The itch that can't be scratched

Pop-ups, pop-unders, superimposers, and whatever else the latest trend in web advertising has to be stopped. I know some websites need this revenue to stay afloat, but it's kinda like composing a really good song just to have a voice over before, during, and after it, saying 'Eat at Joe's' or 'Burmashave'. It's like painting a really good oil color and putting a bumper sticker for 'Magic Mountain' in the middle of it. It's like designing a really cool dress and sewing a tag into the middle of it for 'The US Postal Service'.

I've already stopped going to many websites that extend this opportunity to advertisers - but since I can't readily boycott at least some of the websites that do this (though I am searching for alternatives) I'm boycotting the advertisers themselves.

That's right Refinance.com/BLS Funding, The Zone Powered by EDIETS, Performance Wizard, AOL, Network Solutions, Orbitz, Sylvan Learning Center, SAAB, Expedia, autobytel.com, and half a dozen more that I'm sure I'll add to this list. No chance of ever getting money from me - even if you have something I need or want. I'll find it somewhere else, or jerry-rig something better out of parts from my garage, Radio Shack and yard sales.

I know I may actually be advertising for these culprits by listing them here, but my hope is that it's BAD advertising. I'm sure you have your own list. The main thing is that we don't do anything that would give them the indication that their way of targeting us is, in any way, shape or form, working. The theory being that if it's not working for them, they'll do something else. This is one level lower than actually burning them in effigy in an effort to show the adverse effects that it's doing to my internet experience.

Now, on to: identity theft, spam, bad website design, sites that require payment for features that ought to be free, and all those other things that ruin the internet for everyone.