Damned Popups.

09:39.17 - Wednesday 29th October 2003   (Link to This Entry)

Just recenty I've noticed that the way I think about popups and/or popunders has changed fundamentally. It used to be that I'd tolerate them, or let a popup killer get them, and life would go on - no big deal unless I get swamped with the damned things.

These days I think of a webpage as an area that I allow a site to use. It doesn't matter what ads you have on there - that's your site layout and if you're happy with it then fair enough. I'll put up with a site absolute chock-full of banner ads if I chose to go there.

However, I'm increasingly seeing popups as taking liberties - websites attempting to take over more screenspace than I've invited them into. I gave a site one page, one window on my computer, and if it starts to expand beyond that then I start to get annoyed. I didn't ask your crappy site - yes Mr.Amazon I'm talking to you - to open it's own window, I invited you to show me your site in one window on my computer. If you want to offer me a £3 voucher which you'll then refuse me on the grounds of already having an account, do so within the confines of the space I have given you.

The very worst ones for me are those which open a new window after you've closed your view to their site. These popups generally try to entice you back or get you to spend money somewhere else that will earn them something. What is it that these people don't understand about the 'close' button? I have finished with your site, I am ending your permission to show your page on my computer, now p*ss off and leave me alone.

The only time a site should open another window is when it's going off-site and the owner takes no responsibility for the content of the destination page under the terms of the initial site. This is simple usability. If I link to Mr.Foo's site, for example, I open it in a new window as it's a new site, nothing to do with me. When I expect a new window to open, I don't mind. When I expect a site to stay within the confines of the window I have permitted it to use and it doesn't, I get angry.

Afterthought...

09:49.56 - Wednesday 29th October 2003   (Link to This Entry)

Popups are a lot like those annoying inserts you get in magazines: they're indiscriminate; there are similar, if not identical ads actually printed on the magazing pages; you didn't pay for them; you didn't ask for them, and they can be embarrassing when they all fall out at once.

Thankfully there don't seem to be too many for penis-enlargment pills or Viagra, although I have to admit I haven't read an actual proper paper magazine in quite a while.

New Tax Disc

12:51.53 - Wednesday 29th October 2003   (Link to This Entry)

Oooh, pretty! Had to tax the car today, and the new disc is a funky purply/white/grey combination with two foil strips on it and loads of cut-out shapes. The digits for the expiry are now reflective - probably to aid those new disc-reading cameras - and done in gold, and there are subtle gradients making them harder to photocopy. Still not worth £165 though!