A simple game: Go to the address bar in your favorite browser, and type one letter. Start with “a”, end with “z”.

A: http://amazon.com/
B: http://bighugelabs.com/
C: http://www.carvinguitars.com/
D: http://danielmccullum.com/
E: http://www.ebay.com/
F: http://facebook.com/
G: http://www.google.com/
H: http://harvestnorfolk.com/
I: http://imdb.com/
J: http://jasonsantamaria.com/
K: http://kuler.adobe.com/
L: http://last.fm/
M: http://my.regent.edu/
N: http://netflix.com/
O: http://owltastic.com/
P: http://panic.com/
Q: http://quicksynergy.sourceforge.net/
R: http://regent.edu/
S: http://simpledesktops.com/
T: http://twitter.com/
U: http://urbanfonts.com/
V: http://vimeo.com/
W: http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/
X: http://xkcd.com/
Y: http://youtube.com/
Z: http://zzounds.com/

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It was a blazing summer weekend, or rather, long weekend, that my brothers, my dad, and I set out with two of our friends to go for a five-day/four-night backpacking trip in the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness Area. It was our second trip to this magnificent location, and we had high expectations for this adventure.

We arrived in an overstuffed minivan, and heaved all the gear out of the car. We set about doing a last minute overhaul and reorganization, getting rid of extraneous stuff, and re-situating important equipment so that it was within reach. Then it was time to strap on our packs and get moving. We decided to do the loop in reverse of what we had done the previous year, so our first destination was a place called Rock Pond, probably named for the numerous little rock “islands” that dot the surface. After a short walk through what we thought at the time was bug-infested terrain, we arrived at our destination, set up camp, and went for a swim. The water was a perfect temperature, and it was only after the discovery of some rather large and hideous leeches that we forsook the water for the campfire. There is just something about those miniscule bloodsuckers that makes your knees knock.

Since we had budgeted four nights, and there were only three good camp spots along the trail, we decided to use our extra day at Rock Pond. We went for a hike around the pond, then got so hot and sweaty that we were willing to brave the waters at any cost. Luckily, our fears stayed unrealized throughout the trip.

The next day proved a bit more of a challenge. The morning was wet, with a threat of getting wetter, and the biting bugs seemed to be redoubling their efforts. But we made it to the campsite at Oxshoe Pond in good spirits. We set up tent and then my dad immediately went fishing on the Pond. No luck though. The swimming was great, though it was a bit freaky: the water was so dark that you couldn’t see the bottom anywhere, and the flies (most larger than nickel) enjoyed buzzing at your head until you went insane. The campfire that evening was relaxing, except for the ants that seemed to be crawling everywhere.

The next morning signaled a new era in the trip. Everyday, the hiking distance got longer by a mile or two, so that as we grew more tired, we had to walk further. And that was only half the problem. It just so happened that the segment we were traveling that day ran directly through a massive swamp. If we had thought the flies had been bad before, we were wrong. Pleas for mercy echoed in the stagnant air as we stumbled forward through the scorching heat. And just when it seemed we couldn’t go any further…we had to go further. We finally reached the lean-to at Pharaoh Lake, and ditched our packs, surprised at our survival. The feeling of taking off a backpack is probably most equivalent to walking on the moon: it seems as if you are floating across the ground. We could barely get the tent up before we all rushed headlong into the water. It felt really good, to say the least. Supper that night was delicious, comprised of dehydrated “Chicken and Rice,” and pita bread (yum!).

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast of soggy oatmeal and…even soggier oatmeal, we set out on the last stage of the trek. While there was no swamp on this part of the trail, some of the bugs seemed to have followed us. In an attempt to alleviate the wretchedness, we started making up Shakespearean soliloquies about biting flies that I have long since forgotten. There is something about a good “hast” or “dost thou” that lightens the spirit remarkably. Chocolate is also good at doing this, which is probably why we ate so much that last day.

Upon arriving back at the van, I suddenly found myself in a paradox. Despite the obvious misery and torture that I had experienced over the last few days, all I could think of was all the great times I had just had, and about how I couldn’t wait to do it again. In fact, I still can’t wait to do it again! Maybe this summer…

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UPDATE: Everything should be fixed up now. Sorry about that.

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The main reason that both Fusion and The Deck have been so successful is that they both base their business on the philosophy that:

1. People will click on ads that are relevant to them
2. Annoying advertising only causes harm in the long run
3. If you have to resort to tricking or forcing people to click on your ads, you’re probably doing something wrong

Instead of trying to compete directly with Google for a chunk of the online advertising pie (which has been suicide for all who have tried so far), they chose to develop an entirely new model for advertising on the web: a model that does not rely on millions of dollars of research into behavioral algorithms and invasive tracking techniques, but instead relies on finding a smaller, more cohesive, and more passionate audience and delivering them relevant ads as unobtrusively and beautifully as possible.

Video

With thoughts of a bright future for blog-based advertising, let’s dive right into the pit that is online video. Here, there are no exceptions to the mess of mediocrity. Some versions suck less than others, but they still suck. While I understand that without advertising, these videos wouldn’t be free—somebody has to pay the bills—I can’t help but think there must be a better way.

If Fusion, The Deck, and content producers like Leo Laporte of TWiT.tv, are any indication, “ads as content” is a model with great potential. One possibility would be for more/better product placement. Imagine you’re watching a futuristic sci-fi movie with lots of cool people doing lots of cool things. Now, imagine that all of these cool people are all using the latest Apple gadgets. Not in the super overt way that product placement is often done right now (cue “Let me get my…Apple MacBook Pro, the fastest laptop ever…”), but in a more subtle, natural, and everyday way. Occasionally they use an available PC to look up something and—wow, that PC takes a really long time to load a webpage.

I don’t think that product placement necessarily requires a debasement of the art form; at least, not any more than the current industry does. Better video interactivity platforms could provide a way to link items on screen with a way to purchase them. Another upside of having advertising integrated with the content is that it would open the door for new, less-restrictive distribution methods. Piracy would no longer be an issue (at least, not as big an issue).

Another possibility is to adopt a model similar to what Fusion and The Deck have done for websites: focus on providing a smaller audience with highly relevant, more entertaining, and less obtrusive advertisements. This follows the current trend: each person follows only the information that is interesting to them. Focusing on providing the best possible advertising for a smaller audience will almost certainly be more successful in the long run than providing mediocre advertising to a much larger audience.

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Have a look around, enjoy yourself, and let me know what you think!

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