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War On Pop Up Ads

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from the pop-ups-be-gone dept

Fri, Jul 20th 2001 10:25am — Mike Masnick
Since the ever present pop up (and pop under) ads seem to be a popular topic around here, I'll post this article that looks at a number of software products designed to get rid of pop up ads. Not surprisingly, downloads of such programs have jumped up tremendously over the past few months. In fact, many of the companies or people involved with writing these programs say that x10 has done more for them by being so incredibly annoying, than any other method of getting the word out there about their programs. Some websites are trying to figure out ways to get around the ad blockers, meaning that the struggle may go back and forth for a while. Analysts point out that ad blockers have been around for years and have never really caught on. Of course, that was before the ads got to be so ridiculous annoying. I stand by my assertion that most people don't have much of a problem with ads in a page. The pop ups, however, cause a ton of problems (my browser often crashes) and just get in the way. Besides, I decided a long time ago I really don't need an x10 camera...
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11 Comments

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  • identicon
    Dan, 20 Jul 2001 @ 11:19am

    Yuk!

    The only ads I ever will block are pop ups/unders.
    To block banner ads is to steel from the site owners, how else are webmasters supposed to make money?
    I run a few sites that are dependent on ads to cover their hosting fees, since I wont do so out of my own pocket and should not have to. My sites all use Apache-mods that allow me to block ad-blocking software from viewing the site, I rewrite all users using ad-blocking software to a page explaining to them why they are their and what they are doing wrong.
    Without ads the sites you love, and use often, like CNN and Slashdot (yeah, sorry...) will ask for subscription fees, and eventually go out of business.
    Think about this, people. Your fucking the people that entertain you over, really bad, by using ad blockers.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Mike (profile), 20 Jul 2001 @ 11:26am

      Re: Yuk!

      Er... the point of the message was using ad blockers for pop ups - not for in-page ads.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Brian, 20 Jul 2001 @ 2:39pm

      Re: Yuk!

      Banner ads don't work. People are realizing this
      and will have to figure out some other way to
      support their sites. There's a reason ad rates
      have consistantly gone down over the past few
      years and that's because banner ads are not
      effective.
      I'm not going to click on 'em and I'm not going to
      buy products because of 'em. They're annoying and
      I will filter them.
      Cope.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      musselduck, 20 Jul 2001 @ 7:19pm

      Re: Yuk!

      I block everything I can. I use Junkbuster to block cookies, etc. and Galeon does an awesome job of blocking any popups. I also refuse to use java or javascript. Browsing the web is now a breeze. If a site is not browseable because of this, then I just skip it.

      Think about this. We don't "need" this form of entertainment, but we are taking advantage of it while it's there. If it goes away, so be it, I refuse to pay.

      And, when it's all gone, or all big business (same thing in my book), then we'll start talking with each other.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Dan, 21 Jul 2001 @ 12:04am

        Re: Yuk!

        Most people are very much into the Internet and would be very unhappy if all the sites they love went bye-bye.

        You people are really thieves. You know, the kind your parents warned you about. You steel from webmasters who are simply trying to cover hosting fees, and that's wrong.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          mhh5, 21 Jul 2001 @ 12:26am

          Re: Yuk!

          What if I just avert my eyes? Am I stealling then? Sometimes I don't even notice the ads cuz there's so much ad clutter on a page. Haul me off to jail... BTW, when an ad campaign fails to sell a product, is it the consumer's fault or the advertizer's? Just curious...

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          BigSigh, 23 Jul 2001 @ 2:35am

          Re: Yuk!

          You sad, deluded, idiot. These guys' aim in life is to rip you off for all they can get and you are just letting them do it. They are the theives not us. If it goes away because people won't look at the ads, who gives a shit?

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Rose, 26 Aug 2001 @ 12:16pm

            Re: Yuk!

            Rather an interesting debate I stumbled on to as I was searching for an effective blocker that would configure with my new browser, Opera. I have been on line for 2 years. The amount of ads crammed onto one page increases beyond my limits of imagination. The ads are tacky, ugly, intrusive. This is either a reflection of the taste of our society, or just really poor design. The only ads I ever even remotely respond to are tastefully created. That would amount to about 1% of 1%. If webmasters want to make a living, then they should try to solicit ads that are tasteful and offer something worth exploring. I can't even recall the hundreds of banner and pop up's for CyberRebate, and look where that has gone. Many people, foolish enough to believe, have been left holding the bag. I could tell that it was a scam, but then, I don't trust these ads in the first place. Does the webmaster not have some social responsibility to select ads that promote conscious living? Who says it is perfectly all right to feature ads that scam people, or are just plain tasteless. Not likely the internet will disolve, and when the ads become something other that trash, people will look. We are by nature a curious species. Stealing from webmasters, hum, who is really doing the stealing...

            [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Ed, 20 Jul 2001 @ 12:57pm

    ADA?

    The article mentions how pop-ups screw up screen reading software used by visually impaired persons. Now this isn't something I'd normally recommend, but couldn't someone use the Americans with Disabilities Act or something like that as a bludgeon to get companies to stop using popups?

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Auswipe, 22 Jul 2001 @ 11:12am

    Squid and AdZapper

    I setup a Squid proxy on my OpenBSD box for the family and then found out about "AdZapper" that works with Squid to squash those annoying ads.
    Works like a champ out of the box!
    http://www.squid-cache.org/
    http://www.zip.com.au/~cs/adzap/

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Spinster, 23 Jul 2001 @ 2:24pm

    Stoned or Stupid - you decide

    Although a couple of comments to this topic make sense, the rest seem to be written by people who are either stoned or stupid. Have you ever heard of spelling? or grammar? If you're too stupid to write simple English sentences, why do you think anyone gives a flying f**k about your moronic ideas?

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]


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