Microsoft Dynamics advert

This topic was created by Clive Galway .

  1. Clive Galway

    Microsoft Dynamics advert

    This banner ad at the top of the page starts playing audio when the mouse moves over it - no click required.

    Not only that, but if you click to silence it, it keeps playing the video (although muted), and once it is finished, resets the mute status - so if you later mouse back over it, it starts playing the audio again despite me having already clicked mute!

    Please sort it out - you are welcome to your advertising, but I do not feel such intrusive advertising measures are appropriate on this site.

    1. Ben Tasker

      Re: Microsoft Dynamics advert

      Seconded.

      I've made a conscious decision not to allow ABP to do it's stuff on El Reg, it's a decision I'll soon be reconsidering if the Dynamics ad doesn't disappear soon.

      Wasn't that long ago that I unblocked ads on El Reg, having blocked them as a result of a Dell ad slowing my system to a crawl. If I have to block them again, they're going to stay that way.

      Fittingly enough, the ad in question is squatting at the top of the page as I type.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Microsoft Dynamics advert

        OK Ben, forwarded to the ops team for their perusal.

        1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

          Re: Microsoft Dynamics advert

          Drew,

          I know you have to run ads. No problem there. And I know you have to take them from networks, as well as I believe selling some directly yourselves.

          But it's clear that the networks can't be trusted. They don't suffer the reputational damage from shit adverts that you do, as all the networks are problematic. Admittedly some more than others... But it's you that your users get grumpy with, and yourusers have the ability to apply Adblock. And many have a low grumpiness threshold.

          I suggest you implement a 'report advert' button on your site. You might well call it 'problems with this advert', to be less negative. Then you might be able to deal with crap ones more quickly and easily. You might not need to have this for ads that you've tested yourselves - but it shows willing.

          Then you could have a nice page that says, this ad was provided by such-and-such a network, and we're sorry they've buggered up our site. Thanks for reporting it, we're just despatching the advertising complaints team with the baseball bats with nails in now...

          1. Ben Tasker

            Re: Microsoft Dynamics advert

            Then you could have a nice page that says, this ad was provided by such-and-such a network, and we're sorry they've buggered up our site. Thanks for reporting it, we're just despatching the advertising complaints team with the baseball bats with nails in now...

            And to raise extra funds

            ... Send your £10 donation for the right to join the advertising complaints team on this outing

            1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
              Happy

              Re: Microsoft Dynamics advert

              Tee hee. Surely £10 isn't enough though? I'm sure there are many people who would be delighted to pay more than that...

          2. Matt@ElReg

            Re: Microsoft Dynamics advert

            >> I suggest you implement a 'report advert' button on your site.

            That's a good idea. We'll look into it.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Microsoft Dynamics advert

        We paused the ad yesterday. The client is aware of the problem - it seemed to be fixed at the weekend, but then the hover thing went rogue again.

        So, apologies to everyone inconvienced by this.

  2. Matt@ElReg

    Re: Microsoft Dynamics advert

    Hi All,

    Thanks for taking the time to report these ad issues.

    We've asked the agency who created the ads to edit them such that the video only starts when you hover over the ad for a few seconds, rather than when simply passing the mouse across it. This should prevent the majority of unwanted video plays.

    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
      Unhappy

      Re: Microsoft Dynamics advert

      That's better than nothing, but it's not good enough.

      Auto-starting videos with sound is simply unacceptable.

      Take this situation, I'm browsing at work, phone rings as I'm moving mouse around page, I pick up phone, a few seconds later in comes the music. Over my nice speakers, and into my nice phone. Not so great for the professional image we're trying to project is it? As well as being bloody annoying!

      Your site is aimed at people browsing at work. I would strongly suspect that the majority of your comments are posted in working hours. Some people have their speakers turned on, on the work PC. The problem isn't noise in the office, the problem is that happening when I'm dealing with a customer. For other people, it's both.

      If an advert wants to run audio, then it must only launch after a button has been pressed to start it. And accept the fact that almost no-one will click on it. If they don't like that, then tough shit. The alternative is Adblock. There are no other options.

      Also, there needs to be a 'stop' button as well, which apparently there isn't. Which is pure stupidity, to add to the arrogance and obnoxiousness of using auto-play.

      This is a site with a techy (and often grumpy) userbase. Who are easily capable of blocking adversts. I would be utterly amazed if you can find any of them who are willing to put up with autoplay sound. Not on videos related to the articles, and definitely not on adverts. Just because the mouse has hovered over an advert, that does not mean that this advert is receiveing active attention. Which means they shouldn't expand and zoom all over the screen, just because your mouse clipped the corner on the way past. And they definitely, should not play audio!

      Make ads this obnoxious, and everyone will opt out of ads, which is now very easy.

      Don't do this. It's unpleasant and annoying. But it's also stupid for a company reliant on advertising income, which has a user base who can block all adverts with 2 or 3 button clicks.

      1. Vimes

        Re: Microsoft Dynamics advert

        I have to agree.

        More than a day later and the site still apparently has the auto-playing ad. How long does it take to remove auto play from an advert I wonder?

        There seems to be a long string of problems too. This isn't the first time problems have arisen thanks to the adverts - from auto-resizing ads, to excessively large ads to ones that seem to slow PCs down to a crawl. These problem's aren't new, yet they seem to keep on periodically happening.

        That suggests to me either an inability to stay on top of what actually gets shown on their own site or simply a lack of care towards the readers. Given the apparent desire to keep the auto-play in this case - even if it ends up being limited - I'm beginning to think it's the latter rather than the former.

        AAAarrghhh!!! That f***ing advert is playing again when I previewed this post!!!!

        PLEASE SORT THIS OUT!!!

        1. Ben Tasker

          Re: Microsoft Dynamics advert

          to excessively large ads to ones that seem to slow PCs down to a crawl.

          Yep, a little while back I was forced into a choice between

          - block all ads on El Reg

          - Stop visiting El Reg

          There was no inbetween, without ads blocked the site was unusable. Hardly likely to be good for advertising revenue that.

          1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

            Re: Microsoft Dynamics advert

            That's not quite true. Flashblock also dealt with the problem, as it was the Flash ads that were the CPU hogs. Thanks to the mighty O2 and their crapness (or the crapness of their ad agency / or both).

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I purposefully do not install AdBlocker as I understand businesses need funding. However obtrusive ads like this making the viewing less than pleasurable. I've had enough already. I will no longer perform my regular daily visit to this site until the noisy Ads are removed. The hover option is not enough for a quiet environment - it needs to require an active decision from the user before making any noise.

    As far as I'm concerned a boycott is the only way forward.

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