CNBC Has The Right Idea, But Misses In Execution

In doing my morning clickery through the Interweb Tubes today, I came across this post on CNBC describing how concerns over the solvency of European banks are affecting US stock prices, particularly in the banking sector. Within that piece are links to video definitions of terms such as Federal Reserve, hedge funds and short selling. What a great idea! We hear these things so many times, but lots of us don't know what they mean.

Here's a sample from their text, links included, emphasis in the original.

There’s also the problem with hedge funds (explain this) trying to hedge exposure to European banks. The short-selling (explain this) ban on European banks makes hedging exposure more difficult. One response by some hedge funds will be to short U.S. banks as a proxy.

It's a great idea, but poorly executed. I was hoping that the video would come up in a little lightbox over the page, but instead it takes you to a different page and begins playing an ad. Yuck!

First, if you're going to explain something to me, don't make it how Defenulax can cure my Obstructive Bowel Disorder, but there is a chance of side effects including bad breath and an unnatural attraction to marsupials. I feel like I've just been bamboozled into watching an ad.

Second, don't take me away from your page! I felt like I'd been washed out to sea. I was being involuntarily swept away from what I was interested in reading just to see an ad for Defenulax, or whatever it was. (I don't know what the ad was about, I clicked back immediately because I was so annoyed.)

It's a great idea and I'm going to bring it to work, but in this case, it was handled so badly that I never want to visit a CNBC site again.