{"id":2670,"date":"2016-09-26T12:02:22","date_gmt":"2016-09-26T16:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/?p=2670"},"modified":"2021-10-10T10:45:36","modified_gmt":"2021-10-10T14:45:36","slug":"can-web-advertising-make-you-more-productive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/can-web-advertising-make-you-more-productive\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Web Advertising Make You More Productive?"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"gh gi gj gk gl\">\n<div class=\"n p\">\n<div class=\"ai aj ak al am kh ao v\">\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em>Note: Right after I posted this, Google Contributor completely changed so this is no longer possible.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"ece1\" class=\"gm gn ct ax aw ef kk md km me mf mg mh mi mj mk gq\"><strong class=\"ca\">The Idea in 150 words:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li id=\"5eb9\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb hc hd he ml mm mn mo mp mq hl hm hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">When I\u2019m surfing the web I want to get something done \u2014 but ads want me to do something else (like buy something). I can\u2019t get upset at the ads because that\u2019s their job<\/li>\n<li id=\"6c76\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb mr hd ms ml mt mn mu mp mv hl hm hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">My attention is a valuable and scarce resource that marketers want to purchase. Essentially I am paying for content with my attention<\/li>\n<li id=\"73b0\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb mr hd ms ml mt mn mu mp mv hl hm hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Paying for content with micropayments might be a solution but that just takes the ads away \u2014 getting people to \u201cpay for nothing\u201d (or the elimination of something) is a hard value proposition<\/li>\n<li id=\"c8d3\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb mr hd ms ml mt mn mu mp mv hl hm hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">I figured out how to use micropayments to replace Google Display ads with my To Do list. Building on an idea\u00a0<a class=\"mw mx di\" href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/u\/cb804a47e290?source=post_page-----757f6faf4252----------------------\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matt Cutts<\/a>\u00a0had\u00a0<a class=\"bu di ik il im in\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mattcutts.com\/blog\/google-contributor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\">on his blog<\/a>, I used\u00a0<a class=\"bu di ik il im in\" href=\"https:\/\/contributor.google.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\">Google Contributor<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a class=\"bu di ik il im in\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rememberthemilk.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\">Remember The Milk<\/a>\u00a0to substitute advertisements with my To Do list<\/li>\n<li id=\"726f\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb mr hd ms ml mt mn mu mp mv hl hm hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Now I have my To Do list follows me around the Internet. It\u2019s just like a persistent targeted ad that won\u2019t leave me alone. It\u2019s Awesome!<\/li>\n<li id=\"e60a\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb mr hd ms ml mt mn mu mp mv hl hm hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Here\u2019s what it looks like:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"mz na nb nc nd ne t u paragraph-image\">\n<div class=\"nf ng br nh v\">\n<div class=\"t u my\">\n<div class=\"ir y br nl\">\n<div class=\"nm y\">\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"rf sr z ab ac fs v np\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/miro.medium.com\/max\/2468\/1%2AKS06uVIkYD-AF8r8X6nKGg.png?resize=580%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"580\" height=\"360\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<hr class=\"nq ez nr bm ns nt nu nv nw nx ny\" \/>\n<section class=\"gh gi gj gk gl\">\n<div class=\"n p\">\n<div class=\"ai aj ak al am kh ao v\">\n<h2 id=\"d03a\" class=\"gm gn ct ax aw ef kk nz km oa mf ob mh oc mj od gq\">Now for the extended version<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"b444\" class=\"gm gn ct ax aw ef kk md km me mf mg mh mi mj mk gq\">The Problem<\/h3>\n<p id=\"b6de\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb hc hd he ml mm mn mo mp mq hl gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">When I\u2019m browsing the web, I\u2019m trying to learn something or get something done. Advertisers are looking to get me to buy something. South Park did a great (NSFW) send up of this where the boys are\u00a0<a class=\"bu di ik il im in\" href=\"http:\/\/southpark.cc.com\/clips\/1lg7jt\/ice-cream-and-guitars\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\">investigating the advertising industry and keep ending up at the ice cream parlor and instead of finishing their task<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"12e7\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb oe hd of ml og mn oh mp oi hl gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">We\u2019re in an attention economy right now. Time is our most valuable resource. As Randy Pausch of Last Lecture fame said\u00a0<a class=\"bu di ik il im in\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/oTugjssqOT0?t=5m58s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\">in his Time Management Lecture<\/a>, \u201cAmericans are great at managing their money, but significantly worse at managing their time.\u201d Which means that most Americans would rather pay for their content with their time (free with ads) than their money.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"4334\" class=\"gm gn ct ax aw ef kk md km me mf mg mh mi mj mk gq\">Why Are Ads So Annoying?<\/h3>\n<p id=\"d1e3\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb hc hd he ml mm mn mo mp mq hl gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Because it\u2019s their job. An advertisement\u2019s job is to change behavior and convince people to buy something. This can be in increasing awareness, interest or desire in the product. However it\u2019s being done, it takes me away from my task and thinking about the product.<\/p>\n<p id=\"b0b8\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb oe hd of ml og mn oh mp oi hl gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Sometimes my goals are in line with the advertisers. If I\u2019m looking for cool toys for my kids, a suggestion for a similar product from Amazon or an ad from Google could be incredibly powerful. Unfortunately, many advertisements are low quality and look more like the ads in the back of old comic book magazines.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"mz na nb nc nd ne t u paragraph-image\">\n<div class=\"t u oj\">\n<div class=\"ir y br nl\">\n<div class=\"ok y\">\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"rf sr z ab ac fs v np\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/miro.medium.com\/max\/816\/1%2ADvumvYE1WcZhs95EDKgSfA.png?resize=408%2C441&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"408\" height=\"441\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"bb bp ol dy nt w t u om on aw ez\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">What most web advertisements feel like the ads in the back of comic books<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"78fc\" class=\"gm gn ct ax aw ef kk md km me mf mg mh mi mj mk gq\">Fixing the Problem<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"f39d\" class=\"oo gn ct ax aw ef op oq or os ot ou ov ow ox oy oz\">A Page Starts by Looking Like This<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"mz na nb nc nd ne t u paragraph-image\">\n<div class=\"nf ng br nh v\">\n<div class=\"t u pa\">\n<div class=\"ir y br nl\">\n<div class=\"pb y\">\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"rf sr z ab ac fs v np\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/miro.medium.com\/max\/2722\/1%2Ae2s2e0Hg4bLuuEmWv-x46A.png?resize=580%2C321&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"580\" height=\"321\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"bb bp ol dy nt w t u om on aw ez\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The Page Without Alteration<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"deb8\" class=\"oo gn ct ax aw ef op oq or os ot ou ov ow ox oy oz\">Option 1: Eliminating Ads<\/h3>\n<p id=\"a6c1\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb hc hd he ml mm mn mo mp mq hl gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">In order to avoid these annoying ads, many people have switched to ad blockers \u2014 essentially taking the content but avoiding paying for it with their attention. This doesn\u2019t work long term as the ad supported sites will be starved by revenue.<\/p>\n<p id=\"5b9e\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb oe hd of ml og mn oh mp oi hl gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">A better model is micropayments. Instead of advertisers paying for each page view, the consumer would pay for it. These models are very hard to put together, requiring both the consumer and the website to buy in.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"mz na nb nc nd ne t u paragraph-image\">\n<div class=\"nf ng br nh v\">\n<div class=\"t u pc\">\n<div class=\"ir y br nl\">\n<div class=\"pd y\">\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"rf sr z ab ac fs v np\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/miro.medium.com\/max\/3020\/1%2AFsJqhFC4ldVBV7cfnqADlA.png?resize=580%2C345&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"580\" height=\"345\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"bb bp ol dy nt w t u om on aw ez\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Ad Blocker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"c916\" class=\"oo gn ct ax aw ef op oq or os ot ou ov ow ox oy oz\">Option 2: Replacing Ads with Something Else<\/h3>\n<p id=\"8a20\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb hc hd he ml mm mn mo mp mq hl gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">One of the most promising micropayments platforms is Google Contributor. Google Contributor allows consumers to \u201cbuy back\u201d their ads from Google. This allows Google to leverage its massive relationships with websites. Matt Cutts has a great description of Google Contributor on his blog, but the key points are:<\/p>\n<p id=\"d29c\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb oe hd of ml og mn oh mp oi hl gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">1. You support the sites you visit<br \/>\n2. You see fewer ads<br \/>\n3. (And this is the cool part) you get to decide what to show in that ad space instead of ads<\/p>\n<p id=\"a984\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb oe hd of ml og mn oh mp oi hl gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Google Contributor still feels like a bit of an experiment at this point. The main reason is that there\u2019s nothing that people are really replacing their ads with of value. Right now Contributor defaults to a \u201cThank You\u201d message that\u2019s blank with other options like pictures of cats.\u00a0People don\u2019t seem to like the absence of paying for things very much \u2014 it feels too much like paying to be bored. Even though there\u2019s a huge amount of value in actually being bored.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"mz na nb nc nd ne t u paragraph-image\">\n<div class=\"nf ng br nh v\">\n<div class=\"t u pc\">\n<div class=\"ir y br nl\">\n<div class=\"pe y\">\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"rf sr z ab ac fs v np\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/miro.medium.com\/max\/3020\/1%2ABa8KhCwzL808nhvVAi7agA.png?resize=580%2C345&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"580\" height=\"345\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"bb bp ol dy nt w t u om on aw ez\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Standard Google Contributor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"ea1d\" class=\"oo gn ct ax aw ef op oq or os ot ou ov ow ox oy oz\">Option 3: Replacing Ads with Something Useful (My Favorite One \u2013 This is Where Things Get Really Cool)<\/h3>\n<p id=\"3063\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb hc hd he ml mm mn mo mp mq hl gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">As I said before, the purpose of advertising is to get you to change your behavior. But instead of letting the ads change my behavior to buy things, why don\u2019t we use ads to focus me on what I want to do. Wouldn\u2019t it be great to have your \u201cTo Do\u201d list follow you around the internet instead of ads. These work for 2 reasons:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"\">\n<li id=\"5cae\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb oe hd of ml og mn oh mp oi hl pf hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Advertisements are great at following you around the web and interrupting you. Instead of interrupting you to buy things, you get your To Do list \u2014 reminding you of what you need to get done<\/li>\n<li id=\"6727\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb mr hd ms ml mt mn mu mp mv hl pf hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">To Do lists can be context sensitive (e.g., when you\u2019re at your computer, these are the things that you\u2019d like to do)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure class=\"mz na nb nc nd ne t u paragraph-image\">\n<div class=\"nf ng br nh v\">\n<div class=\"t u pc\">\n<div class=\"ir y br nl\">\n<div class=\"pd y\">\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"rf sr z ab ac fs v np\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/miro.medium.com\/max\/3020\/1%2ACfPKnKXewzm6j08RdLQnOA.png?resize=580%2C345&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"580\" height=\"345\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"bb bp ol dy nt w t u om on aw ez\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Google Contributor With My To Do List!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"1a29\" class=\"gm gn ct ax aw ef kk md km me mf mg mh mi mj mk gq\">What I\u2019ve Learned:<\/h2>\n<p id=\"938f\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb hc hd he ml mm mn mo mp mq hl gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">While this is just a small prototype, there\u2019s a lot of things I learned from it:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"\">\n<li id=\"5721\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb oe hd of ml og mn oh mp oi hl pf hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">It\u2019s quite useful. I\u2019ve only been using this for a few weeks but it really does get me laser focused on my To Do List \u2014 especially when I\u2019m mindlessly surfing the web<\/li>\n<li id=\"919f\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb mr hd ms ml mt mn mu mp mv hl pf hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">There are a few issues with using Google Contributor for this purpose but net-net for $5 a month to get less distracted by extraneous things AND actually let me focus on the things I want to get done \u2014 that\u2019s HUGE. All this while contributing to the media that I want to thrive.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 id=\"5d07\" class=\"gm gn ct ax aw ef kk md km me mf mg mh mi mj mk gq\">How I Set It Up<\/h2>\n<p id=\"b68e\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb hc hd he ml mm mn mo mp mq hl gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Note that Google Contributor no longer works this way so this is here for more historical reasons.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb hc hd he ml mm mn mo mp mq hl gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Detailed Instructions for Connect Google Contributor to Remember The Milk:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li id=\"fe95\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb oe hd of ml og mn oh mp oi hl hm hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Sign up for\u00a0<a class=\"bu di ik il im in\" style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20161126135124\/https:\/\/www.google.com\/contributor\/welcome\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\">Google Contributor<\/a>.\u00a0<a class=\"bu di ik il im in\" style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mattcutts.com\/blog\/google-contributor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\">Matt Cutts<\/a>\u00a0has a good overview of Google Contributor.<\/span><\/li>\n<li id=\"20d0\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb mr hd ms ml mt mn mu mp mv hl hm hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Sign Up for\u00a0<a class=\"bu di ik il im in\" style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rememberthemilk.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\">Remember the Milk<\/a>\u00a0(RTM)<\/span><\/li>\n<li id=\"b2ce\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb mr hd ms ml mt mn mu mp mv hl hm hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Create a custom list inside RTM for your Google Ads<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"mz na nb nc nd ne t u paragraph-image\">\n<div class=\"t u pg\">\n<div class=\"ir y br nl\">\n<div class=\"ph y\">\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"rf sr z ab ac fs v np\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/miro.medium.com\/max\/502\/1%2AO2XORvYZZWTv_mU-XT6GMw.png?resize=251%2C499&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"251\" height=\"499\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"bb bp ol dy nt w t u om on aw ez\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Create a List<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li id=\"7121\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb oe hd of ml og mn oh mp oi hl hm hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Log in to m.rememberthemilk.com from your web browser to set the cookie to access your URL. Note: You will not be able to log into Remember The Milk from inside a Contributor window \u2014 this seems to be a security feature to avoid capturing data from an ad.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"mz na nb nc nd ne t u paragraph-image\">\n<div class=\"t u pi\">\n<div class=\"ir y br nl\">\n<div class=\"pj y\">\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"rf sr z ab ac fs v np\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/miro.medium.com\/max\/782\/1%2AMjYDg3V7FcGXPI6yQLYYew.jpeg?resize=391%2C250&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"391\" height=\"250\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li id=\"6ab2\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb oe hd of ml og mn oh mp oi hl hm hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Find the URL of your To Do list by going to m.rememberthemilk.com and displaying your To Do list<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"mz na nb nc nd ne t u paragraph-image\">\n<div class=\"nf ng br nh v\">\n<div class=\"t u pk\">\n<div class=\"ir y br nl\">\n<div class=\"pl y\">\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"rf sr z ab ac fs v np\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/miro.medium.com\/max\/2200\/1%2AYoioH5E7vj_1tPSbVbzTqg.png?resize=580%2C286&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"580\" height=\"286\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"2375\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb oe hd of ml og mn oh mp oi hl gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00b7 Point the Google Contributor custom URL to the Remember The Milk list<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"mz na nb nc nd ne t u paragraph-image\">\n<div class=\"nf ng br nh v\">\n<div class=\"t u pm\">\n<div class=\"ir y br nl\">\n<div class=\"pn y\">\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"rf sr z ab ac fs v np\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/miro.medium.com\/max\/1568\/1%2AGf2LpTgok0Njplh0xa8Ekg.png?resize=580%2C510&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"580\" height=\"510\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"75c8\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb oe hd of ml og mn oh mp oi hl gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00b7 Now your To Do list follows you around the web!<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"mz na nb nc nd ne t u paragraph-image\">\n<div class=\"nf ng br nh v\">\n<div class=\"t u my\">\n<div class=\"ir y br nl\">\n<div class=\"nm y\">\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"rf sr z ab ac fs v np\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/miro.medium.com\/max\/2468\/1%2AKS06uVIkYD-AF8r8X6nKGg.png?resize=580%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"580\" height=\"360\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<hr class=\"nq ez nr bm ns nt nu nv nw nx ny\" \/>\n<section class=\"gh gi gj gk gl\">\n<div class=\"n p\">\n<div class=\"ai aj ak al am kh ao v\">\n<h1 id=\"f7c0\" class=\"gm gn ct ax aw ef kk nz km oa mf ob mh oc mj od gq\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Some Further Improvements<\/h1>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li id=\"aba4\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb hc hd he ml mm mn mo mp mq hl hm hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Some sites like the New York Times get a very high CPM and have pretty good ads. You can eliminate contributor contributions by clicking on the + sign\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"mz na nb nc nd ne t u paragraph-image\">\n<div class=\"nf ng br nh v\">\n<div class=\"t u po\">\n<div class=\"ir y br nl\">\n<div class=\"pp y\">\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"rf sr z ab ac fs v np\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/miro.medium.com\/max\/1784\/1%2AcHpc7B3I2XHhWmrUek2qYw.png?resize=580%2C446&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"580\" height=\"446\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<ul class=\"\">\n<li id=\"06c8\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb oe hd of ml og mn oh mp oi hl hm hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Finding the right To Do list is difficult. Remember The Milk is pretty good at this but there might be better ones. m.rememberthemilk.com doesn\u2019t seem to follow a drag and drop prioritization, so you\u2019ll need to move items up and down in your list using the \u201cprioritization\u201d flag. This is particularly important because most ads will only show between 2 and 5 list items.<\/li>\n<li id=\"6922\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb mr hd ms ml mt mn mu mp mv hl hm hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The trickiest thing is finding a To Do list that will display nicely in the ad space. m.rememberthemilk does a nice job by using very little room on the top and no navigation. To get this really right, you\u2019d likely have to call and API for RTM and do a custom display.<\/li>\n<li id=\"c704\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb mr hd ms ml mt mn mu mp mv hl hm hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Ideally, it would be good to customize the way that the To Do list displays based on the display size (e.g., if the space is too small, don\u2019t try to display the To Do List).<\/li>\n<li id=\"ce6d\" class=\"gy gz ct ax ha b hb mr hd ms ml mt mn mu mp mv hl hm hn ho\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">I only need to see my To Do list once per page. If I have more than one ad on a page, I might want to have an inspirational quote in the other ad space.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Note: Right after I posted this, Google Contributor completely changed so this is no longer possible. The Idea in 150 words: When I\u2019m surfing the web I want to get something done \u2014 but ads want me to do something else (like buy something). I can\u2019t get upset at the ads because that\u2019s their job [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[50,75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-product-management","category-technology"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8wCkz-H4","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":295,"url":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/owning-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":2670,"position":0},"title":"Stop The Things That We Own From Owning Us","author":"Robert Schlaff","date":"January 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"We are currently in an attention economy. Companies like Google, Facebook and many others are trying to convince you to spend as much time as possible on the web viewing ads. This is not in your best interest. My Solution: (Go to Medium for the Full Story): I figured out\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Life Hacking&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Life Hacking","link":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/category\/life-hacking\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4288,"url":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/future-of-tv\/","url_meta":{"origin":2670,"position":1},"title":"Future of TV","author":"Robert Schlaff","date":"March 13, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"2010 was the year that TV officially married the Internet. Actually this was the year that the Internet proposed and TV ran off into the hills. This wasn't the first year that the Internet and TV have been dating. There have been internet enabled TVs (IP TV's) for many years.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Product Management&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Product Management","link":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/category\/product-management\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3844,"url":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/how-to-give-a-great-birthday-present-during-coronavirus\/","url_meta":{"origin":2670,"position":2},"title":"How to Give a Great Birthday Present During Coronavirus","author":"Robert Schlaff","date":"October 30, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"My wonderful mother-in-law was having a milestone birthday last month. In normal times we could have flown down to visit her, had a big party, and celebrated in style. But obviously, we can't do that. So we needed to figure out a different way to celebrate her big birthday. So\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;COVID&quot;","block_context":{"text":"COVID","link":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/category\/covid\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/201512-omag-perfect-949x534-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/201512-omag-perfect-949x534-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/201512-omag-perfect-949x534-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/201512-omag-perfect-949x534-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":369,"url":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/alexa-and-google-in-our-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":2670,"position":3},"title":"Alexa and Google in Our Home","author":"Robert Schlaff","date":"January 17, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"In our home, we have a rule that there are no phones at the dinner table. We do this so everyone is paying attention to each other \u2014 not their phones. When a person has a phone at the table, it lets them be alone, even if they are sitting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Kids&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Kids","link":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/category\/kids\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/englishatwaterloo.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/students-texting.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/englishatwaterloo.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/students-texting.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1 1x, https:\/\/englishatwaterloo.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/students-texting.jpg?w=525&h=300&crop=1 1.5x, https:\/\/englishatwaterloo.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/students-texting.jpg?w=700&h=400&crop=1 2x, https:\/\/englishatwaterloo.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/students-texting.jpg?w=1050&h=600&crop=1 3x, https:\/\/englishatwaterloo.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/students-texting.jpg?w=1400&h=800&crop=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2478,"url":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/coronavirus-prevention-everything-great-is-bad-for-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":2670,"position":4},"title":"Coronavirus Prevention &#8211; Everything Great is Bad for You","author":"Robert Schlaff","date":"March 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: All the things that make a great social event like large groups, diverse groups of people, and close connections also create a great environment to spread coronavirus. After the pandemic is over, it's worth using the coronavirus prevention guidelines, and going against them, to find great events. What makes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;COVID&quot;","block_context":{"text":"COVID","link":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/category\/covid\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":934,"url":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/saving-money-by-paying-more\/","url_meta":{"origin":2670,"position":5},"title":"&#8220;Saving Money&#8221; by Paying More for Netflix","author":"Robert Schlaff","date":"March 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"In an earlier piece, I talked about how\u00a0NetFlix's move to a\u00a0subscription model. Why was this subscription model so important?\u00a0 It made me think of some research that I did on how people think about money about 10 years ago. One of the big findings was that people have good and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ideas&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ideas","link":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/category\/ideas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2670"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6244,"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2670\/revisions\/6244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schlaff.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}