A bad idea

capnq · #1 November 23rd, 2002, 07:33 PM

After this recent thread {link} in the Space Empires forum, I find it rather...ironic...that the Shrapnel home page is now promoting Space HoRSE with a pop-up ad.

I would have thought Shrapnel was too media-savvy to use such an unpopular and poorly performing form of advertising.

Argh · #2 November 23rd, 2002, 10:05 PM

They've been pushing Space Horse very heavily- given that it's gotten fairly good Ratings in Computer Games Monthly, among other places, I think that they're trying to get sales roaring along. And I think that we can all agree that Shrapnel making lots of sales = good thing.

All the same, a pop-up ad is rather annoying. . . but hey, I rarely visit the front page- I just bookmark the MB, and I can see a lot more about current core product dev. here anyway. . .

Taz-in-Space · #3 November 24th, 2002, 05:12 AM

It's a POPUP...

At Shrapnel...

Did I die and go to Hel...

capnq · #4 November 25th, 2002, 08:32 PM

Quote:

I think that we can all agree that Shrapnel making lots of sales = good thing.

I agree, which is why I find the pop-up ads surprising. (Today it's Armored Task Force; I'd only seen Space HoRSE there before.) Ads as annoying as pop-ups can actually reduce sales. At the very least, it will discourage casual visitors from returning to the Shrapnel home page.

Sniper · #5 November 26th, 2002, 12:10 AM

I agree, and risk eternal damnation from all the lovely peeps here at Sharpnel. A pop up is Baaad! Lets all hope this isnt the begining of the end!

Cheers

Gillissie · #6 November 26th, 2002, 02:21 AM

Sure caught me off guard. As much as I appreciate Shrapnel pushing our games, I have to say that a popup on their own site is like preaching to the choir.

MichaelCooney · #7 November 26th, 2002, 04:14 PM

Let me jump in here and say that it's a popup to promote a Shrapnel product - it isn't a random, revenue generating, brightly flashing annoyance, designed to get you to buy butt-hair removal cream. All those ads were pulled a long, long time ago.

The feedback is good, but don't equate this with Shrapnel whoring itself out to the misguided marketters of the web. Tim just wants to make sure that people coming to the site are aware that he carries this excellent game.

Sniper · #8 November 26th, 2002, 09:10 PM

Sure

we all appreciate that it was a pop up for this company that we all love. And we agree that anything that may get revenue up is a good thing for Sharpnel and a good thing for us. But I feel the community see the pop up as a possible harbinger that Shrapnel may have to "Sell out".
But we do appreciate that it is there to increase sales.
Cheers

Fyron · #9 November 27th, 2002, 11:23 AM

Popup ads = Evil

What more need I say?

Regardless of what the ad is for, it is still evil. Any popups like that detract from the professionalism of a web site.

mlmbd · #10 November 27th, 2002, 08:56 PM

Mike Cooney, OK, I hope this doesn't get me banished. I understand and appreciate (as I am sure we ALL do) Tim and or Richard wanting to move a product, whatever it is. So why not just tweak the Front Page adding a really nice banner? You could put it between the http://www.shrapnelgames.com/images/...apnelhomeB.gif (Sorry no UBB images or HTML here) and Frame work just below it. That would put the product in a very prominent spot without annoying anyone. Well that my $1.00 worth($.02 (two cents) worth X 50).

mlmbd