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TV Commercials Over Instant Messenger

(Mis)Uses of Technology

from the that-doesn't-sound-good... dept

Wed, Oct 8th 2003 11:00am — Mike Masnick
In yet another attempt to make advertising as intrusive as possible, AOL is planning to start pushing TV-style commercials via their AIM instant messenger offering. The video and audio enabled ads will show up in the small banner area above the buddy list. What's unclear is what will cause the ads to start running. If they just start yapping away with no warning it's going to be very confusing and very annoying for many users, who simply have their IM program running, but minimized, most of the day. Already audio/video ads in webpages get annoying when you have a bunch of browser windows open and have no idea which one is squawking at you. This is a situation where AOL would be actively providing incentive to stop using AIM and to move to other instant messaging products instead.
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23 Comments

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  • identicon
    D Henkel-Wallace, 8 Oct 2003 @ 11:18am

    sound off!

    Why not just run with sound disabled? That's what I do. Except for playing music through the speakers (and I have other equipment for that) I have never found the sound coming from my computer in any way desirable.

    Machines should be seen but not heard!

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Mike (profile), 8 Oct 2003 @ 11:29am

      Re: sound off!

      I tend to alternate between sound on and sound off - but have gotten to the point where I generally prefer sound "on" for various reasons. Maybe it's all in my head though, and I should just switch the sound off... Perhaps time to experiment...

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Oliver Wendell Jones, 8 Oct 2003 @ 11:54am

      Re: sound off!

      Sure, you can do that... but we as consumers shouldn't have to go out of our way to avoid these kinds of interruptions.

      It's like when my phone rings at 3:15 in the morning because someone dialed a wrong number - a gain. Sure, I could turn the ringer off on my phone, but isn't it easier just to answer the phone and yell at the rude person on the other end?

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        D Henkel-Wallace, 8 Oct 2003 @ 1:14pm

        Re: sound off!

        If it really was a misdial, they weren't really rude.

        But I agree, this kind of pushy ads are bad. But I don't see the value in the noises various software packages generate already.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Oliver Wendell Jones, 8 Oct 2003 @ 2:47pm

          Re: sound off!

          If it was only once, then it wasn't rude. When the same drunkard calls your number 2-4 times per week, then it's rude.

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, 8 Oct 2003 @ 6:43pm

            Re: sound off!

            Hello.
            Yeah. NO, this STILL isn't Jerry.
            No, really, I don't even know Jerry.
            It's no joke. Yep, good luck. Gbye.

            Welcome to like 3-4 times every friday at my house. I've memorized the voices of lindsay, mike and tim, and I really need to get a life.


            [ link to this | view in chronology ]

            • identicon
              westpac, 9 Oct 2003 @ 5:28am

              Re: sound off!

              We used to get calls at all hours for "Leticia." After about the tenth one I'd reply "who's calling?" which invariably caused the caller to hang up immediately.

              This is why the phone company needs to get with the program and allow customers to keep their number when they move. Every time we've ever moved a similar scenario has occurred, like the guy in Phoenix who used to call long-distance at 4AM to leave long rambling incoherent messages on the answering machine.

              [ link to this | view in chronology ]

              • identicon
                AMetamorphosis, 9 Oct 2003 @ 8:12am

                Off the topic ...

                We are all getting off the topic, but on a humorous note there are some funny ways to deal with consistent wrong numbers abusers:
                ( Note, I ONLY do this when it is a repeat offender because I like to be treated kindly when I occasionally dial a wrong # )
                1. If the same caller always calls asking to speak to so and so ... kindly state that as soon as ___ removes their mouth from your dick you will be happy to have them return the call ... as the wrong number abuser sits in silence, ask them what # to have ___ return the call to.
                You can also say that ___ has been arrested for child molestation, drunk driving, exhibitionism, etc ... BE CREATIVE !
                2. If the calls happen to be of a business nature and your tired of getting calls for so & so's restaurant, kindly tell the caller that you have been closed down because one of your employees was caught jerking off into the coleslaw.
                3. If the call is always from the same tele-marketing firms, tearfully explain that the person in question has " passed on " and that by receiving these types of calls it serves only to reminds you of your great loss. ( You will have your # removed because you are playing on their sympathy )
                You can either get pissed about the wrong # abusers or have fun with them ... its up to you :-)

                [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Mark S., 26 Dec 2003 @ 3:53pm

      Re: sound off!

      Might be a coincidence, but it seems that if I have "active scripting" disabled (I have it disabled for regular internet, to block some ads, and flash ads) no sound ads come from AIM.

      I put all the desireable websites the require active scripting in my "trusted zones".

      In IE, go to tools--internet options--security, click on the "custom" button. Scroll throught the list and find "active scripting, and click "disable", then OK, ok.
      It's worth a shot.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        MSalem, 29 Dec 2003 @ 1:47pm

        Re: sound off!

        I've tried this method, and unfortunately it is just a coincidence =(

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Chris, 8 Oct 2003 @ 11:43am

    No Subject Given

    There is freeware out there that diables the ads in AOL IM. I used to have it running - didn't bother with my most recent upgrade but something like this will definately encourage me to find that app again.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Amanda, 11 Dec 2003 @ 9:11pm

      AIM ads

      I use that software, DeadAIM. I can't see the commercials but I can still hear them. Sometimes it's a movie preview, sometimes it's just a random TV ad. I even disable my sounds and it still plays. I'm currently looking for some way to stop it. I don't want to have to move to a new service, especially because everyone I know and their brother use AIM.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        SneakyCracker, 19 Dec 2003 @ 2:02pm

        Re: AIM ads

        Ihave the SAME exact problem. Whats even more annoying is that if I try to close or do even minimize my AIM window while the ad is running, my entire system crashes out - gotta totally reboot. I NEED A FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Proteus, 20 Dec 2003 @ 11:31am

          Re: AIM ads

          NEED A LINK TO ANYTHING (SHAREWARE) THAT DISABLES THESE AUDIO ADS OTHERWISE IM GONNA GO INSANE IF I HEAR ANOTHER PAYCHECK AD I N THE MIDDLE OF MY MUSIC. MOVIE, PC GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Gruntboy, 23 Dec 2003 @ 10:11am

            Re: AIM ads

            Can i suggests third party programs? I have used Gaim and Trillian both are full featured and work fairly well. sure some of the advanced features are not enabled or dont work great like voice and file transfers but it does stop the ads and still allow you to use the "aim" interface

            [ link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            steven, 29 Dec 2003 @ 7:33pm

            Re: AIM ads

            My work place uses paychex. I too used a patch program. The audio still comes through

            [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          RB, 12 Jan 2004 @ 12:12pm

          Re: AIM ads

          I have that same problem and i really hate it... another temporary fix is to go into the program folder for AIM and delete the Advert.ocm file, then make a copy of the Admin.ocm file and rename the copy Advert.ocm... but if there is a patch or software of some sort similar to DeadAIM that will be a permanent fix to the annoying audio playing on AIM then maybe I won't have to shutdown and reboot when I try to minimize AIM... Very annoying if you ask me

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Chuck, 16 Dec 2003 @ 2:16pm

      Re: No Subject Given

      Your ad blocker program will NOT silence the audio ads!

      All those programs do is hide the visual window, preventing you from even stopping the ad sound without closing the main buddylist.

      They DO start without ANY warning, and play at a soft enough volume that you have to listen to even realise they are ads! They are EVIL!!!!!!! EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    mark, 30 Dec 2003 @ 7:31pm

    remove annoying aol audio adds

    Successfully removed annoying audio adds from AOL version 5.2.3290

    Open up hosts file. For Windows 2000 its in:
    C:WINNTsystem32driversetc
    Other systems do a search.

    add two entries to the file:
    127.0.0.1 ads.web.aol.com
    127.0.0.1 ar.atwola.com

    Then save the file and either restart your computer or from command prompt type "ipconfig /renew"

    Upon restarting AOL Instant Messenger the add area should display a broken link because it can't reach the adds. All other functionality works fine.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      mark, 31 Dec 2003 @ 12:51pm

      Re: remove annoying aol audio adds

      'hosts' file location can be found below: Windows 95/98/Me c:windowshosts

      Windows NT/2000/XP Pro c:winntsystem32driversetchosts

      Windows XP Home c:windowssystem32driversetchosts

      Open the 'hosts' file in notepad. You can add the entries at the end of the file
      Usually after the entry:
      127.0.0.1 localhost

      The bottom of the new file will now look like:
      127.0.0.1 localhost
      127.0.0.1 ads.web.aol.com
      127.0.0.1 ar.atwola.com

      Having extra lines is fine. These added lines prevent AOL from reaching the add servers.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Parker Campbell, 25 Jan 2004 @ 11:30am

        Re: remove annoying aol audio adds

        do you know what file the buddy list is trying to find, would it be possible to point ads.web.aol.com to a site so that you could load your own image, instead of the aol add, or page cannot be displayed?

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          J, 27 Feb 2004 @ 8:41am

          Re: remove annoying aol audio adds

          Yes, the HOSTS file is basically a phonebook. if you were to say that those addresses go to a different ip other than 127.0.0.1 it will load up that page instead. using 127.0.0.1 just points it at your own computer and returns a "busy signal" so the page cannot be displayed

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Pancho317, 16 Mar 2007 @ 4:52am

    AIM TV Audio

    I am looking for a way to stop the audio.. it is annoying and causes me to shut aim down... I will have to stop using it if this can't be controled.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]


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