Internet Ads, Political Blogs, and the People Who Read Them

In an attempt to gather information about politics, I followed a link to an article on www.newsmax.com. I know that Newsmax is favored by some conservative readers for its red-meat-rich, right-wing slant on things. The article proved less informative than I had hoped, but I was really taken aback by the many colorful and flashing advertisements splashed all over the screen.

Now, normally, you can tell something about a website, television program, or magazine by looking at its advertisements. Usually, the content and the advertisements have some common theme that binds them together. Here were the ads that I saw on Newsmax:

[On image of man’s silhouette scratching his head] 2007: A Year of Financial Reckoning – Free Report, Click Here

[Embedded within article] SPONSORS: TheDietList® World’s Largest Source Of Weight Loss Info; Retire Overseas Live in Paradise.Free Report.; Are Pheromones a Secret Weapon for Dating? ; Free Survival Books — No Strings Attached!; Live Like a Millionaire without the Price Tag?; Get Natural Energy And Strength Without Exercise?!; Are You Guilty Of Exalting Evil?

Norwich University: Master of Arts in Diplomacy. A unique blend of an online Global Affairs curriculum with a concentration your area of expertise. Global Affairs – International Terrorism – International Conflict Management – International Commerce

[Over an image of gold bars in a safe] Earn 3% monthly – 100% secure – Professionally Managed – No Fees – Totally Passive = ZERO WORK

Discover the Forbidden Attraction Secrets the Liberal Media does not want you to know – [image of pretty woman playing with her hair] – Men: Do you Hate Rejection by Women? Click here now – [image of another attractive woman’s smiling face] – How Women Will Approach You First: Learn How! – [image of yet another attractive woman]

[Over an image of a well-muscled man wearing mirrored sunglasses and wearing a shoulder holster] Good news about looming disaster … It’s easy, inexpensive, fun to get prepared.

[Over an image of a well-muscled man’s chest] Build Muscle Burn Fat FAST! Simple! Step-by-step. Optimum Anabolics.

Sneaky Way to Make Money. It takes 5 minutes – but you get paid for months. Here’s How!

Diabetic? Tired of Medications that don’t work? The best alternative is here. 100% Money Back Guaranteed. Milagro de la Silva [Small logo of a leafy plant]

WARNING: Don’t get your body in shape until you read this. Click here.

Get Fit NOW – [Cartoon picture of bald man with beard and six-pack abs] – Master Your Own Bodyweight.

To be fair, I then decided to take a look at a left-wing site to see what kind of ads are offered there. Here’s what I found at www.DailyKos.com:

[Next to cartoon drawing of eight women talking to each other, some holding babies or playing with children] Mothertalkers: Visit a different kind of mom’s club – passion for politics – hope for social justice – disdain the mommy wars

HBO DOCUMENTARY FILMS PRESENTS “GHOSTS OF ABU GHRAIB” A film by Rory Kennedy “THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A LITTLE BIT OF TORTURE” – Alfred McCoy, Author A Question of Torture. Ghosts of Abu Ghraib. Thursday, February 22. 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. Only on HBO. [Includes sepia-toned photograph of dreary hallway]

OUR PRESIDENT. OUR CHOICE. DRAFTGORE.COM. Sign Our Petition. Visit Draft Gore. Contribute to Our Efforts. Read More… [Includes picture of smiling, bearldess Al Gore superimposed over picture of Earth seen from orbit]

The REAL State of the Union Address. Ever wonder what would happen if Bush wrote his own State of the Union address? WE HAVE THE VIDEO! “Absolutely wonderful!” –Helen Thomas [Includes picture of President Bush with oversized cartoon cowboy hat and thought balloon reading “If only I could write my own “State of Union Address…”]

LISTEN NOW! THE FREEDOM TOAST CDs!

FREE group organizing on Zanby.com. Are you tired of paying for your group’s organizing platform and not getting the functionality you need? Try Zanby.com, a free set of open source group organizing tools that includes a full-featured calendaring system, RSVP and anonymous invitations, document and photo upload, email tools, forums, and highly customizable administrative and privacy levels for group membership and content. We care about every one of our groups — and we are getting better all the time.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: 800 Tech Corp offers a complete laptop repair service with a wide range of service and support options. We are prepared to handle your service needs, from the simplest repairs to high level integrated components replacement and repair. Simply open new case ONLINE and ship us your broken device for the 100% free estimate and diagnostics!

SINGLE ??? LIBERAL ??? Find LOVE at DemocraticMatch.Com!!! Finding a partner with similar values is important to a harmonious relationship. Join Democratic Match today and start meeting compatible, politically aware singles near you! Click ‘Read More’ below and sign in to DemocraticMatch.Com right now for FREE!

Free Solar System Installations. Concerned about global warming? Tired of polluting coal plants? Stop enabling the destruction of the environment every month when you pay your electric bill. Reduce your carbon footprint by buying green solar power at rates less than or equal to utility rates in 40 states. Signup for a 25yr Home PV System Rental. No System Purchase. Free Installation. No Rate Increases. Say No to Coal & Nuclear Power. Join the solution to eliminate the global warming damage caused by your electricity usage.

PROTEST BUSH! SHOW YOUR OUTRAGE! Protest with a weeping flag tee, mug, magnet or pin. We donate 20% of each sale to an organization you choose. Join the millions of Americans who are outraged by Bush Administration policies. Iraq, the deficit, the lack of accountability – and more – all jeopardize our liberty, our security and our standing in the world. Buy a weeping flag product and join the protest against this administration. We donate 20% PROTEST BUSH! SHOW YOUR OUTRAGE!

The Stump of Life. A personal blog wherein the truth is stated in the utmost terms.

Join EFF now! Support Bloggers’ Rights!

DailyKos Store. Shirts. Stickers. Bags. Etc….

Both sites have similar amounts of advertising; DailyKos has one more, but it is advertising itself, which is not quite the same thing. Both ads include demonization of the other side of the political spectrum (the DailyKos ads a little more so, I think) and both offer mate-finding services. The advertisements on DailyKos are longer in text and are more explicitly political in nature, mainly playing on liberal outrage that conservatives have been running the government for the past six years. The Newsmax advertisements are pretty much apolitical, except for the reference to the liberal media being somehow to blame for the readers’ lack of success with women, and focus mainly on money and physical fitness (which is a proxy for being sexually attractive to women).

Conclusion: Newsmax advertisers sell with greed and lust; DailyKos advertisers sell with flattery and outrage. Newsmax advertisers think that Newsmax readers are a bunch of greedy, overweight, paranoid, socially inept men. DailyKos advertisers think that DailyKos readers are a bunch of angry, self-righteous, and intellectually arrogant women with poor organizational skills, some of whom have trouble finding mates. Note that this is not necessary what the readers of these two sites really are, but it is an indication of what the people with advertising dollars think they are.