Unwanted PopUp Ads are intrusive Internet advertisements that are displayed when you access web pages. This white paper provides information about different type of PopUp Ads, losses they cause, how they work and suggests key features that a good PopUp Ad Filter software should have.
M i c r o W o r l d T e c h n o l o g i e s I n c . w w w . m w t i . n e t
PopUp Ad Filter
By Govind Rammurthy - MD and CEO - MicroWorld Technologies Inc.
Unwanted PopUp Ads are intrusive Internet advertisements that are displayed when you access web pages. This white paper provides information about different type of PopUp Ads, losses they cause, how they work and suggests key features that a good PopUp Ad Filter software should have.
What is a PopUp Ad
PopUp Ad is an advertisement that appears when you access or exit a web page. These are created and placed on web pages by advertisers or web site owners. Not all PopUps are unwanted. Some sites require you to fill a registration form or you may have clicked a link for information and it is displayed as PopUp. PopUp Ad provides a very cheap and 'cost effective' means to reach a wide audience. It costs the advertiser a pittance and invariably gets the eyeball count.
Types of PopUp Ads
Common types of PopUp Ads are: Mouse Over: These are displayed when you move the cursor over a link or an object in the web page. Plain PopUps: These appear when you click on an object. Context PopUps: These appear when you place the cursor on a screen element and press the context help button e.g. F1. A separate window giving information about the element is displayed. Tool tips: These appear for a small duration when you hold the cursor over a screen tool element. They provide brief information about the element. Menu PopUp: These are displayed when you click on a link on the menu bar. They allow you to perform additional tasks. Under Ads: These PopUps run in the silent or minimized window mode. On Load and On Unload: These are displayed when you open or close a web page.
W H I T E P A P E R O N P O P U P F I L T E R S 1 M i c r o W o r l d T e c h n o l o g i e s I n c . w w w . m w t i . n e t
Figure 1 shows an example of a PopUp Ad.
Figure 1 Example of a PopUp Ad
Losses caused by PopUp Ads
While PopUps do not cause data corruption or system crash, they are irritating and cost you money when you chase and stop them. Some of the losses caused by PopUp Ads are listed below:
. You spend access time in trying to close PopUps. This costs money.
. Bandwidth of your ISP is consumed when pages with PopUps are opened. Web pages you access take longer to open. This costs you money.
. They give information, not related to your interests. They may even be offensive and give links to Porn, violence, etc.
. Some PopUps open a series of PopUps. New ones open up when a PopUp is closed. You may need to shut down your browser to close them all. This leads to unnecessary use of bandwidth and net access time.
How PopUps Work
PopUps are HTML pages that use JAVA/VB scripts to run. They are classified by the way they run. Event Driven PopUps: These are displayed when you carry out an event like: OnLoad: When you click on a link to load web page. OnUnload: When you close a page. OnMouseOver: When you move the cursor over a link or an object in the web page. Head and Body: The web page you access has the basic structure of head and body. PopUps are enclosed in these two areas. As the page starts loading, the PopUp in these two areas are run automatically. For a live demonstration of PopUps, visit http://www.mwti.net/testpop/test1.htm
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What PopUp Filters do
When you open a web page, the PopUp Filter software reads the code in the web page. Any commands that ask a PopUp to display are searched and overridden. A good PopUp Filter should perform the following tasks:
. Act as a Firewall for PopUps. Works in the background. . Monitor your system as you surf the web and kills PopUps before they open. . Speed up your surfing by blocking PopUps. . Provide configurable warnings alert you when a site attempts to open a PopUps. . Does not block legitimate/informative PopUp windows.
Recommended Features of a PopUp Ad Filter Software
There are many types of PopUp Filter software that have flooded the market (probably as many as ... [download for more]
