This leads to desensitization and a revolt of user. Users resent intrusion, are incensed by coercive tactics of advertisers, nerve wrecked by protracted download times, and unnerved by content of many of ads. This is not an environment conducive to clinching deals or converting to sales.

There is also issue of credibility. The bulk of online advertising emanates from dot.coms. Even prior to recent stock exchange meltdown, these were not considered paragons of rectitude and truth in advertising. People learned to distrust most of what they read in Internet ads. Scorched by scams, false promises, faulty products, shoddy or non-existent customer care, broken links, or all of above - users learned to ignore Web advertising and relegate it to their mental dust bins.

More about credibility on Web here:

The In-Credible Web

Will medium ever recover? Probably not. As Internet is taken over by brick-and-mortar corporations and governments, online fare will come to resemble offline sort. Online ads will be no more than interactive renditions of their offline facsimiles. The revenue model will switch from advertising to subscriptions and "author-pays". The days of free content financed by advertising are over.

This does not mean that days of free content are over as well. It only means that new, improved, realistic, and clutter-free revenue models will have to be found. There are some interesting developments in scholarly online publishing as well as in fields of online reference and self-publishing. But these are early days and medium is dynamic. Ad-driven content was a failure. The next model may be a roaring success - or yet another dismal defeat.

Additional articles about Digital Content on Web:

http://samvak.tripod.com/busiweb.html

http://www.trendsiters.com

Sam Vaknin's eBookWeb.org articles:

http://ebookweb.org.master.com exis/master/search/?q=Vaknin

Sam Vaknin's "InternetContent" Author Archive:

http://www.internetcontent.net/AuthorProfile.asp?AuthorID=14

Essays dedicated to new media, doing business on web, digital content, its creation and distribution, e-publishing, e-books, digital reference, DRM technology, and other related issues.

http://samvak.tripod.com/internet.html

Digital Content on Web Study Modules -

http://www.blackboard.com/courses/digitalcontent/

Additional articles about Digital Content on the Web: http://samvak.tripod.com/busiweb.html http://www.trendsiters.com Sam Vaknin's eBookWeb.org articles: http://ebookweb.org.master.com/texis/master/search/?q=Vaknin Sam Vaknin's "InternetContent" Author Archive: http://www.internetcontent.net/AuthorProfile.asp?AuthorID=14

The unethical site might very well make money faster than ethical site, but would these people be leading happy, productive lives? Or would they wind up eventually with their sites closed down, perhaps in prison, with their money seized and so on? Would they be able to live with themselves or would they consume vast amounts of alcohol and drugs to cover up pain they were feeling for pain they were giving out?

In this example, both sites do communicate (and well) with their target audience. The unethical part is communication that spilled over to people who may not desire it or who may not be entitled to receive communication (underage for example).

Another, more obvious statement, is that you don't want to scream fire in a crowded theater, unless, of course, there is indeed a fire.

Are popups, unders and so on unethical? It depends on how they are used. If popups are blended with site well so that they help deliver communication to target audience, then they do serve a purpose. If they are controlled so they do not FORCE communication upon people who do not desire it, then they are ethical.

In other words, if I visit your site I might expect to see one popup (or under) informing me of an opportunity or giving me some other communication. I should be able to close this without fear of additional popups opening up. The popup should be related to site somehow (otherwise it is an interruption, which is considered rude in most conversations). Under some conditions (the ad for camera which appears all over place, for example), I should be able to opt-out, and my privacy should be protected. There are certainly additional ethical considerations to be taken into account.

By being ethical and communication well, I am delivering my viewpoint to target and not offending non-targets. That means non-targets may return at some time and become targets of communication. In addition, they are less likely to become offended or even become enemies.

That's my 2 cents (well, perhaps my quarter).