"Why Don't You Just Switch Off Your Television Set And Go Out And Do Something Less Boring Instead?"

I spend all day glued to a laptop, much of it browser-based. Not many advertisers manage to cut through the clutter with an ad that grabs the eye, holds the attention and gets the message across. And how rare is that?

I store special hatred for those annoying rich media ads. You know the ones, an accidental scroll of the mouse across their annoying hot spots and they expand over the content you originally wanted to see. If they have an X to close the ad, it's near-impossible to see or is so small you the steady hand of brain surgeon to close the damn thing.

I've noticed that since the introduction of a second DVR (why don't TiVo come back to the UK, sniff) into our household, the amount of TV advertising that I'm exposed to has dropped significantly.

Whilst on a Friday afternoon diversion sent to me by a friend who knows I have the attention span of a....ooo, look a shiny piece of paper...

My gaze drifted towards this banner advert for Times Online's Good University Guide - and there's an expression that you don't hear often:

Remind you of anything? Ah yes...

Following on from a previous post about swearing, I couldn't help but add this to the blog after being sent it by friends who are avid watchers of American TV. As a reminder, this all started with US talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel, started a long-running gag about Matt Damon at the end of his shows.

It's not terribly heartening is it? After months of doom and gloom for every news outlet you care to sample about the credit crunch and impending economic doom, you spot this sign as you shamble towards work one morning...

Trying to find instruction manuals online is a pain. I blame Google. Or more specifically, the SEOers who are working the search engine algorithms for the online retailers.

Admittedly, it's taken me an absolute age to sort out my personal blog. I've had one previously, but ran out of time to keep it updated. Fortunately, blogging, social media and community are at the heart of what Chinwag is trying to do, so I get to dabble and it's relevant to the day job sans guilt. Marvellous.

This screen grab is from The Huffington Post. I think it illustrates clearly why Content Management Systems (CMS) can sometimes be a dangerous thing.