A thing about ads is: I actually like them. One of the reasons I used to buy magazines was to read the ads. It gave me a really good idea about the different

A thing about ads is: I actually like them. One of the reasons I used to buy magazines was to read the ads. It gave me a really good idea about the different types of tech that were available in whatever industry I was curious about at that time. My problem with most web ads is that they just feel like scams. The barrier to entry for web ads is so low, that anybody can take out any ad for any thing, and there really is no filter. Sure there were always ads for penis pills (or a speaker that makes your car sound like it has a turbo!) in the back of the magazine, but now those ads are showing up for me right in the metaphorical front. Here's what I really wish existed: an opt-in ad network. You agree to have ads shown to you, and you tell the advertisers what you are interested in, then they show you ads for things you care about. For instance: I'm leaving for burning man this weekend. I would LOVE to see ads about headlamps, or cheap EL wire, or a deal on Cliff Bars; stuff like that. Or usually: I would love to see [curated] ads for web hosting, new restaurants in Phoenix, or cheap airfair to SF. Maybe that should be my next project: a curated ad network.