Internet Activism Via Keith Obadike

Facebook has become such a revolution in global networking and communication. It would be a VERY effective way to broadcast a political idea and have millions of people see the same thing. In order to strike shock and perhaps motivate people for change is to start with creating a Facebook quiz. These quizzes can vary from being about your hororscope, who you’re going to marry, what “Lost” character you’re most like etc. However, I’d create a quiz that seems pretty mundane with 10-20 questions with some optical illusions. At the end of the quiz it would say:

Congratulations! While you have been doing this interesting quiz (5-10 min), at least 2-3 people died from smoking; selfishly deserting their family and friends due to something that could have been EASILY prevented. Oh, and at least one other person has died from the effects of SECOND hand smoke. Yeah, it wasn’t even their fault!!!

DON’T LET THIS BE YOU OR A LOVED ONE!!!

Visit http://www.thesafecig.com/ for a new life, literally!!!

Early Internet Advertising

Looking back at the early 1990’s, it’s surprising how little faith the general populous had in the internet and its potential as a world-wide phenomenon. Taking accordance with these views, it is not surprising that the quality and artistry of early advertisements on the internet were less than spectacular. In 1994, the first internet advertisement banner was created as part of HotWired’s attempt to make a profit for their website. AT&T provided a fuzzy, VERY low-rez black banner with psychedelic rainbow lettering stating, “Have you ever clicked your mouse right HERE? You will.” According to nothingtohide.us, “It [the ad] achieved a staggering 42% click through rate,” meaning 42% of the people visiting the site actually clicked the banner. Despite having to compensate for slow page loading and lack of bandwidth by providing a low-rez image, this was still a huge nod towards the effectiveness of bold artistic aesth

etic in order to capture the internet-surfer’s

attention.

Immediately after, other companies and websites apparently took this as a sign that this was the new way to make money in the new era of computer technology. One example of an undertaker of this new form of advertising was Pepsi. In the 1996 version of their webpage, the influence of AT&T’s banner design is very evident. The use of a bright green swirling background definitely draws viewers in, however tear-inducing the hue of green may be. They even began to add small flash animations to the page, adding an even greater level of attraction.

In traditional advertising, color is one of the most important devices for getting people to notice your product. Colors add to associations and if used correctly, could mean fame and fortune for your company. McDonalds is the classic example of the successful utilization of this technique. The red and yellow combination in now synonymous with the fast-food restaurant chain. Even in early internet advertising, despite the lack of experience and maturity we have today in our advertising campaigns, website managers were already on the right track.