Internet Business Optimization Tips and Ideas | Are Pop-Ups Something To Be Worried About?

Are Pop-Ups Something To Be Worried About?

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by Paul Wilcox

Pop-ups are the annoying ads and other things on the internet that open on your monitor as you’re surfing the web. Their main goal is to either get you to visit a certain website or to collect your name and email address for marketing purposes.

The pop-ups that come on your screen as a web page loads are usually caused by something called JavaScript. This is a simple programming language that can be integrated into the HTML used to build web sites.

Some pop-ups are useful. Sometimes a user clicks a link on the Web page and a small window will open asking a user to fill in information or giving a user more information. Music sites often use pop-ups to play tunes in a specialized player window. This can be a completely legitimate use of pop-ups and is quite different from the pop-up advertisements that appear unbidden.

JavaScript can control the size of the window and the elements displayed. The status bar or the menus can be hidden, making it impossible to navigate away from the pop-up. Your only options are to close the window using the ‘x’ box in the top right corner or to click on the ad and be taken to the advertiser’s web site. Annoying, huh?

Some of these pop-ups can cause other problems as well. They may be poorly programmed, or they may be intentionally malicious and can cause many windows to be opened. And when you close one, several more open to replace it. When this happens, the only way to get rid of them is to close the browser.


A relatively new kind of pop-up is created using Flash and can be programmed to follow your mouse or to float on the screen as you scroll the window.

In addition to pop-ups created with JavaScript and Flash, ‘adware’ can create pop-up ads according to the content on a web page. Adware is usually just advertising-supported software which displays ads when you use that program. Sometimes, however, ‘adware’ refers to small hidden programs that deliver targeted advertising to your web browser. These programs may look for certain keywords on a web page and generate advertisements based on those words.

Another form of pop-up is called the pop-under. It opens a window behind the main window and you won’t see it until you close your main browser window. These types are less annoying, but can still be a pain.

It’s the nuisance factor of pop-ups that has encouraged almost every web browser designer to include some kind of pop-up killer in their program. The latest versions of all the major browsers have integrated pop-up killers.

There are also many specialized pop-up killer utilities that run in the background and require no user intervention, most available free of charge. So, download one today. Unless you just enjoy advertising.

About the Author:
If your kids use the same computer as you, pop-ups can be a real pain. In recent versions of Windows multiple user accounts can be set up to keep their junk away from what you’re doing. Get more info about stopping popups at http://www.securitymanor.com