November 28, 2004

• I would like to leave an Ouch! card for the GoGorilla execs, on behalf of all Americans. On second thought, I'd rather find them and strangle them all, one by one.
• annoying.
• At first read, I thought it was (not so) subtle satire. Unfortunately, I'm afraid it is the real deal. [shudder]
• These guys are not just evil, they are having way too much fun. Did they provide the free t-shirts at the MoFiMiniMeetUp?
• ADVERTISING! MORE ADVERTISING!!! MUCH MUCH MORE!!! BRING IT ON! WOOOO! ADVERTISING!! *True Blue American*
• I'm afraid most of their ideas have already been done. And they are less effective with the more saturation. What sells me now on things is someone I know telling me about them, though a television ad for something like a movie that I probably would have wanted to see anyways (like The Incredibles) is also very effective to tell me that it exists and is being released soon.
• I kept thinking this is a spoof site. It's not?
• nope its for real. One campaign they projected a big nescafe [pdf] ad onto the side of a building during the olympics
• insidious marketing to children should not be tolerated. Leave advertsising out of schools and spring camps. Unfortunately we in the UK are starting to see big business become more and more involved in schools especially with the latest PFI schemes. To give but one small example a PFI school recently wanted to remove a vending machine as they wanted to provide only healthy food. However they were contractually obliged to keep it and threatened with legal implications should they remove it. Why should we put up with that? The UK is one of the most unhealthy nations in the EU. Finland used to be the worst but they turned it around by amongst other things encouraging healthy eating in schools. Also, our enlightened European neighbours Sweden and Norway are on the ball though, they dont permit any advertising aimed at kids under 12. Excuse the rant.
• Banning would be simpler, but I did think of one solution regarding the advertising to children. Don't give your children any money to spend, and don't buy them anything when they say they want it, only for their birthday or Christmas, and then not when they have whined. If even a majority of parents did this, advertising to children would not succeed. Parents control all the money.
• jb: You must live in a place with no children. And no parents. Can I come too?
• What rips my knickers about these guys (and everyone else in their so-called industry) is their unstated assumption that my attention is a fungible resource that they are entitled to extract by any means they can. And their attempts to extract this resource are not cost-free to the rest of us. It takes effort to ignore them. The attention they want from children in school would be better used on the lesson, on social activity, or in any other constructive way. Ah well. Either they'll lose their effectiveness, and we'll all just put up with a burden of attention-parasites, or they'll cross some unthinkable line and we'll put an end to them.
• Chaz - actually, yes I do. It's called a university town :) But I was really just thinking about how my mum was pretty strict about buying us things or giving us money, and how much advertising just went to waste on me because of it.
• These things are already in place. We have wallboards in my highschool, book covers from the fastfood restaurant sonic (with clippable coupons) and our school newspaper supports itself entirely by printable and insertable ads.
• vitalorgnz - bummer huh. Thats the cost of a free society though mate. People are free to do what they want, until it pisses someone off enough to stop it. Of course its not cost free to ignore it - but as long as it costs less to ignore than to stop, society will tolerate it. Rough with the smooth I suppose. As for advertising 'going to waste' in jb's case - it almost certainly never. I know we all like to think were immune to it (I do I know) but in truth - we aren't. Not even a little bit. The things you desired as a kid, went on to shape the things you desire as an adult - irrespective of wether your parents provided them for you - arguably more so in some cases. Advertising no doubt works, and Corporate Darwinism means that the advertising that is most prevalent over the long term is probably the most effective...
• I think it has greater and lesser effects depending on the product, the method of advertising, the person, their savvyness. Actually, I think the most effective advertising to reach the kid me wasn't print or television or even saturation - it was the other kids. If the other kid had it, it was desirable. Eating Kraft Dinner at someone else's house made me want it more than all the television ads (still have a kind of like for it, but lately not really - I much prefer prefer mac and cheese). Same with Shredded Wheat (though they did have a very catchy jingle) - I know, because eating All Bran at my grandma's made me want it, and that stuff was certainly never advertised to kids. Maybe different kids are different, and ads got them to get something that made me want it. That said, I did have a kickass media teacher in Grade 6 who helped us really dissect advertising (as well as other media stuff) - I think we are all more aware these days. When I finally saw Triumph of the Will I could see how the propaganda was suposed to be working, but it just didn't have the impact on me I expected - everything was too blatent.
• Oh - I don't know how advertising affected what I want as an adult. I did buy Cheesewhiz lately, because I liked it as a kid and now I'm allowed to buy it. But I don't like it so much anymore, and I don't think I will buy it again (because of the disapointment). So that worked, but I won't be a regular customer. My favorite foods now are Cranberry juice, Indian-style curries and meat pies, none of which were really advertised to me (though they certainly were "treats" when I was a kid). I've gone pop/soda except on special occasions (too sweet for regular), never got into sports drinks, and only eat pure chocolate (rather than candy bars). The junk food I like best are cheese danishes from the local bakery (so bad, but sooooo good). I think it's a very valid worry that kids will be eating junk food and drinking sugar drinks because of advertising and saturation of the image - I certainly would have at the time. And I wasn't forbidden them, I just didn't have the money to buy them. Whether that prevented me from developing the taste for it, or it's just that I've matured past the desire, I don't know. Maybe it's also that I've discovered the wonders of gourmet junk food - french style pastries, expensive chocolate, coffee with cream...mmmmmm...
• Yeah, yeah, it's all true, but still, didn't anyone think the site was gorgeous? I'd like someone to offer me that kind of money to create something half as cool at my site, where people go to learn how to stop yelling at each other. (Can someone talk me through the process of creating a hyperlink? Doesn't look like mine worked.) Thanks
• You need a space between the a and the href.
• Dear Ouchkit jb is trying to fool you by leaving out the quote marks. For a proper talk through this stuff, go to the faq.
• Dear Ouchkit Wolof is trying to fool you by leaving out the /faq.html. For a real link, go to the faq. Couldn't resist, Wolof. I love you really.
• Dear Ouchkit Wow, either I screwed that link up or Tracy Hope is a sneak and a cheat. That's why she's my pal, in any case. *bows compliantly to MoFi hyperpower*
• DEAR OUCHKIT, I WENT TO YOUR SITE BUT I CAN'T STOP YELLING. PERHAPS I SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN THIS ON A CARD OF SOME KIND.
• Dear Ouchkit Creating a thread about the evils of intrusive marketing and then bringing up your own site? That's beautiful. The fact that the whole thread derailed from it? That's pure poetry.
• Dear Ouchkit I am a small wart on the inside of a gnome called Boris. I want to have sex with your socks. Please give me some cheese.
• Dear Ouchkit My wife & I have been married for 15 years & since we tried your method, we hate each other & now are getting divorced. What you got to say about that, motherfcuker?????!!!11@!
• Dear Ouchkit, Your unique card-based communcation system led directly to the breakdown of 138-year marriage to my dear husband Mr Nostrildamus. Thanks! I'll be recommending it to my friends.
• Thank, Tracicle and Wolof. Nostrildamus, have you always so mean to new kids? Seems odd for a buddhist. . . Namaste anyway.
• Dear Ouchkit, I am intrigued by your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter. Please hope me! kthxbye
• Dear Ouchkit, Reading through, it appears the screeches started once you mentioned your site. Some folks may be wondering if advertising your own site is the actual intent of this post. If this is not the case, please pardon the flinging. We get the occasional person who joins simply to advertise their stuff. It tends to raise the hackles. /offers banana of welcome
• Nostrildamus is just being silly. He's a big softy really. quidnunc, on the other hand, is deadly serious. As for the advertising.... eeeeeeevil. Evil, evil, evil, evil. I think, among other things, that this kind of advertising has caused people to stop reading signs. People just don't seem to read warning signs or simple instructions. In fact, I notice that the bigger, bolder and more obvious a headline is, the less likely people are to read it. We just tune it out. Finally, I'd like to point out that jb is actually telling the truth when she says she's impervious to advertising. She's the worlds most contrary person, and the more you advertise to her, the more she decides that your products must be shoddy and uninteresting.
• Dear Ouchkit, Your unique card-based communcation system allowed me to converse with my dead 232 yr-old mummified wife who now resides in the 2nd Dimension where everything is entirely flat. However, now she knows where I am. Thanks a lot!!! P.S. sarcasm doesn't work in print. Have you tried Pictionary? Love, Nostrilo
• Dear Ouchkit, My aged Buddhist Master used to beat me about the head and neck everytime I misunderstood the Koan about where the eggs go in the fridge once you close the door. P.S. I am not real. Love, Henry Kissinger
• Dear Ouchkit, Press up, left and down and then hit any punch key. Then use your COMMUNICATION CARD OF DOOM attack. That should beat him.
• Shut that bloody bazouki up!
• ti ti bi di bi bi di bi di bi di bi di di di di
• Dear Ouchkit, There is only one way to defeat this deadly pair. ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → [B] [A] [START].
• Dear Ouchkit, Quick, use the Top Gun theme! [A][E][E][D][C#][D][C#][B][B]...
• No no no, tceles b hsup, people. (Didn't we have an FPP on that a little while ago? I remember the marketed passive aggression.)
• We did indeed, Wurwilf.
• *** JB BUY ME ***
• I'm sorry, I did forget the quotation marks. Had you entered the html as I suggested, the posting box would have eaten your url. I also blather too much. But I've been thinking I should get a goetter. That would make me a better person. Does anyone have any recommendations on good goetter dealerships?
• You'll do better, with a new goetter! *car salesman smile*
• Dear Ouchkit Queen, If I changed my name to Dildo Queen, do you think it would help me sell dildos to monkeys? It seems like the perect gorilla marketing strategy. Love, the Dildo Queen
• Thanks you guys. Now I get it. I really wasn't trying to sell you anything. I just wanted to try out my new hyper-link chops. Obviously, they sucked. Hey, NostrilMan, sorry about the abusive guru. Unlike you, when somebody bashes me upside the head, I take it as a sign to run like hell. But what do I know? I'm a simple-minded atheist with a chocolate addiction.
• I really wasn't trying to sell you anything. I beleive you, but I'm sure you can see how it looks. It's bad form to self-link when you aren't selling a product, it's much worse when you are selling one. It's also worse when it's one of your first acts inside a community. Add that your moniker is also your products name, and people will be forced to question your motives. Are you here because you like Monkeyfilter, or are you driving by websites, spamming your wares? You say it's not the second, and I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. You did put some time into a bio (spammers don't seem to ever have one), and I can see how you could've wanted to bring up your site without consciously thinking about making a sell. If people did think you had ulterior motives, they would've responded differently, with alot more agression and malicousness. ...I take it as a sign to run like hell. If you really aren't here trying to sell your product, there's no need to run off. You were teased a little. Don't let it scare you off. Most of the monkeys teasing right now do that to everybody here. It's all in good fun. Nostril and the quidnunc kid are fling a lot of brown stuff, but it's chocolate they're throwing, not poo. If people did think you had ulterior motives, they would've responded differently, with alot more agression and malicousness. Stick around. Contribute some more interesting front page posts. Make insightful comments. Tell funny jokes. I'm sure you could create a cool fpp about hand drumming, you could start off with that. Just don't link to your own book ;)
• Mr. Knickerbocker is the owner & proprietor of a worldwide chain of knickerbocker stores and is well known as an entrepreneur & eater of hyper-link chops. He never promotes his own product, except when he is promoting it. He also gives away almost none of his huge fortune to charity. He has a massive cock. Its name is Simon.
• QUIT BASHING ME UPSIDE THE HEAD NOSTRIL!!! I'm sorry I shouldn't yell. Here's a card: __________________________________________ | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .| | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .| | QUIT BASHING ME UPSIDE THE HEAD NOSTRIL!!! | | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .| |__________________________________________|
• So mean. So funny. Carry on.
• I quite like this ouchkit queen.
• less filling!
• Now that this is finally resolved, can we start with the making out now? I need a little over-the-sweater action.
• Thanks for sticking up for me,Quidnunc. I quite like you, too. I finally figured out why I felt so picked on by everybody. Youngest child syndrome. Always got blamed for doing things I didn't do, or for things I did do, but didn't mean to, or for things I meant to do, but didn't mean to get caught at. Mr. Knickerbocker, if you're really interested in hand drumming, check out a great book on percussion by Mickey Hart called: Drumming at the Edge of Magic. Totally mesmermizing.
• Aw. We don't (i hopes) mean to insult you, ouchkit; rather we just like to grab any unusualness and jump like a trampoline to fly up into the absurdosphere. But you know this. All is cool my friend.
• Thaz cool.
• *puts on Al Green album*