JenSense reports on the day I hoped would never come, but, alas, it appears to have reared its ugly head.

Google AdSense is moving beyond the traditional text and graphical advertising to rich media, including interstitials, expanding ads and floating ads. AdSense began contacting publishers last week to be involved in the rich media limited beta test.

For those who don't see the horror that this is, Jen explains:

Interstitials are perhaps the most interesting addition to this rich media beta, because they are a format that people love to hate, and that are often more annoying than pop-ups. You have likely stumbled across an interstitial ad - they appear when you click through to read a page, and before they will show you the page, you are bypassed through to a full page ad that you must view before seeing the actual content you were wanting, often by having to click a link on the interstitial ad page.

In my opinion, this strategy is a bit like selling crack: you know it adds no value whatsoever for anyone, but there's money in it, so you do it. Of course, the problem with the crack business model is that it doesn't really bode well for having a strong brand, or for long-term sustainability. Google may be getting recognition for its brand, but with strategies like this, that recognition might not last.

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