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Boing Boing going for sensational headlines

March 22, 2006 • Matt

Just read this article over at Boing Boing with the title: “Yahoo: if you use our ads, you have to block non-US visitors”

The problem is, here is what was said by Yahoo:

Item ’11.l’ stated that I will not “display all or part of the Ad Unit to any user located outside the US”. In other words, I can’t allow users outside of the United States to view my pages if there is a Yahoo ad on the page!

Now, what that ACTUALLY says is you can’t display Yahoo Ad’s if the visitor is from outside of the United States. It does not say “You can’t show the pages contents to visitors outside of the states” which is what the Boing Boing article title says, and what the person who submitted the story seems to have taken it as.

Now I agree, the policy is pretty … stupid. But if you’re going to report it, report it accurately.

In Technology • Tagged ,

9 Responses

  1. Scott

    I think the title is prefectly accurate. They require you to block outsiders from seeing the ads and the rep recomended that he simply firewall off everyone outside the US.

    On March 22, 2006 at 2:21 pm • Reply
  2. Todd

    True, the title is a bit misleading–if you read only the portion quoted on BoingBoing’s front page! Read the full article, and you’ll see that Yahoo! refused to offer any suggestion other than firewalling all non-US visitors. The headline is technically true.

    On March 22, 2006 at 2:50 pm • Reply
  3. matt

    Brian — I agree.Scott & Todd — As I stated, I’m not arguing that the policy Yahoo put in place isn’t stupid. I’m just saying that Boing Boing did a bad job with their headline. I mean, I and many others know the best way to up readership is to use sensational headlines, but that doesn’t make it right, and it doesn’t make me wrong for calling them on it.

    On March 22, 2006 at 3:58 pm • Reply
  4. matt

    And by the way, I did read the full article, and technically what Yahoo responded with was:

    However, there are scripts and programs which you can initiate to block international users from viewing or encountering your Yahoo! Publisher Network ads.

    They didn’t recommend firewalling off all non-US visitors, they recommended getting a script that would prevent Yahoo ad’s from displaying if the visitor was outside the US…

    On March 22, 2006 at 4:26 pm • Reply
  5. Scott

    I think the title is prefectly accurate. They require you to block outsiders from seeing the ads and the rep recomended that he simply firewall off everyone outside the US.

    On March 22, 2006 at 5:21 pm • Reply
  6. Brian G

    The headline sucks as does the article.
    Cory is getting embarrassingly regular at shooting first and asking questions later. If he’s going to quit his day job to be a revolutionary, he ought to do it with a bit more class and a lot less high-school-walk-out-ism.
    All he or anyone else has to do is block the ads from non-US IP addresses.
    Yes, it’s dumb of Yahoo!, but so is his lame article on the matter… as well as his horrible translation of the TOS.

    On March 22, 2006 at 6:41 pm • Reply
  7. CrazyDave

    … which they refused to provide. Or even suggest where one might be found.

    On March 23, 2006 at 1:31 am • Reply
  8. matt

    Yep … again, not saying it isn’t a stupid policy or even that Yahoo! wasn’t being particularly helpful.But the headline and the interpretation of the policy were incorrect and needlessly “sensational.”

    On March 23, 2006 at 6:41 am • Reply
  9. Brian G

    Dave-
    Is Yahoo! supposed to provide web hosting for Corys web page that hosts those ads too? What else would Cory like from Yahoo!? Would he like them to construct his website for him as well? How about pick out a color scheme for his bathroom? Tell him his future? Pick his lotto numbers?

    On March 23, 2006 at 1:26 pm • Reply