Internet Tips & Tricks
By MARK DAVIS
General Manager, CommSpeed Internet Service
President, Prescott Computer Society
Visit the Computer Society Website
www.prescottcomputersociety.org
Pop-up Ads – A Royal Pain
Pop-up ads are
spontaneous browser windows that jet out at Web users
entering an online site, exiting it or just surfing
around. As old as the commercial Web itself, the ad
format truly came into vogue when Web publishers got
pressed for cash in the dot-com crunch.
Eager to convince
reluctant Fortune 500 companies that Web advertising
could be as intrusive, and effective, as TV commercials,
sites such as USA Today, AOL, MSNBC, Amazon.com and
Yahoo began triggering the ads regularly to grab
readers' attention. The proliferation of pop-ups also
launched obscure goods, such as X-10's surveillance
cameras, into Internet infamy.
Though unpopular with
consumers, the ads are favored by advertisers because
they're generally thought to get a higher response from
viewers. Some researchers estimate that they garner
three to six times greater click-through rates than
standard banners or display ads on the Web.
Over time, pop-up ads are
becoming less effective as readers tune them out or
avoid sites that host them altogether.
Programs to Stop Pop-ups
Pop-up ads have spawned a
crop of programs aimed at minimizing or eliminating this
nuisance. If you are sick & tired of these in-your-face
ads, try out the following programs:
Popup Stopper -
www.panicware.com
AdSubtract -
www.adsubtract.com
AdsGone - www.a1tech.com
Guard IE -
www.guardwall.com
PopNot - www.hdsoft.com
Pop-up Zero -
www.pcssafe.com
Pop-up Cop –
www.popupcop.com
Some of these programs
are “freeware” which you can download and use at no
cost. Others allow you to try them out for thirty
days, and charge a small fee for continued use.
Next Topic: SPAM – Learn ways to avoid
bothersome & embarrassing unsolicited bulk email.
BACK to Tips & Tricks Index |
