Where selectively
animated anchors play only when the reader activates them (usually
by mousing over them), animated anchors play continuously. They usually
start when the reader first opens the node.
Time requirements
Efferent information seeking purposes are not usually satisfied by using animated
links, as these links require almost as much time to view as hidden
links to interpret and follow. However, business ads are not always concerned with
providing information, but with enticing clicks. Animated anchors distract
the reader and become the focal point for the reader's attention, thereby
forcing the reader to think about purchasing the product--or at least
a popup nullifier.
Space requirements
Animated anchors pack a lot of content into a limited webspace. This is
time based, streaming content, such as Doonesbury's
[64]miniature cartoon embedded in the anchor menu.
Because animated links spin their message through time, they can tell
a story. An anchor can become a vignette,
giving the emotional allure needed to convince online shoppers that the
ad is not only worth the distraction, it is worth their credit card number.
Emotional payoffs
Afterimage [7] and
The Rainbow Factory [22] use an introductory
animated anchor to set the scene and pace. Afterimage entices readers
with glimpses of the inside landscape, while The Rainbow Factory mocks
reader expectations.
War Games--Catch The LandMine!!
[40] uses a parody of animated ads to gain political converts (to
be horrified at the problem of mines blowing up children) and to gain
sympathy (to be haunted by the images of maimed children accessed by clicking
a tawdry cartoon anchor).
Catching and keeping your eye
Ads meant to distract can:
Continuously broadcast a looped story. These can be a
major component of a site,
such as Doonesbury [64]'s navigational
anchor or a tangential ad.
Appear on the screen, play around a bit to distract the
reader, and settle into a corner, waiting to be clicked.
These are usually advertisements, working to catch the user's attention
eye.
Appear over a primary screen, such as a newspaper, and
either wait for a specified time to disappear or force the reader to
click to read the desired
content.