Advertiser Frequently Asked Questions

The following questions are commonly asked by advertisers. This page is modified regularly as new questions arise. Please know that we try our best to be flexible and responsive to the needs of our sponsors who ultimately make this service possible.

   • What is the minimum ad size available?
   • What is the cost for an ad?
   • How long will my ad appear online?
   • Do you offer volume discounts or pro-rated ad rates?
   • Do you accept goods or services in a barter exchange for payment?
   • Can I reserve a specific location on the grid?
   • Can I upgrade my ad to a larger size in the future?
   • Can I request a new location for an existing ad?
   • What graphic file formats are accepted?
   • Can you create my ad for me?
   • Can I change or rotate my creative during the year?
   • Can I sell my ad to another advertiser?
   • Can I specify different links for my ad and sponsor listing?
   • What restrictions are placed on where my ad can link to?
   • Can I change the destination of my link?
   • Can I designate a relative ad size based on the plans of another advertiser?

What is the minimum ad size available?
The minimum ad unit available is a four-block square (each block measures 10 pixels wide by 10 pixels tall). The entire ad grid (appearing on our home page and also as a mask covering our puzzle) measures 96 blocks wide by 96 blocks tall resulting in a maximum possible ad width or height of 96 blocks. Multiple contiguous blocks can be combined to form nearly any size or shape configuration you may require (square, horizontal rectangle, vertical rectangle, and non-standard shapes subject to our approval). Fractional blocks are not available.
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What is the cost for an ad?
Calculating the cost of an ad is simple and requires just three items — desired width (in blocks), desired height (in blocks), and whether or not you want a preferred or random placement on the grid.

Basic Ads — A basic ad cost $25.00 (USD) per unit and is placed on the grid in a location at our complete discretion — this is an important concept because the placement of each ad will reveal puzzle elements hidden underneath. (For Example: A Basic Ad measuring 5 blocks wide by 5 blocks tall is 25 square blocks, therefore 25 * $25 = $625.00)

Premium Ads — A premium ad cost $30.00 (USD) per unit and is placed on the grid as near as possible to your requested location as the grid allows. Note the availability of grid locations visible to the public may differ from real-time availability given other insertions already in queue. (For Example: A Premium Ad measuring 10 blocks wide by 5 blocks tall is 50 square blocks, therefore 50 * $30 = $1,500.00)
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How long will my ad appear online?
Each individual ad, as well as the corresponding links from our Sponsor Grid and Sponsor Listing pages, will be visible through August 31, 2008. We've based our service and the corresponding contests around a series of promotions, the most prominent of which has a legal duration of one year beginning September 1, 2007 and concluding on August 31, 2008. The duration of your ad is determined primarily by the date you join as an advertising sponsor. Sorry, we do not offer monthly, partial-year or pro-rated participation. Once we place your ad online, the footprint of your ad reveals the corresponding puzzle elements hidden underneath, so we're unable to allow partial-term participation.
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Do you offer volume discounts or pro-rated ad rates?
No — we do not offer discounts on the purchase of multiple ad blocks. All calculations are based on the respective per unit price multiplied by the total number of units being purchased (a unit being a single 10x10 pixel block). Our year begins on September 1, 2007 and concludes on August 31, 2008. We do not pro-rate the cost of our ads for partial year participation, rather encourage advertisers to sign early to gain the maximum sustained online benefit through their participation in our program.
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Do you accept goods or services in a barter exchange for payment?
No — we do not accept any form of barter payment in exchange for advertising space on our grid.
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Can I reserve a specific location on the grid?
Yes — you can reserve a specific location on the grid by signing and submitting an insertion order with payment corresponding to the size ad you wish to place. Once payment confirmation has been received, your space will be reserved in our system. We will not mark the space as reserved, nor will we reveal any puzzle elements hidden underneath until your actual creative has been received and approved. Note that reservation of a specified location is, by definition, a Premium Ad and therefore is calculated at the cost of $30.00 per block. Sorry, partial payment is not sufficient to reserve your space on the grid.
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Can I upgrade my ad to a larger size in the future?
Yes — depending upon the location of your ad and our available inventory, you may be able to upgrade your ad to a larger size. This is only possible when the location and footprint of your original ad will be encompassed by the new, larger ad unit. When upgrading an ad, the portion being upgraded is considered a Premium Ad since the location of that new portion is being specified on our grid (all subject to availability).

For Example: If your original ad was a Basic Ad measuring 10 blocks wide by 3 blocks tall (30 blocks @ $25 per block for a total of $750) and you decide to upgrade to 10 blocks wide by 6 blocks tall, you would essentially be purchasing a 10x3 Premium Ad ($900) to be placed immediately above or below your current ad. You would first need to confirm availability (by phone or email) to ensure no other ads in process will block your desired location. Once confirmed and processed, you can supply new creative for the new overall ad size of 10 blocks wide by 6 blocks tall (100 by 60 pixels).
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Can I request a new location for an existing ad?
No — once an ad has been placed on our grid and the corresponding puzzle elements underneath have been revealed, we cannot move your ad to a different location on our grid. If you wish to change the overall size or configuration of your ad, it may be possible to do so, but will depend upon the availability of our ever-changing inventory. (See the question immediately above about upgrading an ad to a larger size).
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What graphic file formats are accepted?
We prefer .gif or .jpg format files (sent in their native, flattened, uncompressed format). All creative should be sent sized to the exact pixel dimensions and orientation for which you have purchased (e.g. - An ad 7 blocks wide by 4 blocks tall is 70 pixels wide by 40 pixels tall, the file must measure those dimensions exactly). We do not allow animated .gif files, Flash, Shockwave or other animated files. We reserve the right to reject any creative we deem to be inappropriate, offensive or not in the spirit of the community using our service. Receipt of creative smaller than the designated size may be placed on the grid with an approximate color match filling the remaining space. Receipt of creative larger than the designated size may be truncated at the top, bottom, left or right to fit the available space.
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Can you create my ad for me?
While we prefer to receive supplied files, it may be possible to create a basic ad sized to your specifications. This service is available for a minimum additional charge of $50.00 (USD) and subject to our discretion based on a discussion of your needs. We will be as flexible as possible, but cannot engage in multiple rounds of creative approval and edits.
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Can I change or rotate my creative during the year?
Depending upon the size and age of your ad, you may be eligible to make a change in your creative, but your new creative must be sized to the exact footprint of your existing ad. There can be no exceptions to this policy following our official launch since a change in size may impact another advertiser and may also impact the puzzle elements visible underneath your ad. To be eligible, your existing creative must be at least three (3) months old and must occupy at least least eighty (80) contiguous blocks in any configuration.
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Can I sell my ad to another advertiser?
No — we do not allow ads on our service to be traded or resold by anyone on our behalf. If you wish to surrender the footprint of an existing ad in favor of a larger placement or alternate location, we may be able to help based on new advertisements. You would first need to process your new advertisement. If and when we can replace the entire footprint of your original ad, you would receive a full credit for the value of your original to be used at any time in the future on this site. Sorry, but we will not issue cash refunds.
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Can I specify different links for my ad and sponsor listing?
Yes — you can specify one target destination for your creative and a different target for your inclusion on our 'Sponsor' page. The sponsor page includes two (2) hyperlinks for each sponsor — one link is the company name and the other is a hot-linked target URL. Company names should not be modified to influence their appearance on an alphabetical sort.
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What restrictions are placed on where my ad can link to?
Your ad graphic can link to any web address you specify (subject to our terms and conditions), but each advertiser is responsible for ensuring their target link will be valid through July 31, 2008 (the end of the initial contest period). It is the responsibility of each advertiser to ensure the continued accuracy of their link during the term of their sponsorship. If we discover or are notified of a broken link, we may edit the target for your link to your home page or some other page as we determine in our sole discretion.
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Can I change the destination of my link?
Each advertiser shall be entitled to make one change to their target hyperlink, if needed. It the responsibility of each advertiser to maintain proper redirects to ensure their link delivers a user to a live Web page on your site and that any such page is in compliance with our advertiser terms and conditions. We reserve the right to change any such target link without notice if we determine an advertiser is not in compliance with our terms of use.
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Can I designate a relative ad size based on the plans of another advertiser?
Our discussions with each individual advertiser are treated as confidential and will not be shared with any other party. The only ads we will discuss are those currently visible to a general online audience visiting our home page. We will only discuss ad shape and dimensions. Please respect our need to keep all other details about current and future advertising private.
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Note: We review all graphic content prior to inclusion on our grid and also each target page linked to from our site. We reserve the right to reject either graphic or link or both. We will not knowingly link to sites containing illegal or objectionable material and will use our sole discretion to remove or redirect such links for the protection of our site visitors. Any advertisement found to be in violation of this policy will result in the removal of both the ad and hyperlink without any reimbursement or compensation to the advertiser. We encourage all site users to report questionable or broken links.