Recently I was reading an article online when I encountered a word with a curious double-underline. So, I decided to investigate. What I expected was to click on the word and zoom over to another place on the website where I could learn more about that topic. Little did I know that as soon as my cursor moved across the word, a pop-up advertisement would appear over the text! Although I’ve since discovered that this type of advertising has been around since 2004, the ad was a surprise. What I found out was that this is called “in-text” advertising, a form of promotion that is steadily spreading across the web. Previously found only on niche sites, in-text advertising is cropping up more and more as publishers experiment with various types of online advertising to see what works best for readers and advertisers. In-text ads have even made their way onto mainstream sites such as FoxNews.com. Since you are probably wondering by now … yes – in-text ads have been controversial since the day they were launched because, essentially, they violate the publishing equivalent of separation of church and state. As the Wall Street Journal reported recently, among other problems, in-text ads mark “a departure from a long-observed tradition in the print medium of keeping editorial content separate from advertising.” The ads are not like a “special advertising section” you’d see in a magazine, because they’re embedded in editorial content, with only that subtle double-underline to distinguish them. So, concerns that the ads present ethical problems or have the potential to corrode ‘‘journalistic quality and credibility’” seem well-founded. If the trend grows, could writers be tempted to sprinkle their pieces with keywords for advertisers? Publishers who run in-text ads say there’s no problem since their news departments don’t know what keywords advertisers purchase. And purveyors of in-text ads argue that editorial departments are responsible for maintaining good editorial judgment in the face of any type of advertising. Spending on online advertising is increasing, and in-text advertising offers advertisers and website owners another opportunity to serve highly targeted ads that I’m sure is difficult to pass up. Plus, providers of in-text advertising are gaining a better and better understanding of where, and how, and how often to serve the ads. My sense is, keep an eye out for those double-underlines.
Recently I was reading an article online when I encountered a word with a curious double-underline. So, I decided to investigate. What I expected was to click on the word and zoom over to another place on the website where I could learn more about that topic. Little did I know that as soon as my cursor moved across the word, a pop-up advertisement would appear over the text! Although I’ve since discovered that this type of advertising has been around since 2004, the ad was a surprise. What I found out was that this is called “in-text” advertising, a form of promotion that is steadily spreading across the web. Previously found only on niche sites, in-text advertising is cropping up more and more as publishers experiment with various types of online advertising to see what works best for readers and advertisers. In-text ads have even made their way onto mainstream sites such as FoxNews.com. Since you are probably wondering by now … yes – in-text ads have been controversial since the day they were launched because, essentially, they violate the publishing equivalent of separation of church and state. As the Wall Street Journal reported recently, among other problems, in-text ads mark “a departure from a long-observed tradition in the print medium of keeping editorial content separate from advertising.” The ads are not like a “special advertising section” you’d see in a magazine, because they’re embedded in editorial content, with only that subtle double-underline to distinguish them. So, concerns that the ads present ethical problems or have the potential to corrode ‘‘journalistic quality and credibility’” seem well-founded. If the trend grows, could writers be tempted to sprinkle their pieces with keywords for advertisers? Publishers who run in-text ads say there’s no problem since their news departments don’t know what keywords advertisers purchase. And purveyors of in-text ads argue that editorial departments are responsible for maintaining good editorial judgment in the face of any type of advertising. Spending on online advertising is increasing, and in-text advertising offers advertisers and website owners another opportunity to serve highly targeted ads that I’m sure is difficult to pass up. Plus, providers of in-text advertising are gaining a better and better understanding of where, and how, and how often to serve the ads. My sense is, keep an eye out for those double-underlines.
From Matt: The scriptwriters made quite a few changes from the book, but they were all for the best - and booklover though I am I have to admit that its better to see magic than to read about it.
From Mina: I adore this film. Monsieur Hulot’s very modern sister and brother-in-law don’t know what to do with Tati’s charmingly untidy and bungling protagonist, who inhabits a world where meaning is still more important than appearances.
From Carey: A must see Hayao Miyazaki’s anime is Laputa: Castle in the Sky, originally released in 1986. A fantasy film that explores the altruistic and compassionate nature of humans, aspects lost through repeated exposure to power, technology, and the complexities brought by the combination of the two. 
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