New IE may burst pop-up bubble
Published: 25 Nov 2003 15:35 GMT
But as the ads have caught on, Web surfers have cried foul. A majority of Internet users say the ads are disruptive to their surfing, according to surveys.
Ads that open a browser window in front of or behind an open Web page -- known as pop-ups and pop-unders, respectively -- have become target practice for many major Internet service providers (ISPs) and browser makers in recent years as they've proliferated online and consumer complaints have peaked.
Pop go the pop-ups
EarthLink started a trend among ISPs two years ago by offering its service as a litter-free zone that helps consumers block spam, pop-ups and viruses. America Online followed, with promises not to sell the ads to third parties and to greatly limit its own in-house advertising. Google and Yahoo recently embedded anti-pop-up features in their toolbars and Yahoo will incorporate similar features into its high-speed Internet package with SBC Communications.
Many people use Google's Toolbar to block out the unwanted ads. The company has said that "millions" of people have downloaded its toolbar with pop-up blocking features. Google and other search providers such as Yahoo are eager to let people block pop-ups because they will benefit from the shift in advertising dollars to contextual ads. Also, by making their search toolbar resident on the user's browser, they drive traffic to their own site.
Those efforts will get a substantial boost when Microsoft adds a pop-up blocker to IE. Global usage share of the latest version on Microsoft's browser, IE 6.0, is at 66.3 percent, according to market researcher OneStat. Microsoft also plans to introduce a pop-up guard within its MSN Premium and Plus Internet access services, to be launched later this winter. Despite this, the company still sells pop-up advertisements that appear on its MSN network.
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