Open note to CNN.com regarding video ads

I emailed this to CNN.com ... but I also know that that probably gets tossed in the bit bucket. This is MY bit bucket for Google to index and all to see, even if only a few do.

The amount and length of the ads CNN.com places before video segments has become prohibitive.

* Much more of your content is video based now

* To watch even a 15 second clip (not counting replays of the same thing ... like the Stupak baby killer video) I have to watch a 30 second advertisement.

* To watch another clip I have to watch another advertisement.

Suggestions:

> Shorter clips.

> Longer clips only on longer videos

> Track how many ads I've seen recently so I don't have to see a new one just to watch another short clip. A 4:1 ratio of ad length to clip length (cumulative) is the max I'm going to go for.

> Vary the ads ... seeing the SAME ad over and over is horrible

> Seek out ads that aren't identical to the ones we see on TV

> Examine the Hulu model of letting us choose the style and length of Ad we want

Until then, I will just keep closing windows as "not worth it", and start looking for my news elsewhere. Like I just did when I was going to have to watch 30 seconds of Donald Trump and his impersonator -again- just to see if 4 servicepeople made good music. I'll never know. Or if I do know ... I'll know by watching them somewhere else.

MySpace just jumped the shark.

MySpace just jumped the shark and decided to sell user data to 3rd party firms.

I haven't used MySpace much for years now anyway, so the answer for me was simple: leave.

If you're in the same boat ... make sure you actually edit your user data before deleting your account. Change things like your First / Last name, home town, etc to "PRIVATE". Delete your photos. Message your friends and then un-friend them. If you just delete your account or set it inactive then all that does is stop you from logging it in, but in theory (who knows what their practice here will be) the data will stay in their systems. If they're going to sell your data ... give them bad data to sell.

Take this as a warning Facebook and Twitter ... if you sell my data I will pollute it and leave. I don't care if you set up ad targeting systems so that the ads I see are relevant to me, but don't be turning into the next generation of spam lists. That's not what I signed up for.