This page illustrates the location of each type of advertisement offered on our site.
Let's begin with the position we call "Primary Space." This is so named because studies have shown that Internet users begin scanning at the top left of a page. An ad in this corner receives the most attention.
Secondary Space is also on the left but possibly below intervening menu items. On our site, this space is usually still "above the fold," meaning it is visible on the screen when the page loads. "Below the fold" refers to content that users will not see until they scroll a page down. Our "Secondary Space" is sometimes below the fold if the user has a small screen and especially when the user is logged in.
Studies show that users scan a page in an F pattern—down the left column and then across the top. Therefore, the next best location for an ad is near the top on the right. In this space we place up to five "Wide Button" ads.
Some material begs for more vertical space. To accomodate this, we offer a "Wide Skyscraper" on the right side of our page. This space is partially below the fold, however, if designed well, this ad format can draw a lot of attention.
On our Forum pages, we offer a traditional banner space or "Leaderboard." This format works well with the layout of the Forum and offers a lot of screen real estate for your ad. Our Forum is one of the busiest areas of the site. (Illustration coming.)
We also intend to offer space for the IAB's two rectangular formats. This remains unavailable at this time.