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Next-Gen Pop-up Ads

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the anything-for-a-buck dept.

bje2 writes "CNet has a disconcerting story about a new generation of pop-up ads that use a "kick through" technique such that you don't even need to click on the pop-up ad anymore, you just need to mouse over it...wow, can they make our web surfing experience any worse?"

9 of 526 comments (clear)

  1. This isn't the worst by Ayende+Rahien · · Score: 4, Informative

    In many israelian sites, there are flash commercials that cover the contents, and are very hard to close.
    You surf peacefully, and suddenly the screen is filled with lottery ad and the computer shouts " 50 millions!!! " at you.
    There are other things, like a anti-virus ad that looks like the computer has been compromised, etc, which are just plain agressive.

    --

    --
    Two witches watched two watches.
    Which witch watched which watch?
  2. Easy Fix.... by Newer+Guy · · Score: 5, Informative

    Use Mozilla or Phoenix or Netscape 7.1 and turn them off. Probolem solved!

    1. Re:Easy Fix.... by Jugalator · · Score: 5, Informative

      Use Mozilla or Phoenix or Netscape 7.1 and turn them off. Probolem solved!

      Nah, I don't think so. Doesn't Mozilla/Phoenix block the javascript open() on the onLoad event? These new popups were probably made to circumvent that kind of protection by using javascript open() on the onMouseOver event.

      I don't think Mozilla blocks all open() calls regardless what since then a lot of web sites I've visited that popup stuff when you click on a link shouldn't work.

      --
      Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  3. edit your hosts.... by dfenstrate · · Score: 4, Informative

    my hosts file is already several KB long. Another entry is added everytime an advertiser annoys me. Like Robofind. Soon to be Orbitz, I'm sure.

    Yes, I use mozilla a lot, but I still need IE for some sites.

    --
    Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be the name of a store, not a government agency.
  4. Bloody annoying... as any pop under ad by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 3, Informative

    Go to espn to see this thing in action. I don't think this form of advertising is much worse than regular pop-ups, just slightly more annoying. I do wonder how advertising agencies will distinguish between eyeballs and click-throughs... since many people will click-through accidently on these things.

    A favorite quote from the article: "There's an enormous segment of the population that are appreciating these ads". Eh, name one!

    --
    If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
  5. Here is a simple example of such by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Give this one a try.

    simple javascript, surprised no one has thought of this before.

  6. Re:excellent promotion for alternate browsers by Tomcat666 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Phoenix has a pretty nice feature concerning this.

    Whenever a window wants to pop up although you didn't click any link (so, most likely it was an ad), Phoenix will inform you that this has happened with a small exclamation mark in the left corner of the status bar.

    Clicking on this exclamation mark will bring you to a window with more detailed information about the popup window, and the possibility to add this site to your list of sites that are allowed to open popups.

    Sure, that goes with your warning that you might then also allow ad popups, while allowing the good, needed popups, but I think it does the job quite well. Had no problems with it.

    --
    Two Worlds - One Sun [Spirit]
  7. Proxomitron by Staros · · Score: 4, Informative

    Probably a good time to remind all the people forced to use Windows here of this little brilliant utility, which functions as a local proxy server and thus works with any browser, and can filter popups, the kind of mouseover events mentioned in this article, sounds, ads, everything. A must-have for Win32 people, in my opinion.

  8. link typo - but found something else by EvilStein · · Score: 3, Informative
    You typed:"Go to espn [epsn.com] to see this thing in action."
    I went to epsn.com - another "search engine" owned by domain squatters. They call themselves "megago" this time.
    However, it dropped down a Mozilla warning field!! Your only options are "Cancel" or "OK." Obviously, "OK" is the default, so if you hit return, off you go to some other website. Now that is a bunch of crap.grr..

    Screenshot here