[thelist] RE: link spam a new spam

Roger Ly evolt at matchpenalty.com
Thu Nov 18 18:20:06 CST 2004


>Perhaps it is possible that this is web browser hijacking by some dodgy
>spyware/malware/adware? Were you using IE when you looked at the page?
>Have you run adaware or sybot search and destroy on your PC?

It is an advertising technique that has been used for months (maybe even
over a year now).  I first saw it on ign.com.  It uses JavaScript to
dynamically scan and change the content on the page, looking for keywords in
the content that a paying advertiser wants to target.  When it finds some
keywords, it assigns a mouse over and underline to the text.  When the user
decides to hover over the new "link", it will display a floating div with an
ad related to the keyword targeted.  Clicking on the "link" takes you to the
advertiser's site.

VibrantMedia (http://vibrantmedia.com/site/index.html) sells the technology
which it calls IntelliTXT.

I don't know if support includes anything outside of IE, but if you go to
the URL quoted originally you should see it in action in the first paragraph
of the article.  The "entrepreneur" text becomes an ad.

Relevant Javascript for the page in question is at
http://itxt.vibrantmedia.com/intellitxt/front.asp?IPID=1263&MK=7&FG=006699

Roger
 



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