Forum Moderators: phranque
I am being forced to put a pop up window on a site I maintain to collect newsletter subscribtions - email addresses.
I hate popups and always have - I see no reason to be so in your face with something like this - a newsletter.
Opinions?
Inside the site, it's not quite as invasive. By exploring the site, I have shown some interest in what the site has to offer. I still don't like it -- and of course I still rarely wait for it to load -- it's just target practice time.
Now, if there is a neat little graphic on each page that INVITES me to learn about the newsletter, and then the details show up in a pop-up window after I click, so I can still see the original page -- well, I can get to like that kind of politeness.
I've read posts elsewhere about success with getting more newsletter signups with a pop-up window. All I can say is such that a site must get a lot of newbies. If the site appeals to me, and the offer of a newsletter is easy to see -- that's enough invitation.
Any more?
Actually Tedster that's the argument used here - more people subscribing - but I'd rather not use that particular method to get the subscriptions. Rrrrrrr.
really bad ones include those that popup behind your window, only revealing themselves when you close the window, ones that hang out on my task bar only to pop up later, and worst of all, exit popups.. Its like wanting to leave a boring party, only to have the host plead with you to stay, or meet his mate before you leave.
Adding this pop up will confront the new user with TWO pop up windows. Something I feel is unprofessional and unneccesary.
Your comments pretty please please on 2 pop up windows upon initial site entry, 1st time?
Many thanks for your comments on this.
It would make me leave the site and never come back. I use 'permission pop-ups' for site privacy policies and our newsletter subscription page... you click the link for the newsletter/privacy policy, and it opens a small window with the info in it... Kinda like a mini target=_blank. I would never have an automatic, unrequested pop-up anywhere.
Just translate it into physical world terms. You've convinced someone to read a print piece and you hand it to them. Within a few seconds you shove another paper at them and say "read this first". OK.... But before they can read the second page you shove yet another paper at them and say "read this one, too!".
Just say NO.
Along these lines, a friend just sent me a link to an animated cartoon site, with full sound. I waited for a four minute download, and was just getting mildly amused by the animation when a pop-up window appeared, covering the cartoon which continued on its merry way!
You guessed it, they were pitching a newsletter signup.
I closed the pop-up window, and exited the site without watching the rest of the animation. And I'm still angry about it as I write this note.
I also wonder about the "increase" in newsletter signups. Just getting an email address is one thing, and building a quality list of involved or at least interested parties is another. Sometimes more isn't really more.
Thanks so much seriously for that.
I think the crowd are on the pitch, and the game is over! Cheers folks. THANKYOU!
If anyone else would like to add further to this please please do.
>>hhhmmm...I wonder, do common internet users feel the same way about pop ups?>>
Good wonder, can we think of any "power house" successful websites that use them ?
I have the same thoughts as you 2_much. I feel that most common users don't mind one pop-up at all. Just takes a second to get rid of it. And if you are returning to a site and get the same pop-up, who cares? You know its coming so you just click it away. It's not like you have to go jog a mile around the neighborhood to get it to go away. Now the sites that give you pop-up after pop-up are the ones who will probaby turn away people. The main thing is the site's content. I will go to a site that has 5 pop-ups if they have what I'm looking for.
You have to look at it this way.(Similar to what you said 2_much) Most of the users out there don't know enough about the internet to even know what an actual pop-up is. They think it's just another part of the web. They are going to look at everything because in there eyes they feel if they close a window they are going to miss out on something.
>>>It's a bit difficult to track the results of this, so I'm not really sure what effect including a pop up has had.
On my own experience with subscription-based sites, sometimes more people sign-up for other deals in the pop-up windows then they do on the main page.
First off, the java in the code ensures the same user won't get the same pop-up more than once a week. Also, if that person signs up for the service, they never see the window again. (Unless they format... at which point they can sign up again and try winning again)
Before I implemented this window, I had about 8 people that signed up for my forums and free e-mail. Since adding that window, I've had exponential increases in the amount of growth in my webmail and forum sign-ups. So my personal thoughts on this whole pop-ups issue are simple;
Good Pop-Up windows offer a service that the user would want to sign up for, or have a reason to sign up for. They shouldn't be for something that is unrelated, or surveys about "How good is our service". (I hate download.com's post-download pop-up)
On the other hand, my brother has cursed my being since putting up that pop-up. He believes it is a hateful satanic cult prank and promises to remove the pop-up the first time he can gain access to my server. For some people pop-up windows are garbage, no matter how good the pop-up may be.
So My rules on using pop-up windows;
#1 If should never show up every time a user comes to your site. If it does, they'll try avoiding that page, and eventually avoiding your site.
#2 Don't use pop-ups to say hi, or to link to other sites. That's just begging people to leave, and linking to other sites gives them a great exit point.
#3 Exit pop-ups are the worst. I signed up for exit exchange, and un-signed up the same day. Do you want the last thing a surfer sees when they leave your page to be a junky pop-up? That's what they'll remember most, is the junkie pop-up.
#4 Give them a reason. Most people LOVE contests, and I find a large portion of the public will sign up for just about anything as long as they can get out of it later and can possibly get something free out of it.
I'd love to hear your opinions on this.
Well despite all the comments here I still had to put my pop-up up.
The arguments presented to me were actually not bad - the pop up was for a free newsletter relating to the site - we do use cookies so if the window is closed it doesn't appear for a month - and the plan is now to take them off after a month or two.
The other argument was that people in this forum are not normal surfers - which I think is true - and we apparently have more 'baggage' than the average surfer. I can understand this view but I feel I have built up this baggage as a result of experience!
Most of our traffic is exisiting cutomers (although this is changing....) so the pop up is relevant to them.
I still hate them. :)
Cyberspaced, I'm with you on all 4 points. A couple of other things to keep in mind:
* When deciding whether or not to use a pop up, it's important to view this from the target audiences' perspective.
* Pop ups must be relevant and must pertain to the sites' "theme".
Does anyone know if any studies have been conducted about this? Any articles written? Is this technique being employed by SEO/internet marketing savvy companies?
Finally, is it safe to conclude that pop ups can be a good marketing technique if used effectively and intelligently?
Just to add to this, I can think of a number of "power house" websites that do indeed use popups, some forced, some not.
CNN, as an example, uses a forced popup on new visitors (or non-cookied visitors if I recall correctly) asking what version of CNN they'd like to visit (National or Internation, I think...) They also use popups for their online polling system.
iVillage, an online community of many members, uses popup ads. Microwarehouse, and many other commercial sites do, as well.
A lot of sites use popups for slide shows, as another example.
I'm not a fan of popups, particularly forced ones. But I do see them in use..a lot. I s'pect the average user simply closes them on site, IF they are ads. Otherwise, I'd bet they at least give them a quick look, then close them.
Interviewer: What are some of the most egregious things you've seen in Web design recently?
Jakob Nielsen: There's an annoying use of pop-up windows. Pop-ups are multiplying, and they're polluting my screen.
Nielsen Interview at The Standard [thestandard.com]
Even though I don't "see" them, they stall the browser and thereby intrude VERY much. At least with an ordinary pop-up I know what's happening. A pop-under is like a thief coming in through the basement.
