Need help in blocking "link" ads (1 Viewer)

[David Baranyi]

I am new to this forum, and I hope that I am posting in the right place.

I know how to block pop-up, pop-under and banner ads (I use Mozilla to do that), but in the last several weeks I noticed a new type of ad, one that I could not block. These ads are called "link" ads where several websites can advertise under one text banner. They are the creation of Google and Tribalfusion. Since forum rules does not allow links on posts, please look at dictionary.com for examples.

Unlike other ads seen through the years, the link ads have no graphics so I could not block the server where the they originated from. They are made of HTML tags. What I know about these ads is that they are JavaScript generated, which means that if I disable JavaScript on my browser, I will completely eliminate them. However, disabling JavaScript will also disable friendly JavaScript functions.

I hate ads regardless if they are pop-ups, pop-unders, interstiles, middle of a page, and text, so can anyone help me on blocking these link ads?

 

[Jay Heyl]

I'm using Win2k so your mileage may vary. Find the file "hosts" in the "etc" directory on your system. Mine is "C:winntsystem32driversetchosts". Edit the hosts file and add the line "127.0.0.1 a.tribalfusion.com", without the quotes. This will remap all references to a.tribalfusion.com to your local machine where no ad content will be found. I just tried it on the dictionary.com page and it worked fine. If there are multiple sources for the javascript that creates the ads you'll have to put additional lines in your hosts file to cover those sources as well.

 

[David Baranyi]

Thank you Jay for your help. I tried it and it blocks the link ads from Tribalfusion. The method also works against pagead2.googlesyndication.com which is also known to use link ads.

If I annoyed with "link" ads, what will advertisers think of next? Interstile (a page that appears between the original page and its destination) ads on every link?

 

[Chris Lockwood]

Seems like it would be easier to just ignore the ads.

 

[Martin Fontaine]

Seems like it would be easier to just ignore the ads.

One site I go to has a problem that causes my browser to crash. Blocking them using the hosts file trick fixed the problem.

I would only block ads when they are really annoying (Just an innocent banner at the top of a page is no problem to me) or when they crash my computer!

 

[Travis Hedger]

The latest Google Toolbar had a built in PopUp blocker that works great. Since I installed it GoogleToolbar has blocked over 650 pop ups and unders from this computer!

 

[James~P]

you can use a great little proxy tool calle "Proximatron"



its a 99.999999% effective pop up filter, it stops GIF animations, those link ads, and banner adds.

 

[David Baranyi]

James, where can I get Proximatron?

 

[James~P]

http://home.arcor.de/six/