techtips
Do Those Pop-Up Ads Frustrate You, Too?

By Tim Moline

There you are, doing online research for a class project or lesson, when suddenly you are bombarded by intrusive Web advertisements inviting themselves into your previously controllable world. What do you do?

Like many others, you are probably spending some of your research time closing windows you never knew were opened – nor ever wished to see. But as soon as you close one window, another one pops up in its place. And the “pop-up attack” continues. Your research has now turned into a test of your patience, an endless process of closing offensive advertisements until you are finally frustrated enough to close your Internet browser and go to the nearest library.

How can you win the battle against pop-ups and take control of your Web browsing experience? It’s simple using one of several ad-blocking programs available for free or for a small fee. For example, I use a free and very user-friendly version of Pop-Up Stopper from Panicware (www.panicware.com) and am now, once again, in control of my virtual world.

There are many other services available, and I urge you to take a look at them. One way to locate the service that best meets your needs is to utilize the “Search” feature available in your favorite Web browser’s home page. Or go to sites such as www.google.com or www.yahoo.com and enter something like “prevent pop-up ads.”

Take control of your “surfing” and sink those pop-up ads!