| GENERAL
POP-UP ADS |
|
Not
all pop-up ads are irritating. Depending on which ones are
permitted by the webmaster of the site you're visiting, you
may even find that they are useful. However, a lot of lazy
webmasters have developed a habit of loading up irrelevant
and intrusive ads because they get paid for the number of
people that see them, not the number of people that care about
them. This seems to be especially true of sites that provide
free content. And, sadly, it seems that most pop-ups fall
into this category.
Many solutions are available for blocking web pop-up ads. There are good commercial solutions, as well as some good free ones. |
| |
| FREE
POP-UP BLOCKER |
| Our
favorite browser pop-up blocker is the Google
Toolbar, which is now in its second version. It has
a lot of features, but many of them don't have much to do with
why we like it, so we won't address those here. These are the
reasons we care about: |
- it's
free
- it's
a very effective solution for most popups. it works automatically
when you install it (no setup headaches)
- you
can switch it off for specific sites that you touch with
one click
- it
gives you a Google search box built right into the browser
instead of having to go to their site to type in your search
terms
- it
allows you to search for your term only within the pages
of the site you're currently visiting, even if the site
itself doesn't have an internal search engine
- it
provides you with the Google PageRank display, which can
sometimes be helpful in indicating whether you're on a site
which has quality content
- it's
from Google, one of the most trusted names in internet technology
|
| The
one downside of the Google toolbar is that it's overall effectiveness
is decreasing...as new and more sophisticated methods of system
intrusion are developed. So, at some point, you may be forced
to move to a commercial solution. But it's a really great place
to start...and price is right! |
| MORE
HELP |
| Another
helpful step can be to make sure that your software is updated...ALL
software related to viruses and spyware removers, of course...but
also your Windows software! When Microsoft released their huge
Service Pack update for the XP operating system in mid-2004,
it was very helpful in cutting back on spyware and other net-based
issues. So make sure you update your operating system fairly
frequently as well. |
|
|
| RECOMMENDED
POP-UP BLOCKERS |
| If
it's time for you to make the move to a commercial solution,
here are some good options for you to consider. The advantage
of commercial products is that they are generally updated on
a much more frequest basis than the freebies. |
Ad
Killer
A small, effective and intelligent anti-ad software product
that can remove annoying ads without human intervention by using
artificial intelligent and intelligent agent technologies. |
Exit
Killer
Prevents any unwanted pop-up window generation on your screen.
Based upon four sensitivity levels, it provides you with precise
control. Each level filters variety of advertising pop-ups.
|
NoPops
Just your basic popup blocker. |
PAL
Popup Eliminator
Basic popup/popunder blocker. |
PopUp
Commander
Basic
popup blocker. |
PopupDestroy
Site allow list, sound effects, blocks ads from particular sites,
history killer, cookie management. |
Popup
Nuker
Basic popup blocker. |
Pop-Up
Stopper
The ultimate in pop-up and pop-under window control. Site allow
list. Sound effects. Cleans the browser. Manages cookies. Blocks
Windows Messenger ads. |
SmoothSurfin'
A simple but powerful, no-nonsense pop-up protection utility
for Windows that is guaranteed to provide virtually annoyance-free
web browsing at all times while it is "on duty", effectively
terminating most unwanted pop-up browser windows before you
even see them. |
Super
Popup Blocker/Pro
The regular version is a basic popup blocker. The Pro version
includes history killing and cookies management. |
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