For what I can tell, this doesn’t sound like a feature that you can turn on or off. I suspect that the website that you’re visiting is displaying the pop-up on purpose.
So let’s talk about that.
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Why sharing is important
Many sites, including Ask Leo!, provide information completely free. The way that they pay their costs is typically via advertising. Advertising depends on site popularity, and popularity depends on getting more and more people to visit the site.
They want you to share what you find interesting and helpful with other people so more people visit the site, plain and simple.
With the popularity of social media, one of the most common ways that people share information is through Facebook. In fact, there are even indicators, currently, that search engine rankings are impacted, at least in part, by how often a page is shared on sites like Facebook.
As a result, websites want to encourage visitors to share links.
For example, every Ask Leo! article includes a couple of links at the bottom – Share on Facebook and Share on Twitter – just to make it a little easier for you to share what you find interesting. When you do, it actually benefits Ask Leo! quite a bit.
When sharing gets in your face
Most sites do this in an unobtrusive way. Some do what I do and provide a link while some include share widgets on their site.
What you’re describing does not sound unobtrusive, and I’ve definitely encountered sites that go “over the top” when it comes to trying to get you to share things.
If it’s in your face, not only is it annoying, but if you don’t use Facebook, it’s irrelevant as well.
The problem is that these sharing options aren’t put there by software or even malware on your machine. They’re not even put there by your browser.
They are put there by the websites you’re visiting.
What you can do
Web designers make those kinds of decisions for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately there’s just not a lot that you can do.
Most of these annoying share pop-ups are produced using JavaScript. You can try running NoScript if you’re using Firefox. NoScript will allow you to turn off JavaScript on a per-site basis, so you can turn it off when you’re visiting sites that have those pop-ups.
But if you’re using another browser, like Chrome or Internet Explorer, the options are more limited.
Ultimately, if a site annoys you for whatever reason – be it sharing widgets, auto-start audio, annoying advertising – the best thing that you can do is vote with your feet. Let the site owner know and leave. Don’t visit it again. The internet is a big place, and you’re very likely to find the information that you’re looking for on another site that isn’t as annoying.
Your comments on facebook popups were good. However, I have “Advanced System Protector” popup every time I start up my computer. Tried Uninstalling it, appears to be gone….but next time I reboot, voila, there it is again. What can I do to get rid of that one?
This sounds like you have malware on your computer. I’d try removing this with your antivirus program, and if that doesn’t work, you might try MalwareByes Antimalware or AdwCleaner.
How do I remove malware?
How Do I Remove PUPs, Foistware, Drive-bys, Toolbars, and Other Annoying Things I Never Wanted?/a>
Thanks so much for the hint to get NoScript AddOn from Firefox. It cured this annoying problem!
I use in about:config a service called:
services.sync.prefs.sync.javascript.enabled;false (I have changed from true to false)
I eventually figured how to block the Social Media banners using AdBlock. The problem is, though that the instructions tend to need instructions on how to understand the instructions.
The way I’ve achieved it is by following these 4 simple steps:
1. Enter Filter Preferences by Right-Clicking on the AdBlock icon.
2. In the “Custom Filters” tab click on “Add Filter Group”
3. Give the new group a name (I’ve kept it as the original “Fanboy’s Social Media Blocking List” – Credit where it’s due).
4. In the Right-Hand window, where it says “The selected group is empty” paste the contents of the following URL.
https://easylist-downloads.adblockplus.org/fanboy-social.txt
Job done! No more Social Media banners.
If you want to advertise, then advertise until I’M blue in the face, I’m STILL not buying or investing in any product that I have no need or interest in. I’m getting SICK and TIRED of intrusive advertising. I’m reading an article and some facebook/google+ god forsaken thing appears wanting me to share what I’m reading. I DONT KNOW IF WHAT IM READING IS EVEN WORTH MY TIME. GET THAT STUFF OUT OF MY FACE. If i think your article has half a scrap of merit then I will recommend it to my relevant friends. I’m not recommending a nobel winning article when you shove that down my throat, can you PLEASE sos of and leave me to read my articles in peace?
If you’re specifically ranting at my site – I’m sorry, but as I outline in the article it’s necessary for my survival. I don’t think what I have is as obtrusive as you outline, so perhaps you’re speaking in more general terms. In either case the best thing you can do is vote with your feet – if a web site, any web site, is too annoying, then don’t return. That’s an easy enough solution for you.
Leo, this is one I feel the need to talk about. Any website owner chooses whether they want to provide the site free of charge to the consumer and finance another method. They could always go to a subscribe and pay to get in, advertising on the page, or even ask for donations to keep the site up.
Personally, I have no objections to advertising, as long as it is on the page as opposed to it being over the page. When I reload an operating system, I do not load an ad blocker. But when I start getting the popups, then I install the block.
I don’t find your ads to be obtrusive, but I did get miffed about the side bar on the left side. I didn’t realize I could turn it off when it blocks the print, because when I hover the mouse over it, I get a print notice that covers up the icon.
I am 84 years old, I enjoy your columns, and am still learning. Thank you for the time you take to educate us’ns.
Do understand that I’ve considered, and even experimented, or watched others experiment with, all of the alternative finance methods you’ve mentioned. The bottom line: they don’t work. Not enough to support the site or myself. People don’t want to pay for content. Or, put another way, the people that are willing to pay are not enough to support sites like this.
And, to look at it another way, often the people least able to pay money are those most in need of what I offer here for free. Advertising and social sharing is critical to keep this information available to all.
I just hate pop ups. I dp think they are put on fb on purpose. AnytimeI am yrying to tead an article that relates to anything conservative they pop up and block the article.
I do not have Facebook share popups, which is what this article is about. I *do* have a newsletter popup – and to be super blunt, Ask Leo! existence actually relies on it. (I tried running without and the results were quite depressing.)
Some sites I have to go to in order to do what I do. I tried signing up for their newsletter and still I get the requests. It is SOOO counterproductive when I go to a site where I’ve never been before and the popup asks “like what you see? then share…” How the H do I KNOW if I like it or not when you have given me only 2.5 seconds to read the entire article? All I do is curse under my breath and leave.
Another annoyance is certain sites that “refresh every couple minutes. There is one in particular that has long, in-depth articles. I’m about halfway through or more, and all of a sudden the whole page disappears, then takes the horrible time (on my slow connection) to reload! Of course, it does not go back to where I was reading but all the way to the top, the headline! Since I already was down many, many screenloads, now what? Scroll down page by page? What’s my train of thought after being so rudely interrupted? Now what? Usually I cannot get back into the thoughts of the well-written article, especially knowing the same thing will happen again before I’m finished! So I leave. Have written to them, to no avail. I think what it is is a scam on their advertisers, forcing the count of “impressions” to go up! One day there was an important article that I did want my FB friends to see, so I went to all the work of copying the entire article into my status so I didn’t subject my friends to that!
Hopefully someone will write a blocker for those newsletter and ‘share’ popups. I tried NoScript, found it awful! Does not tell you what script needs to be blocked, leaves you in the dark, unable to choose what to leave and what to block, unable to do your banking and a lot of other sites. I was so happy to dump it!
I know you need the advertising Leo so I don’t complain. You give a fantastic array of computer advice for many years now all for free to the public, including myself. Your work has helped me enormously over the years… thanks. For people to complain about such a trivial thing in the scheme of things, to me at least, sounds not only disrespectful, but ungrateful. I wonder if you saved their backside with some good advice like installing Macrium or such that got them back up and running pronto, whether they would still be so damning of a lousy Facebook popup on your site. Having said that, thats the reason I came here today, to find a way to stop it also… and your advice for No script done the trick. Thanks mate. At least yours was on the side not preventing text being seen…. some actually block parts of the page…. Now that IS annoying. Keep up the great work Leo… mike from Oz.
It’s very easy to “get it wrong” and have it block parts of the page. I actually had to tweak things several times to avoid that.
I think your site is great!!! I came here to find out how to stop pop ups. After installing many extensions into chrome and firefox I used your page as a test page. I must have used a ton of bandwidth at your expense and I encourage other readers to do the same. LOL
Leo, Leo, Leo:
I came to your page hoping to rid of the floating “share with 7 different social sites” popups on the left side of the screen on many sites. Don’t these bloggers know that the popup makes it impossible to read what they have toiled to write for us I find that your long trusted askleo.com site IS ALSO AN OFFENDER. ( et tu Leo? )
Sorry Leo I had to remove you from my favorite sites. Just tell everyone to download Adblock plus for Firefox.
As noted in other comments, it appears that your site is one of the ones you are advising people not to visit! That persistent stripe at the side of the page is ANNOYING in the extreme. If you must have it, put it at the bottom of your page and don’t harass people with its annoying presence, especially since you offer no way to turn it ‘off’.
If you hover over it there’s a “go away” icon beneath it. I need it because it works. Without it and things like it Ask Leo! simply could not survive. I get exceptionally few complaints about it. (I know, not all annoyed complain, but even so … exceptionally few.)
But, yes, if my comparatively small amount of advertising – required to keep this site free – is something that you’re not willing to tolerate, then indeed I’d expect you not to come back. The alternative is for my site not to exist at all. I prefer that it exist so that the people who are more tolerant will continue to find help and resources.
There’s much more about the topic, including specific Ask Leo! examples, in Can we no longer view websites without getting pop-ups?
Leo, I believe that many if not most understand that, you… like all of us, need to pay your bills and that you would like to turn a profit. It is obvious that you spend a lot of time maintaining the site. Thank you! I also believe that if you had mentioned the “hover/hide” option there would be many, many fewer comments. If I may be so bold to propose a compromise? Keep the “share bar” but make the “hover/hide” option more obvious. the compromise is… If you can “program” an option that when the share bar is hidden it is replace by a TEENY TINY “reminder box” in its place that will “remind” the readers there is a way to share your very interesting articles. No “annoying” 5-7 share boxes for readers to contend with and an “unobtrusive reminder” to share your articles and hopefully a gain in revenue to maintain your excellent site…
Sadly I don’t control those details. It’s an all or nothing kind of thing from a third party. Needless to say, I need “all”.
It DOES work at turning people away
Most sites that use these god for saken social media floaters don’t know how to use them they are literally killing the internet. By creating such annoyances they create more companies like Adblock Plus etc to combat them. Site owners for the most part don’t know how to implement them, store bought web design, and goes horribly wrong.
Everybody understands sites advertising but unobtrusively is the key just give it a chance to work.
…the key to the nets survival is unfortunately ‘free’ the net was built on free info and it has stuck cause it’s free nobody wants to pay for info. If sites need the money it’s a part of doing business not something to pass on, do banks charge for advice it’s a part of the business model trust me if they could banks WOULD.
Hi Leo
I worked with you at Microsoft yrs ago with helpdesk. The Vertical block banner on left side of page (typically), in Chrome also has (now) small blue arrows to: Expand the banner box_ Make Banner move away out of viewing area.
To execute Banner change, the user needs to hoover the mouse over top or bottom areas of the Banner, and small arrows will appear suggesting a click on arrows will effectively allow or disallow viewing of the banner
Toddso
Thanks for that tip Toddso.
I have no complaints regarding advertising on Ask Leo. I have also found that if you right click on the Facebook share and then just left click on the page, it goes away.
I don’t have any problems with the small amount of advertising on this site. Keep going the way you are Leo, you offer a great service to so many of us.
The bar blocks the text on the right side of page on language site…so voting with feet…thanks Leo for the heads up
I am typing a comment on Facebook and a pop up happens related to a word I typed. I was typing “Rogue……” and up popped Rogue Credit Union in a box. I can type a paragraph and get 3-4 of these. It appears they might be Facebook pages I “liked.” I went to Rogue Credit Union’s Facebook page and unliked it even though I don’t want to unlike it, and I tried typing a comment again using “Rogue….” and no pop up. So will I have to go to each page I have liked in the past few years and unlike it to get rid of these pop ups?
Probably. That sounds like Facebook’s “auto-complete” … if you start typing the name of a friend or page you’ve liked it will offer that as an option. I think just continuing to type makes it go away.
Jerry’s way worked for my Chrome extension AdBlock.
Refer to the following AdBlock “Subscribe to filter lists” screen:
Other Filter Lists
Adblock Warning Removal list (removes warnings about using ad blockers)updated 14 hours ago
Antisocial filter list (removes social media buttons)updated 9 minutes ago
EasyPrivacy (privacy protection)
Fanboy’s Annoyances (blocks in-page pop-ups, social media and related widgets, and other annoyances)updated 12 minutes ago
Malware protection
Custom Filter Lists
Or enter a URL:
Here’s something I’ve done that works on some sites – switch from full screen to reduced screen (the two overlapped squares in the top right of your screen) to reduce the size of the page. Then you can drag the edge of the screen to almost full size. Don’t know why but this stopped the pop up from appearing on the left side of the screen.