Screen Swamper

MikeS

MikeS

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Oct 16, 2014
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MikeS
I've read through the thread on ad blocking and Java Script and most of it is over my head and maybe my question has been answered and I'm just too thick to have understood it when it was in front of my face . . . but here goes:

In the last month or so it seems like at least 75% of the sites I go to will, just about the time I start reading the material I'm after, block almost the whole screen with a pop-up type ad that stops me in my tracks until I track down the little "X" to close the ad. Sometimes the "X" is hidden and I can't even find it - which requires in some cases to just back out of the site and go somewhere else. The "X" is, if I can find it, almost always up above the current screen image, requiring that I scroll up to get to it. Plus, unlike the pop-up/flash ads I've sort of gotten used to dealing with over the years, these new ones take up 90% (mas o menos) of the visible area on my notebook screen. I realize this is not a life threatening situation but the frequency of this occurrence is getting to be so constant and so annoying that I'm motivated to see if there's something I can do to eliminate or slow it down. This is a relatively new phenomenon that seems to be getting more prevalent. I currently don't have any ad-blocker software installed. Anybody have any suggestions, either paid or free, that would help with this situation? It must be something everyone has to deal with so am hoping to find some suggestions that others have found to be effective. Is it hopeless:(?
 
I am using SeaMonkey web browser with a very effective script and ad blocker. It's not perfect: I cannot watch Youtube videos in full screen mode for example. But every time I use Chrome to open the video and have to waste time with stupid ads, I realize my way is better.

FWIW, I have heard that crypto-malware is being embedded in the Ads on some high-profile websites per some sources I have access to. Meaning, adblocking may be well worth your time & effort to obtain & use.
 
Check out Ghostery. I have it as an extension for Chrome at my office and it does a good job blocking the obnoxious adware you describe, plus take care of a few privacy and tracking nuisances.

If it blocks something you do want to see, you can chose a one once option, run every time, or whitelist.
 
I use Seamonkey too (and have no trouble watching YT in full screen mode)
One thing that sometimes works is to reload the page (CTRL-R) and as soon as the text is up, start clicking esc multiple times to stop the pop-up.
 
NoScript + RequestPolicy on firefox works for me.
 
If done in css your blockers aren't going to work unless you want to select "no style" in your browser view.
 
EdFred said:
If done in css your blockers aren't going to work unless you want to select "no style" in your browser view.
Click to expand...
Ed, could you please elaborate some?
Most of my ad blocking is done on the URL level which does not allow the annoying images, JS or even CSS to load. So if you block the source of the style sheet, you should have no problem. Or am I missing something?
 
If you block the style sheet then you are just gettin plain text on a white background with no formatting right? If that's the case you should never have to worry about it, unless they end around with a server side script. I know that some places are trying to do popover ads with CSS because lots of people block javascript.
 
I predict this fad will die on its own.

Most of the popups / popovers aren't ads. They're offers to sign up for a newsletter, take a survey, chat with an agent, and other annoyances that make absolutely no commercial sense. Eventually more webmasters will realize that annoying and repelling visitors who already have arrived at your site makes no more sense than annoying visitors at physical stores by having some burly dude stop them in their tracks before they've even had a chance to see what the store sells. It simply makes no sense.

In other words, annoying your visitors and putting barriers between their money and your products is an utterly pointless practice that can't possibly improve conversion. The question is how long it will take for the bonehead webmasters who implemented these scripts to realize that.

Rich
 
I haven't been on the computer enough to draw any conclusions yet but it seems Ghostery is a very neato program that appears to have eliminated the intrusions - the visible part anyway. It is amazing to see just how many pilot fish are swimming along with me through the internet waters! Thanks everyone for taking the time to post solutions on this issue. I'll explore the other things mentioned just for the sake of learning new stuff. It seems at this point that Ghostery is eliminating that which was interfering with my surfing.
 
RJM62 said:
I predict this fad will die on its own.

Most of the popups / popovers aren't ads. They're offers to sign up for a newsletter, take a survey, chat with an agent, and other annoyances that make absolutely no commercial sense. Eventually more webmasters will realize that annoying and repelling visitors who already have arrived at your site makes no more sense than annoying visitors at physical stores by having some burly dude stop them in their tracks before they've even had a chance to see what the store sells. It simply makes no sense.

In other words, annoying your visitors and putting barriers between their money and your products is an utterly pointless practice that can't possibly improve conversion. The question is how long it will take for the bonehead webmasters who implemented these scripts to realize that.
Click to expand...

Objection: When has the Internet at Large of Web Browser Things, ever gotten LESS annoying in your experience? :)
 
denverpilot said:
Objection: When has the Internet at Large of Web Browser Things, ever gotten LESS annoying in your experience? :)
Click to expand...

You do have a point there in the big-picture view. But things that negatively affect a site's conversion have a way of going away.

I've gotten to the point that the only online vendor I've used in months is Amazon because every other site I visit seems to throw some obstacle in my way before I can browse the site. Sometimes they even throw multiple obstacles in my path: They want me to sign up for a newsletter; get 10 percent off my order by providing my email address; chat with an agent; "like" the company on FaceBook, G+, Yelp, or whatever; and complete a survey -- all before I've even had a chance to find out what the site sells.

I've gotten to the point that I just click out of a site when that happens, and I doubt I'm the only one. I just don't have the time or patience for that ****. If you want my business, then don't annoy me. Amazon sells everything, usually at the best price, and doesn't annoy me with any of that crap.

Rich
 
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I'm gonna check with Al Gore and see what he thinks. :rolleyes:
 
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