POP-UPS So what is a pop-up? They are precisely how the name suggest. They may be a window that suddenly appears before your eyes whilst you are looking at a particular website. There are some popups (known as 'pop under' advertising) which pop up under the active window. You don't, therefore, notice them until you close a window, making it harder for you to tell which website triggered them. Pop-ups (or pop-up ads) are a for of online advertising. There purpose is generally to display advertising and attract you to another website. Some pop-ups will also capture email addresses. It is not all sinister though. Sometimes pop-ups occur to give you more information. For example, if you were filling out a form online, a pop-up might give you tips or instructions for how to fill out that form. There are certain types of content - images, free music etc, which commonly cause pop-ups and pornography is especially susceptible to pop-ups. If you click on pop-ups you will find yourself taken to another website, sometimes even a pornographic website which may have nothing to do with the website you are currently viewing. Pop-up Blockers The good news is you can often do something about pop-ups. In the early 2000's all internet browsers except for Internet Explorer allowed the user to block pop-ups. Microsoft established this option for users in 2004 with their product Windows XP SP2. Most pop-ups give you the option to 'close' or 'cancel'. Apart from being a bit of a pain and taking you away from what you are doing, you still need to be careful. Some pop-ups supply a 'close' or 'cancel' option but if you click on it you may still open the window or be taken to another pop up. |
Pop up blocker products: |
