Sins of The Internet: Pop Ups

If there is one thing that I'm learning to hate, it's a pop-up window. Well, let me be a little more specific, because there are instances when it is good that a new browser window is opened. 

When I click on a link that goes within the same site, I do not expect a new window to open. I am in the same site, so it follows that I would like to surf within the same browser window. However, if I click on a link that goes to an exterior site, then I am overjoyed when a new windows opens up.

Why is this? Well, I am probably clicking on an advertisement, a link exchange link or something like that. I just want to take a quick look at something else. Usually I want to come back to where I was before and continue surfing the site where I came from. However, if the exterior link does not open a new window I will probably forget and never come back. By opening a new window I simply close that window when I am done with the exterior link and I am back at the site where I started.

That's the only instance, in my opinion, where opening a new browser window is valid. 

I really hate it when a new window pops up as soon as I enter a site! This is really a way to get me to want to leave the site as soon as possible. I've seen some sites which will pop up one, two or even three windows, and I've even run across a couple which display even more (including the king - twenty windows!) If a site pops up more than one window upon entry, I will surf elsewhere ... unless I really, really want to visit that site.

Even worse is the site which doesn't only pop up a window upon entering the site - it pops up a window (or more) on every page! Come on already, it's really easy to create a cookie which prevents this from occurring. I will always leave a site when this happens, and most likely never return.

Exit windows are just as bad. These are becoming very common, and I hate them all! You know what I mean - you are leaving the site and a little window pops up. Sometimes these remind you to sign the guestbook (and I will never do so from one of these windows). More often they ask you to sign up for a newsletter or, more often still, purchase something. Guess what, personally, I find these so obnoxious that I will never, ever do what they ask. And I will not be back to that site again.

I've even seen some sites which have exit windows on exit windows! This is one of the most obnoxious things that any webmaster can do. Not only throw up a window as a person is leaving, but when he closes that in annoyance, throw up another one! You'll never see me on that site again!

A couple of new types of pup up window has been showing up lately. One is a "pop under" window. What this does is as soon as you enter the site, a window is created. Instead of popping up, however, the window immediately goes behind your current window. When you close the browser later (sometimes much later), you will find another site on another browser window. These, to me, are much less intrusive than pop ups, although I still don't like them.

Another newer type is a window which immediately minimizes to the task bar. This waits for a length of time (which seems to be random) before it pops up another window. This seems to happen every once in a while, perhaps every fifteen minutes or so until I get so annoyed that I look for and kill the stupid thing. I've noticed that these seem to be very hard to kill, and they seem to happen on Microsoft sites.

I really hate this last type of pop up window, more than any other type. It is so darn obnoxious! In fact, sites that do use this kind of window will never, ever see me again!

Some people tell me, well, their site is hosted on a free host and that host requires pop up windows. My response is always the same - find another host. In fact, if you are on the internet, why don't you shell out the money for a paid host. You can find easily find good hosts for under $10 a month - less than the price of a pizza. If you do that, you can avoid a whole lot of internet sins - pop up windows, banner ads and free host spam (uh, advertising emails).