These new pop out ads are annoying

[toolman]

The novelty has worn off and now it's a hate/hate relationship. The new "pop out" type ads on web sites are the newest plague to sweep advertising on the internet. They totally block the content on the page until you locate the little teenie weenie "close" link.

I was just getting the "wack a mole" routine down pat with pop ups.

[miles]

I am not sure what you are talking about could you show me an example. If you dont want to post it sticky it.

[Quinn]

There are also new pop ups that appear on mouseovers? I've heard this elsewhere, but haven't seen it personally. Can anyone show me an example?

[rcjordan]

Yahoo is flying them at random, you'll need to surf around. They're more like a toggling div/resize than a pop-up, not sure if the current blockers catch them.

[amznVibe]

I've seen a couple of those just recently and they really threw me off. Since they are dHTML (either a positioned DIV or IMG) there is no easy way to close or block them!

Basically they slide from off the screen onto the center of the screen and cover the content you are trying to read!

If that increases in popularity people are going to go back to turning off javascript for most sites and turn it on only when needed! Who would go back to such a site that uses those, ick Sites have a right to have advertisements but geez this is totally obnoxious!

[msgraph]

>>>I am not sure what you are talking about could you show me an example.

I think he is talking about the flash-animation-type ads that pop-up in a cartoon-style while you are in the middle of reading an article or browsing a site. Not the pop-ups that appear in a "window." You have to search around for some small X or "close box" in order to close it.

[mat_bastian]

Often times the close button is simply a decoy and actually forwards the user... deceptive and really in poor taste. This needs to stop!

[msgraph]

Here are some examples

[unitedvirtualities.com...]

[toolman]

Thats some of the better ones msgraph pointed out there. The ones I'm talking about are usually banner ads that drop down and cover the page or skyscrapers on the side that fly out sideways. It's just plain obnoxious.

[amznVibe]

The few I have seen were NOT flash based. Of course now I cannot find the URL, lol, but when I stumble across one again I will post (didn't know we can post urls?)

[rcjordan]

>(didn't know we can post urls?)

Msgraph is a moderator ...we'll flog him later. (Actually, ms knows that the shoshkeles page has been referenced before by, ummmm, me.)

These ads are often more like huge banners, going to FULL size when the page opens, not exactly like the shoshkeles, they tend to be more animated.

[rcjordan]

New IAB sizes announced:

Even as the Interactive Advertising Bureau concedes that the standard online banner works, it is recommending that advertisers move away from the format in favor of four large-size ads that are more intrusive and noticable on a Web page.

[adage.com...]

I think toolman hit a 728x90 "leader board"

728 x 90 pixel "leader board," which runs across the top of a page like a giant banner

-also-

[internetnews.com...]

The 728 x 90 pixel ads, pioneered by CNET Networks, are large horizontal executions that fill the entire Web page below the masthead.

(BRB, I'm going to buy stock in an ad-blocker software company.)

[amznVibe]

since any moving dHTML based ad has to use absolute positioning, I wonder how messed up most respectable sites would be if all pages & css was filtered for "position:absolute"

I can think of only one site I have built that would be impaired by that.

[amznVibe]

To answer Quinn about the mouse-over ad examples - Orbitz is using mouse-over ads on New York Times, ESPN and CondeNast sites. The ads have various animated games. You get taken to orbitz by just moving over them, no click needed. Totally obnoxious.

[rcjordan]

AOL, MSN, Yahoo!, CNET Networks Inc., The Excite Network, Internet Press Association, iVillage, CBS Marketwatch, New York Times Digital, Univision Online, The Wall Street Journal Online, and Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, have already agreed to offer the new unit and Universal Ad Package which is intended to make online advertising as simple to plan and implement as TV or print, increasing the efficiency for online media buying. Once adopted, the Universal Ad Package will allow advertisers to reach the majority of each publisher’s audience with one set of creative ad formats. The American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) is supporting this set of ad formats.

[iab.net...]

[amznVibe]

rcjordan, but these "standardized" ads are all of a known size right? Some filters have a block by dimension feature which would really help against all that...

[amznVibe]

This is not the original example I was trying to find,
but its a good example of a site (PR8) using that "new"
sliding ad technique... not sure if I would stick around
on a site that did that to me on my first visit: [tek-tips.com...]
Kinda hits you over the head a little too hard.

-aV-

[rcjordan]

Nope, that's not the new one. That drop-box ad was shown here about a year ago.

Here's the code:
[dynamicdrive.com...]

[Brett_Tabke]

I love those popups. Best thing to ever happen for mozilla and opera. ;)

[zeus]

I know fast has some of those damn pop up where you can not click them away, you have to wait the 5-10 sec. before its gone, I have also seen a web site where you have to watch a half screen ad for 10 sec before you can go on.

zeus

[amznVibe]

Brett, Mozilla and Opera can stop the sliding ads?
Or you just mean regular popups?

Mozilla still renders too slow on complex pages
(even in the pheonix flavor) But I think Opera 7
is pretty darn impressive and about the only
thing I can tolerate instead of IE these days.

If it can stop sliding ads it will really take off!

-aV-

[Zapatista]

"Basically they slide from off the screen onto the center of the screen and cover the content you are trying to read!"
-and-
"I think he is talking about the flash-animation-type ads that pop-up in a cartoon-style while you are in the middle of reading an article or browsing a site. Not the pop-ups that appear in a "window." You have to search around for some small X or "close box" in order to close it."
-and-
"Often times the close button is simply a decoy and actually forwards the user... deceptive and really in poor taste. This needs to stop!"

Ditto here. I ran into these lately and it was like the site was purposely trying to tick me off. Their content and page became totally worthless and I hit the back button.

It is the advertising equivalent of shooting yourself in the head. Any traffic gained from the trickery is junk traffic that is meaningless.

Even so, I expect they will be around for awhile. I'm a realist.

Zapatista

[Liane]

msgraph,

Thanks for the example. I had not seen those "drive by" type ads until just now. Now those are really annoying. The other examples shown by rcjordan and others are equally intrusive. Making you hunt for the close box button is just plain arrogant.

Why oh why do webmasters feel that they have to be "in your face" in order to get the advertising message across? Quick solution: close the window you are in, open a new window and find another site to get the info you are after!

[rogerd]

Some of these content-blockers ARE incredibly annoying, particularly when there is no "close" button evident, or it appears at the end of the display.

I'm sympathetic to the problem of web sites that depend on advertising to pay their way. Declining CPM rates and poor click-throughs are pushing them to search for more effective ads. When TV advertisers were faced with the dual threat of remote-thumbing channel-switchers and ad-skipping VCR-owners, one step that many took was to try to make their ads more interesting. Striking visuals and/or great humor/content could actually keep people watching the ads. Not only do the advertisers keep the eyeballs, they avoid annoying the viewer. This would be a good lesson for online advertisers...

[stcrim]

I love pop-ups and pop-behinds - chaching chaching
-$-

[richlowe]

Personally, I find popups, popunders, those silly ads that float all over the screen, toasters that drop from the top of the screen, things that seem to explode and all of these permutations obnoxious and disgusting.

I make it a point to never under any conditions purchase from any company that uses these types of advertisements. You want my business, put up an ad which informs me rationally about your product. Explain why I want to spend my hard-earned cash on your stuff.

Of course, on the other hand, I don't see these types of ads very often as I use ad blocking software and surf with javascript, activex and java turned off by default. I add those sites which I "trust" to my trusted zone.

Richard Lowe

[Finder]

With Mozilla's features I have actually begun surfing with javascript enabled again. I may have to re-think that decision.

I am also considering uninstalling Flash. I have Moz set to cycle animated gifs just once. With Flash ads I can't make them stop. My solution is to click the close button on the entire window.

[Made In Sheffield]

MSN 8 was advertised with a huge amount of these types of ads, they were everywhere (just can't remember where) and yes very annoying.

[Jon_King]

Merlin pulls the sword from the stone and holds it over his head for all to see. He then proclaims, "These ads are response driven!" "Let the world take this solemn vow with me now, bow your heads and repeat after me."

"I shall never, never, never buy a product from a company that uses pop up ads on the web."

[stcrim]

>>"response driven"

Yes - That must mean they work

-s-