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Pop-Up Ads Lead to Consumer Revolt, Ad-Blocking

securitas writes "The New York Times' Saul Hansell reports on pop-up advertising and the consumer backlash against intrusive advertising. It's worth noting that pop-ups and pop-unders are the most effective, lucrative and annoying online advertising form. The article discusses the boom in ad-blocker software, with AOL, Yahoo and Google getting into the game. Microsoft says that it will include pop-up blocking in IE when it releases WinXP SP2. According to one pop-under ad agency, 20%-25% percent of Web users have pop-up blocking enabled, double the rate of a year ago - Earthlink's numbers bear that out, with 1 million of its 5 million customers using its ad-blocking software 18 months after release. DoubleClick says that it is 'developing technology that will enable pop-up ads to evade the blocking software.' Why isn't that surprising?"

4 of 697 comments (clear)

  1. I have a crazy idea.. by Exantrius · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why not try and advertise something that someone *WANTS* to purchase-- Maybe *THEN* you won't have to evade a protection I put on my computer because I don't want to deal with your crap.

    Why is this so hard? Google's apparently doing a pretty good job of it-- Sure you need a lot more customers, but for the love of frank, I don't need any goddamned spy cameras, I don't have a babysitter or a cheating spouse, or for that matter a misbehaving dog. /Ex

    1. Re:I have a crazy idea.. by kurosawdust · · Score: 4, Funny
      I don't need any goddamned spy cameras, I don't have a babysitter or a cheating spouse, or for that matter a misbehaving dog.

      How do you know unless you have the spy camera?? There could be a babysitter in your house right now without your knowing!

  2. Microsoft says that it will include... by NewbieProgrammerMan · · Score: 4, Funny

    Golly, I'm glad Microsoft is all over this one, because God knows nobody else would ever have thought to do it.

    --
    [b.belong('us') for b in bases if b.owner() == 'you']
  3. Re:Does advertising have to be annoying? by alex_ant · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's amazing how books can be such ominous foreshadowers of the future. In "It" by Stephen King, there is this sadistic monster clown that comes up through the drain pipes and terrorizes little kids. Quite a scary prospect I think - we ought to look very seriously at how we develop our sanitation systems from now on, and keep a steady watch over our kids' bathroom activities in order to keep them from falling victim to these maniacal, killer clowns.