I’ve decided to take all the Windows IT Pro feeds out of my newsreader. Why? Because they use the hideous IntelliTXT sponsored-link technology provided by Vibrant Media. Take a look at this post for an example. The green underlined words, which are designed to look almost exactly like hyperlinks, are actually ads. Hover your mouse over the link, even accidentally, and a pop-up box appears. Click one, and you visit an advertiser’s page in a new browser window.
Ugh. It’s deceptive and obnoxious. I’m not going to support publishers who use this technology.
Update: ActiveWin.com uses the same annoying ads.
Ed Bott 
Thank you! I’ve noticed this mess creeping into more and more sites most all of them news sites and it’s as if some evil cartoon character is behind the scenes thinking of ways to tee me off.
I don’t really think they’re that obtrusive… and the advertisers all seem to use double underlined links, so I’ve just learned not to click those. I think we should adopt a convention on the web – single underline for hyperlinks, double for ads, and dotted for pop up explanatory text.
Ryan, try viewing the site using Firefox, where the double underlines look like a thick single underline.
Also, look at the hyperlinks on this site. Like many Web designers, I’ve customized the look of hyperlinks to match my site design. IMO, content should not be mixed with ads.
Heya
I’ve noticed them – I haven’t, however, seen them as that intrusive. Of course, I’d hate to read a paragraph, but when rare they’re less intrusive than the normal ads.
I want a better ad solution, though, than plastering them everywhere. The Web should be able to find it. Hmm, off to the drawing board.