An Open Letter To Overly-Sponsored Websites

Dear Overly-Sponsored Website:

Thank you for the interesting article you linked to your site from Facebook. I waited patiently for the page to load the “listicle” you prepared. There were no arrows or indicators where to click to begin the slideshow of the listicle items.

As I moved the mouse around to figure what to do next, different ads would open up and take over the whole page. As soon as I got one ad to close, another would open and fill the screen.A couple times the mouse went over a highlighted word in a paragraph which opened up another ad. This went on for several hours.

Finally I figured out where to click and moved my mouse there. Just before I clicked the link, a huge ad opened at the top of the page and pushed the content down so that I inadvertently clicked the ad which opened a new tab. I had to close that tab and go back to the original page, then page down to find the original link to start the slideshow.

I also appreciate that you were thoughtful enough to automatically start a video ad. It was a total delight as I wasn’t expecting to play any videos. It was a little loud. The neighbors called the police who sent a SWAT team and the bomb squad.

Now 27 hours have passed by. I’ve seen 45,000 ads. I made it to page 2 of the slideshow when my computer locked up tight and I had to reboot it with a stick of dynamite. Maybe I’ll try again tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Swamped and Exhausted