Examples and Screen Shots
of TopText at work

Below are examples of TopText Links. When the surfer mouses over these types of links they will highlight bright yellow. Currently it is estimated that there are well over 120 million IE browsers with this TopText plug-in. Biased on our current estimations software with TopText included is downloaded at a rate of approximately 100 thousand downloads per week.

Some of you might have seen these types of links during your travels on the web without fully knowing or understanding where they came from. If your browser displays these links it is because your computer is infected with TopText which is generally distributed with Kazza Media Desktop or iMesh, however you may have acquired it by other means as well.TopText in an Internet Explorer plug-in distributed by Ezula and is an add-on component bundled with other software.

Another version of this type of linking is Surf+. These links use a green/blue highlight over the words or phrases - please note that although currently they have suspended broadcasting their links they may reappear at any time. (If you wish to see a small screenshot of Surf+ Click here.)

Special TopText & Surf+ UpDate 11/02/04 We have discovered that there are Contextual Advertising Links which look very similar to TopText & Surf+ links which are legitimate and sponsored by participating web sites for more information click here!

 

This is a small screen shot example of a TopText link.

Important Note: There is another spyware program called "ClientMan" which displays links very similar to TopText Links. Although it is not related to TopText it does display the yellow links in a similar way. It also opens pop-up ads. Its operator, odysseusmarketing, is Walt Rines, a notorious spammer. It claims to be written for him by nostrumindia.com, a software development company. I am waiting for more information on this new "pest", however, I have been told that the latest version of Spybot with the latest updates should be able to target it. Another alarming aspect of "ClientMan" is that it can by-pass ZoneAlarm's Firewall program. When "ClientMan" installs itself it automatically clicks to "yes" and "always" button of ZoneAlarm to allow it full access to the internet without the user knowing.

Below is a simulated example of how a TopText link responds when a user places thier mouse over the link.

Place your mouse over the words TopText. Notice how it highlights bright yellow and on a PC a description box generally opens up giving a description or information of the advertiser. (Please note: These links are primarily displayed through PC Internet Explorer Browsers. They do not usually show up with NetScape or other browsers even if TopText is installed on the users computer.) These links "steal" web traffic off of a site and send the viewers to one of eZula's paid advertisers! (See our WebMaster Section for more information

What is amazing is that if the word or phrase has been purchased by multiple advertisers with eZula or has attached it's self to matching text string link on a web site the consumer with TopText installed on his I.E. Browser is presented with a drop down menu when the link is clicked allowing the surfer to choose other options. Isn't that convenient for these unethical advertisers!

Here are several examples of how web sites are effected by competitor linking using eZula TopText linking. Although in our examples we are showing design and hosting firms the effect would be the same for any other type of business -- the only thing that would change is the targeted words. If we looked at banking or financial web sites the words would have been credit cards, interest rates, mortgages etc. eZula is selling links to new words daily and we are actively trying to find and document them. Check our KeyWords list to see the most recent words and phrases that are currently in use.

Example One Search Engines

In this first example notice how these links can attach themselves to any standard search engine. These links always appear in the upper range of the the displayed page. For those of us struggling to improve our search engine rankings and are lucky enough to work our way to the top all our work becomes moot because there are now links to other locations placed in our site descriptions by the very words we used to get us there in the first place! In addition, many search engines require web sites to pay a fee to be listed. These links essentially ride on the search engine’s infrastructure without paying any fees, and may dilute the value of advertising you purchased directly from the search engine by broadcasting the display of these unauthorized competitor links. Click on the image to see a larger view This is a clear violation of regulations set down by the FTC against unfair competition in the market place. Please take the time to check out our legal information section to file a complaint against eZula with the FTC! As of this writing we know of only one search engine that is actively partnered with eZula and that is LookSmart. For more information on this please see Thiefware's report at http://www.thiefware.com/looksmart.ezula.shtml

Not only do these links appear in public search engines but also within the body of individual web sites as in the case of the next several examples. None of these companies included these links leading out to competitors but they are there none the less. These links can be very misleading. On one site an owner had a statement that they did not allow gambling sites - the word gambling was transformed into a link for a gambling site. This is very confusing to the viewer -- If the company does not allow gambling sites why in the world are they sending you to one! (Although our examples are related to web design, these links cover a wide range of industries and other business categories. Check our KeyWords list to see the most recent words and phrases that are currently in use.)

Example Two

Click on the image to see a larger view

Example Three

Click on the image to see a larger view

Example Four

Click on the image to see a larger view

Example Five

Click on the image to see a larger view

 

 

Based on this news report it looks like Kazaa and eZula might be gearing up for a more aggressive use of the TopText plug-in ad champagnes!

New Kazaa Could Ignite More Controversy
The owner of the widely used Kazaa file-swapping software, Sharman Networks, has launched a significantly expanded version of its controversial P2P (peer-to-peer) application. Additionally, the company has signed an agreement with a European Internet service provider that will actively promote Kazaa. Users have downloaded the previous version of Kazaa about 119 million times, according to Sharman. The program enables users to download digital media files of all kinds from the hard drives of other Kazaa users. Billions of audio, video and other files have been downloaded by users scattered around the world. The new version includes a search tool that allows users to search for ordinary Web pages. P2P industry observers noted that this utility could mean Web surfers will spend more time using Kazaa. In conjunction with the launch of this feature, Sharman Networks will begin selling keywords to Web merchants and others who want to promote their goods and services by displaying them prominently in Web search results. The new Kazaa also includes a playlist tool that enables users to download entire albums as easily as they previously downloaded single songs.
Sept 2002
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/19477.html

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