Actually Useful Ads in BlogSpot

Doc Searls points out that the banner ads on BlogSpot sites (like ThesisBlog) contain Google AdWord-like messages that actually pertain to things which interest the blog's owner. For example, in the ad running right now above ThesisBlog (when I view it, anyway), the top item is "Free Software Downloads." I've been looking recently (mostly unsuccessfully) for freeware and shareware to use on my Dell Axim X5 PDA. Mousing over the ad, I get a tooltip saying "go to www.downloadalot.com." Kind of them to tell me in advance where I'm going; I might just click.
Says Doc: ". . . I believe they risk achieving a holy grail of sorts: advertising consumers . . . actually want."

Doc links back to a prescient thought of his from 1997:

Esther Dyson says the big challenge today is not to add value but to subtract garbage. Most advertising is garbage. It's hard to imagine a less efficient way to communicate, or one that wastes more time and materials. Even direct mail, presumably one of the most personal and efficient forms of advertising, is so unwelcome and wasteful that its nickname ? junk mail ? is a synonym for garbage.

The BlogSpot banners have subtracted garbage in at least these ways:

They're light on graphics

They describe their offerings succinctly

They don't rely on annoying animated GIFs, Flash animations, or sounds

Google rose to prominence in part on the strength of its no-nonsense, quick-loading front page. It sells text-only ads (AdWords) I (an active advertising avoider) have clicked on repeatedly. There may be a downside to Google's increasing influence over Web advertising, but I haven't seen it yet.