Claria, the company that is known for their adware, which produces annoying pop-up ads that are based on the user’s web surfing habits, is apparently trying to become more respectable.
It has been rumored that the company has been in buy-out discussions with none other than Microsoft, which is not really news, but the fact that Claria’s new approach is less annoying is something to talk about.
“It was never a destination,” says Claria CEO Jeff McFadden. “There’s a lot of people who aren’t fans of the pop-up model.” Ed Oswald of BetaNews writes:
Claria says that it had never intended to make pop-ups a centerpiece of its strategy. Rather, it was aiming for personalization where ads are served based on surfing habits. A new program due out this month will serve ads to a user’s desktop in this manner, but they will not be in the form of pop-ups.
However, researchers and analysts are skeptical. Questions remain as to how Claria plans to get the program onto computers. In the past, it’s Gator software has come bundled with programs like Kazaa, where the application is sometimes installed without the knowledge of the user.
Claria seems to think that it deserves a second chance. The company wants to work with instant messaging providers as well as companies with toolbars.
They want people to forget about their old ways and see that they’ve changed. Well, good luck with that! Many people hold grudges for their whole lives.
Chris is a staff writer for Murdok. Visit Murdok for the latest ebusiness news.