Full screen covering ads? (1 Viewer)

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, today for the first time while visiting the forums here, I am getting full screen covering pop-up ads here. Meaning an ad covers the entire screen on my laptop and I have to allow it to do that for about 5 seconds or so before I am allowed to click the X to close it. Is this a new thing here? I have always had ads here but not an ad that pops up covering the entire screen.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Anybody else seeing this or is it just me?

 

[FincherFan]

Nope, you're not the only one. it's annoying AF.

 

[bujaki]

Truly annoying!

 

[TonyD]

I’ve had these pop up on my iPad.

 

[B-ROLL]

I’ve had these pop up on my iPad.

On FireFox Windoz when I first went to view reactions

The ad was a little smaller this time ...

 

[Jonathan]

We are testing some ads like this that only appear if a window has been inactive for over 60 minutes. Let me know if you are seeing them in any other scenario, as you most assuredly shouldn't be.

 

[Malcolm R]

I've been surfing and reading the forum for the past hour and this one just popped up on mine so it's definitely not just after 60 minutes of inactivity. I'm also not sure the point as I'd never buy anything or patronize any business based on a pop-up ad. This also sours my opinion of SVS as a place I'd want to do business (though I have in the past).

 

[TonyD]

^ Same for me. Wasnt an hour and I’ve never felt compelled to buy anything not one single thing from a pop up. But think it’s more about the ad just being there and not the traffic it sends to the other sight.

 

[David Deeb]

It’s happening to me immediately. Not an hour.

 

[EricSchulz]

Every time I open HTF on my iPad I get it.

 

[Jonathan]

Okay, thanks for letting me know. I'll talk with the ad provider.

 

[midvalleyguy]

Pos up everytime I head to HTF. Can't close it for at least 10 secs. Really annoying
(I'm in rural Australia - using Safari on MacBookPro).

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

Yep, getting it as well, in German, for some reason (maybe the ad sw thinks I am in Germany).
Also, still get notifications to disable my adblocker even though I have. Usually they pop up above or below the ads I still see, since I have disabed it.

 

[TonyD]

I don’t use an ad blocker and I get that note all the time

 

[Malcolm R]

I think they're set to pop up every 60 minutes, not after 60 mins of "inactivity". Again this morning, I've been surfing and reading the forum for about an hour and this popped up. They also seem to pop up the first time you open the forum for the day, and if you spend any length of time surfing other sites and come back to HTF they'll pop up, even if you've been away less than 60 mins.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, the way it seems to be working for me is, as soon as I come to the site, the very first forum I enter, I get a full screen covering ad. Once that one has been dealt with (it usually takes about 5 or 10 seconds before it allows me to close it) I can surf around here for a bit, maybe 10-15 minutes then I will go to open a forum and get another screen covering ad. It almost seems not designed around a time limit, but more around how active I am switching forum to forum. If I am switching forums a lot, reading different topics, I get more full screen pop-up ads.

Personally, I think this is a pretty lousy practice, it makes this site look like either it has been hacked, should not be trusted, or is not properly run. Had I not participated here over time and knew this site and had just come to it, I would flag this as a website not to use.

 

[TonyD]

Yeah those specific full screen ads are pretty hacky and make the site look like it’s cheap, a fake site.

Im fine with ads on a site for me if I don’t pay the sub but ads that take over a browser or page are garbage.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I get that "deactivate ad blocker" message too and I don't have one on. The normal ads all appear here on the top, right side, and between posts. I was going to ask if I activate an ad blocker will that stop the pop-up ads? If it will I definitely want to turn on an ad blocker.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Yeah those specific full screen ads are pretty hacky and make the site look like it’s cheap, a fake site.

Yes, anytime something takes over your screen and worse, won't allow you to close it right away, that feels like a website that can't be trusted. It's not something that should be happening on a quality website.