[patio11]

There's just so much that they execute well on that I hate to pick any bit of it, but one thing everybody with linkbait should probably do is create something spiritually similar to the bar which pops up when you're done with the article. It is a force multiplier for all pillar content you write, it increases the viral factor, and the way it grabs someone's attention just when their brain is known to be vacant is sixteen flavors of brilliant.

I did something very similar for a client today, and after I get a little better at manipulating code to do it, I'm probably going to try something similar for getting trial signups. ("Looks like you're done reading about it. Feeling confused about what to do next? WHAM, signup box.")

[tuesdays]

Interesting, I was thinking the exact opposite, since those bars are all super annoying.

[patio11]

So there are very few things I would be less likely to read than "47 Shocking New Ways To Please Your Man In Bed", but on an intellectual level I understand that that formula has made Cosmo more money than I will ever see in my lifetime.

You are welcome to your preference, of course, but the relevant question for my client is "Does Tuesdays and people like him control a lot of links? Would he link to the article in the absence of this widget? Is he going to refrain from linking to the article now? Will the aggregate number of links we lose offset the massive gain we are expecting to get [and are capable of measuring] from less-opinionated users?"

If the answer to any one of those questions is "no", your preferences are not economically relevant to my client. (Similarly, in the context of doing software trials with a similar mechanism, I am going to go out on a limb and say the intersection of "hates Javascript tomfoolery like this" and "pays money for software" is so low that I am incapable of devising a system precise enough to measure it.)

[xiongchiamiov]

Oh wow, that is annoying.

I do like the pop-out bars that the NYT has at the end of their articles, though. See, for example, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/07/business/economy/07jobs.ht...

[bcaulf]

Interesting. I also was reminded of the NYT popout bars, but I hate them. Pop-anything that I didn't ask for really bothers me.

[Perceval]

I'm the same way. Whenever I encounter one, I tool around in AbBlock Plus for a while until I find the appropriate scripts to block.

[_delirium]

They're one of the factors finally pushing me towards just a default-block policy (the other factor is sites that pop something up when you mouseover a link). I've tried really hard to start with a blank adblock list and individually block sites that have particularly egregious stuff, but the whack-a-mole is getting ridiculous. Haven't quite given in yet, but if I don't reach a fixed point soon where I can stop adding 5 new things a day, I'm just going to subscribe to a blocklist.

I wonder how hard it'd be, alternately, to write a heuristic to block absolutely-positioned top/bottom bars. May play around with that a bit.

[theycallmemorty]

I too was intrigued by them and thought to myself just a week ago: "Those popup-at-the-bottom-of-the-page things are brilliant. I should email the Bingo guy and get him to A/B test them."

[patio11]

I am rather more receptive to receiving that email than most companies would be, and if it comes with an offer to create MIT-licensed Javascript/CSS to make the UI happen, I'd probably have it live within an hour of receiving the code.

That same test has been on my agenda since at least April, but front end is my weakest skill, so I keep pushing it back. I've got two partial implementations where I tried to follow tutorials and they just blew up on me. (I just starting scheming and dreaming about hire #1 yesterday, and it will almost certainly be a front end guy.)