MR - Enjoy your Pop Ups - they could be history

[Anonymous]

Here is an internet article from PC World on Pop ups; its self explanatory:


Bye-Bye, Pop-Ups. Hello...?

Use of pop-ups wanes, but worse intrusions may be coming.

-- Liane Cassavoy
From the April 2004 issue of PC World magazine
Posted Monday, March 08, 2004
Pop-up ads, those reviled windows that intrude on your Web surfing, seem to be on the decline. But don't celebrate yet: New forms of advertising that may be just as annoying and even more intrusive are likely to replace them.

Thwarted by both ISPs and blocking utilities, use of pop-ups has waned over the past year. Internet advertising analysts say Microsoft's decision to put a pop-up stopper into the next version of Internet Explorer hastens their demise, but no one expects them to disappear soon. And new styles of ads, including screen-grabbing full-motion videos and rich media that overwrite the screen, are starting to appear.


Advertisement



"All these technologies will contribute to the downfall of pop-ups," says Jupiter Research associate analyst Nate Elliott. But decline isn't the same as imminent death: "Pop-ups will be a viable advertising medium for several years to come," he adds.

Pop-up ads originated with adult-content Web sites, but have become prevalent at mainstream sites (including PCWorld.com). In December 2001, according to data from Nielsen//NetRatings' AdRelevance service, 1.4 percent of all Web ads were pop-ups or pop-unders. By July 2003, pop-up and pop-under ads hit their peak at 8.7 percent of all online ads. Six months later, during the height of the holiday shopping season, their use had plummeted by nearly 30 percent, accounting for about 6.3 percent of all online ads.


Doing the Job
Why did pop-ups become so pervasive? They are 13 times more effective at generating clicks than standard banners, according to 2003 research by ad firm Advertising.com.

"Everyone hates advertising, but it works," says Jim Nail, a senior analyst with Forrester Research.

Jupiter's Elliott agrees with Nail: "Pop-ups work well for the same reasons people hate them in the first place: They get in your face and force you to read the message." As pop-ups did their job, advertisers and Web site publishers began running more of them. And users reacted by seeking ways to block them.

"If I were an average user, I probably wouldn't want [pop-ups] either," says Chris Vanderhook, chief operating officer of SpecificMedia, an online advertising firm that operates two networks of pop-under ads. "There are too many on the Web--way too many," he contends. "When we first started, it was supposed to be one per user per day."


Enter the Blockers
Today, about 20 percent of surfers use pop-up blocker software, which prevents sites from serving ads in new browser windows, according to Forrester's Consumer Technographics Survey. That's higher than last year, when 13 percent of Internet users ran a pop-up blocker. But such blockers can't stop advertising delivered by adware (ad-supported software that installs on your PC, often with another application, such as Kazaa).

The battle has accelerated. In August 2002, EarthLink was the first major ISP to give its customers a pop-up blocker. AOL imposed pop-up controls last year, and Microsoft put Pop-Up Guard into MSN Premium in January. No-cost toolbars from Google, Dogpile, MSN, and Yahoo block pop-ups. But the biggest blow may come from the built-in IE pop-up blocker in Windows XP Service Pack 2, shipping in the first half of 2004.

More than 95 percent of Internet users surf with IE, says site-tracking service WebSideStory, so a built-in pop-up blocker could be devastating, if it's activated. The pop-up blocker in XP SP2's beta version is switched off by default, but when the browser first encounters a pop-up ad, IE asks whether the user wants to turn it on, says Matt Pilla, a senior product manager.

Microsoft has not decided whether to activate SP2's pop-up blocker, but analysts expect it to stay off by default--and be less effective. "Users will have toa?|go in and change the settings," says Jupiter's Elliott. "And people, in general, don't tend to change their settings."

But Internet ad firms will be ready. They're already developing technology that evades the pop-up blockers. Vanderhook says that SpecificMedia isn't doing this, but instead is designing new types of ads.


Next Designs
The new ads--rather than the blockers--may eventually doom pop-ups. Some firms already offer rich-media ads that stream audio and video or scroll text and images across the screen. Online ad maker Unicast promotes full-screen video that shows television-quality ads in 15- or 30-second spots. Unicast's ads download a 2MB video file to a temporary cache and play only between Web pages or at a "logical break period," much like a TV ad, says Allie Savarino, Unicast senior vice president. The file won't affect PC performance, and users can always close it, Savarino adds.

She predicts that people will find these ads less intrusive than pop-ups. "The creative flexibility that this format gives advertisers allows them to deliver messages that consumers will tolerate," she says.

Whatever their form, online ads are here to stay. "We have to find a way to coexist with advertising," argues Charles Buchwalter, vice president of client analytics for Nielsen//NetRatings. That's because advertising pays the bills.

SpecificMedia's Vanderhook takes a more hostile view of ad avoidance: "Blocking pop-ups is almost like ripping off music online," he says. "When you go to ESPN.com every day, you enjoy its content for free. But it's not free; it's paid for by advertising."

Still, the pop-up wars continue. New technology will surely block new kinds of ads. EarthLink already lets customers block rich-media ads, and AOL plans to do the same by the time you read this.

According to some analysts, technological evolution should lead to better advertising, delivered in less intrusive, more manageable formats. In an environment where survival depends on adaptability, pop-ups may be headed for extinction.

[JDCoop]

Pop-ups? What the heck are pop-ups? Oh yeah, I remember them now. I upgraded Norton's Systemworks and Firewall last year and they've got a pop-up blocker. It works pretty darn good, too. I haven't had a pop-up since then.[:D]

QUOTE: SpecificMedia's Vanderhook takes a more hostile view of ad avoidance: "Blocking pop-ups is almost like ripping off music online," he says. "When you go to ESPN.com every day, you enjoy its content for free. But it's not free; it's paid for by advertising."

I guess Norton has made me a criminal...darn...and I was so close to getting my SpecificMedia merit badge [}:)][:D] I see no difference in not looking at pop-ups as I do changing the channel during commercials on network TV. Heck with it, it's time to go pay UP some royalties so I can run my trains. [:-,]

Jeff

[Anonymous]

I have not had a popup or rogue program on my computer since I had Norton (Especially Internet Security 2003) installed some time ago. I also use "Adaware" and a few other programs designed specifically to root out spyware, keyloggers, malware etc.

I intend to upgrade to the 2004 version and continue the fight. One of my favorite tatics is to just use a "Hotmail" (Junkmail) which is free and can be thrown away after it fills with junk mail and other programs such as trojans and viruese.

www.blackviper.com is a resource which is one of the sites I use to fine tune my computer against these prevalent spam and ads etc.

I find that incresasingly websites are demanding you to log in with a user name and email so they can serve you up with all kinds of stuff. The Hotmail addy is perfect for this work.

One of the more interesting form of advertising was I watch a football game briefly on regular TV instead of my satellite (Knocked out during a tornado outbreak) while waiting for updates on severe weather. I was struck by how much of the playing field had ads inserted by computers for viewers. There were 4 between the goal and the 50 yard line and another 4 on the opponet's side. And they were programmed to "sit" on walls etc. I found this to be very distracting from the actual game play.

I think the next wave is Advertising on the sides of trains while people wait for that long slow local to finish switching. Would that be something?

Yet another [soapbox] from me.

Take care and good luck!

Lee

[lupo]

High Iron:

(IMHO)

Have not the railroads invented moving advertisements a long time ago?:



so should we blame them for the current overkill in moving and animated advertisements we are treated to ?

"Hey you computer-programmer! make me an electronic add that moves over the sreen like a boxcar moving down the tracks "
"OK boss I do my best! "
birth of the banner!

If I try to block all pop-ups ( and e.g. the smily list is allso a pop-up according to my PUB ) advertisers find new ways to advertise, if all internet advertising would be banned the net would not survive in the way we know it now, or we all must be prepared to pay a considerable sum of money to use it.
if the owner of this forum - wich I consider myself a GUESTS to - wants to share information with me by sending us just one pop-up every time I log in it's fine with me
and if using this forum means there are some ads on the side : fine, it is kalmbach's forum, if it is the advertising that pays for this forum: OK ! thanks for the great forum facilities you provide us with!

btw: what also helps: I use a LARGE computer screen, so the pop-ups don't bother me, they pop ut at the side of the screen and not IN MY FACE !

.

L [censored] O

• Reply

[Roadtrp]

I guess I'm with lupo on this one. If I was constantly met with pop-ups for internet prescription drugs or some such when I came to the MR site I would be mightily po'ed. But one Kalmbach pop-up ad when I first enter the site I can live with.

As lupo said... it is their site... I am more than happy to let them pay the freight with a few of their own ads.

[:)]

[locomcf]

There's a pop-up when you enter this site?

I'd never noticed - I use Crazy Browzer.

Ron

[Jetrock]

indeed...I never saw the pop-up ad until I logged on using IE on a friend's computer...I use Mozilla at home with its built-in pop-up blocker!

and yes, railroad cars contained advertising that is now considered charming....

[Anonymous]

Ahh yes, the famous Billboards. I love those. The ICC outlawed those cars because of complaints of a competition's cargo being carried in rival's cars.

I was thinking along lines of weather proof screens hawking toothpaste or food etc with video and so forth as a additional revenue stream on the today's freight trains. I mustve had something that did not agree with me last night.

As far as screen size it is not an issue, my eyes arent that great and the bigger the popup is the easier it is to eliminate it. I also use Linux's Mozilla which serves me with ZERO irrevelant information and greatly speeds up the information gridlock.. erm.. highway yep that's the ticket.

It is always my goal to minimize the amount of .exe programs that must be processed by the computer. Every little bit slows it down as it stops to make the ads, create the screen box etc.. This is one of the reasons I left dailup behind forever. DSL is the way to go and I am getting ready to upgrade to go faster yet again.

I dont mind pictures and stuff on these forums because it helps to pay for such a wonderful forum. But there are plenty of websites that harbor "Mousetraps" and "Blackholes" that absolutely take over your system and filling it up with trashy ads you cannot get rid of. I refuse to allow my machine to get stuck in one of these... It is the equivilant of a Engineer losing his Air supply while trying to reach the Summit with a heavy train.

Keep the thoughts and opinions coming, Ill look at both sides I have no problems with a open and clean discussion.

Good Luck!

Lee

[Anonymous]

I HATE POPUPS

[CNW-400]

I used to get so many pop-ups I couldn't properly use the web, it got dragged down so much it. As a user of dial-up still, the pop-ups took time to come onscreen and I would hit the upper corner X before it even gave me the message. In any regard I refused to order anything that came in a pop-up, so it was a waste of their money to popup me.

Between my ISP's pop-up block and "Spyware Search & Destroy" I don't get any anymore.

Mark

[Anonymous]

Mark,
Its not enough to not buy from a pop up, but don't even open one up, that keeps them going.

[Anonymous]

I had never done anything about pop-ups until a few months ago. Finally I just got fed up and installed a pop-up blocker. Until I got rid of them I didn't realize how irritating they were. I'd never go back.

Side question, has anyone ever actually bought a good or service they first learned about in a pop-up?

Randy

[locomcf]

Yes - once - now that I think about it.

A few months back I subscribed to Model Railroader from work (where we use IE). Somewhere during the process a pop-up appeared advertising a booklet that I thought looked interesting, so I ordered it as well.

I guess it was the e-commerce equivalent of picking up a packet of chewing gum as you go through the supermarket check-out.

Ron

[MRTerry]

Dear readers,
Yes, we're aware that pop-ups may be on the way out, and we're also aware that they're nobody's favorites. Those are among the reasons why we limit their use. While I can't speak for all the Kalmbach sites, at MR we use them to make visitors aware of special offers you might not see otherwise, like our sweepstakes, special issues, etc. We also limit the number of pop-ups per visit, and you should only be seeing them on your first visit of the day. (And yes, we do need to find some ways to pay for this site, and selling magazines is one of them. As those of you in online publishing know, running a site like this one is not an inexpensive proposition.)
If you are getting strings of pop-ups when you visit modelrailroader.com, or if you see them on every visit in a given day, please let us know. (The software needs to use a cookie to limit your pop-ups, though, so I can't promise what will happen if you don't allow cookies from the site.)
Thanks for visiting, and thanks for reading MR.
Terry

[Anonymous]

I've been using the GOOGLE POP UP BLOCKER on the tool bar for several months now, and have blocked all popups, works great.

[Noah Hofrichter]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Doggy

I HATE POPUPS

[#ditto][#wstupid]
Noah[:p][8D][:D][:(!][:(!]

[Anonymous]

After reading about SpecificMedia's apparent hostility in comparing blocking pop-ups to ripping off music, thereby "stealing" from websites, I offer this thought. When I'm driving down the highway, am I paying for the advertising on the billboards along the road? You know, the ones that block out the scenery? If I chose to ignore those billboards and only pay attention to the green and blue signs (with the occasional yellow or red thrown in), how am I "stealing" from the advertisers?

I pay to access the Internet, businesses pay to advertise. I don't have to pay to enter my local Wal-Mart, I can step in, step out and not spend a penny.

I think Mr. VanderHook is shooting from the lip, so to speak.

[Anonymous]

Good I hate Pop Ups

DOGGY

[rogerhensley]

I have never seen a pop up on this site. I use Netscape. Have I missed something?

[Noah Hofrichter]

Roger,

You aren't missing much, they do become anoying after the same message has popped up for the 30th time in 10 days!!!!

Noah[:(!]