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Please see the gigantic comment from BarnacleJive at the bottom of this post about the removal of the offending ad placement (it’s been fixed).
I’ve also posted an update to make sure everyone gets the other side of the story in this gripping iPhone saga.
BOYCOTT EXPLOSIVE DIARRHEA refers to an iPhone app, not a personal problem that I may or may not have on a daily basis. I’m asking everyone who reads this to boycott this app and BarnacleJive Software in general.
The app itself is nothing to get excited about… tap the screen to make a fart noise and that’s about it. Here’s the problem: if you want to change the fart to one of the other five lame sound effects you have to tap the “info” icon which is very strategically placed on top of an ad.
I don’t know if Apple SDK restricts the placement of that icon (doubt it), but even if they do there’s already an ad at the top of this loser app, and there doesn’t need to be another one at the bottom. I generally try to avoid using any true “swear” words on this site, but putting the info icon on top of an ad is a shitty practice that I truly hope doesn’t become an App Store trend and, frankly, I think it should be banned by Apple. I don’t blame BarnacleJive Software for wanting to make a buck on this freebie, but the blatant overlapping of ad and function is grounds for boycott in my book.
Interestingly, the screenshot of this app in the iTunes App Store doesn’t show an advertisement at the bottom of the screen, it only shows the info icon. Deceptive and intentional? Looks like it to me.
And it gets better… BarnacleJive has two other fart apps on the market: I Luv to iFart and iFart Alert, clearly named to piggyback on iFart Mobile’s popularity. Functionally, both are carbon copies of Explosive Diarrhea (but with different screen images) and both use the same icon-ad overlap.
(stepping high onto my soapbox now)
Developers, nobody minds if you want to cash in on the Fart Craze, but I think I can speak for most when I say that engaging in this kind of practice is simply UNACCEPTABLE. Everyone hates websites that trick users into false ad clicks and the same holds true for iPhone content.
Readers, please join me in boycotting everything made by BarnacleJive Software until they change their ways. It’s a shame, too, because they seem to be building a decent catalog of non-BS iPhone titles.
If you’re one of the people at BarnacleJive and you decide that it’s just not worth getting this kind of “buzz”, please send me an update when the ads and info icons are completely separated and I’ll post the update for you on this site.
See the bottom right corner... that overlap is obviously intentional and, imo, a VERY bad move on the developer's part
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on Jan 22nd, 2009 at 2:11 am
It really annoys me that apps like this even make their way into the App Store!
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on Jan 22nd, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Its not Apple – its a matter of people buying crapware like this…..
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on Jan 22nd, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Maybe it’s not deliberate. Maybe they just suck at development. No wonder it’s free.
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Michael (Admin) reply on January 22nd, 2009 6:51 pm:
I think it’s a little of Column A and a little of Column B! Three nearly-identical apps that pull the same cheap stunt screams “we need money and this is the best we could come up with”
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on Jan 24th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
This is your second review I read, and once again your opinion is soooo lame. Who are you to ask us to boycott an app ? If YOU don’t like it , WE might like it. Come on !!!!
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Michael (Admin) reply on January 24th, 2009 6:14 pm:
Hey iBlackdude, I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree. This app is garbage and the thing with the ad just makes it even worse.
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on Feb 3rd, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Hello,
I’d like to note that the Ad at the bottom of the fart apps has been removed. It was not my intention to “trick” users into clicking on the ad.
As developers probably know, Apple provides basic templates for certain types of apps. The fart apps use the “flip” template you are probably familiar with – it always has the “i” button in the lower right.
When designing the interface I added the ad in the typical spot, at the bottom. I tested the app to ensure that it did not interfere with the “i”. It didn’t, in fact I had a problem getting the ad to invoke unless I clicked pretty far away from the “i”. The actual ‘touch area’ surrounding the “i” actually extends out beyond the visible icon. I did figure it was probably not the best placement, but it beat putting on in the middle of the screen, so I posted the app with this placement.
Almost immediately after the app became available the ad providing company, AdMob, contacted me directly and said the ad placement was in violation of their guidelines, and that they had stopped serving ads to my apps. If I wanted ads to appear I would have to remove the ad and submit an update.
So I quickly removed the ad and posted an update. The update excluding the lower ad has since been approved by Apple and AdMob, and I suggest you update if you have the app.
As far as you not liking the app, or fart apps in general – fine, don’t download them.
As a developer I have spent countless hours since the day the SDK was released learning how to program for the iPhone. I have made several other (non-fart) apps that are very popular and people really enjoy. I don’t understand why anyone would be personally offended by the fact that I would apply the skills I have learned to cash in on what is self-admitted a really stupid little concept – that is, the whole fart app “craze”.
I admit that the ad placement was poor judgment, and I regret that that action has lead to an otherwise very reputable software development operation to be criticized because of it. BarnacleJive software primary sells educational and general lifestyle and utility apps. The paid apps have no ads.
The decision to release multiple versions of the same app, and to use the generic “iFart” name in the title of one of them is just marketing. Again these apps are all FREE, ignore them if you want, download them if you’re interested in 1 second of entertainment, either way it costs you nothing.
The decision to boycott my entire body of work because a couple ad placements annoys you a little is wrong. Again, it was poor judgment to place an ad there, but accidental clicks cost the the user nothing but a couple seconds of wasted time. On the other hand, a boycott of my apps has the potential of really affecting what I have worked so hard to accomplish (stupid fart apps excluded), and is not fair.
Now that I have responded, explained, and apologized – I hope the poster of this boycott will hold up his post an update on this site regarding the matter.
In addition, since this post no longer applies, I would appreciate the removal of BarnacleJive Software’s name. Leaving this post available would be just as bad as me not removing the ad. I understand that you might not like the trend towards ads in apps, or fart/stupid apps, so maybe write an alternate post about that. Hey, even include that out-of-date screen shot of my app as an example/warning of what not to do, but leaving the post as-is with just separate update saying “oh by the way they removed that ad” isn’t going to fair either at this point.
Thanks,
Michael
BarnacleJive Software
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Michael (Admin) reply on February 4th, 2009 3:07 am:
Thanks Michael, I appreciate your taking the time to reply with such detail.
Again, I don’t fault you one bit for wanting to make some money on a free app… and the presence of ads in iPhone apps really doesn’t bother me at all… but this thing just looked sooooo deliberate I couldn’t NOT say something, just like when I was ripping on a certain app back in August because it cost $1000 and was apparently targeted at people with money but no brains. I won’t name the app because that’ll just bring more traffic to this particular post, but I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.
I’m sorry if this post has hurt your business, which frankly it probably hasn’t because I doubt this website wields that kind of power, but nonetheless I’m glad you’ve “fixed” the apps in question!
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