some point, maybe, perhaps, somehow, someone is going to realize that people don't want to contribute to this weird blog and adapt that into something that is useful both for and from the consumer.

Kind of like this.

Thanks for not contributing, N!