Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 114!

There is no doubt out there that everybody and their grandmother hates popup ads. They are annoying little problems that come up on some of the web sites you visit every day. Most modern day browsers have popup blocking enabled.

This is good for a few months – but past that point, the advertising agencies just figure out a way around it by using flash, javascript or other technologies.

As of this date I do not know one web host that has an anti-popup policy. Should they do it? Let’s look at both sides of the argument.

Yes, Web Hosts Should Not Host Popup Advertising Web Sites

I think this might be a very popular way to get some buzz if a web host figured out how to do it right. As I said before, everybody hates popups. We can go after it via the browser, but that is only a temporary fix. If we want to get rid of them from the start the web host is where to do it at. When you kill a weed, you do not just cut the top of it off. You want to jerk it out of the ground and get the root as well.

No, Web Hosts Should Not Start An Anti-Popup Policy

On the other side of the argument, you have the great problem it would cause for the web host to hire somebody to randomly view their hosted web sites to make sure they are not doing any popup advertisments. This alone almost makes this pipe dream a loser from day one. Another issue you would have is you would create a second breed of web hosts – maybe overseas that say they welcome the popup ad loving web sites and will gladly host them.

So, What Is The Solution?

The only reason these ads are around is because somebody out there is clicking them. It might not be you – but I bet your Uncle Elroy who just got his first computer is. As a society, we are the ones that created the pop up ads – because we found out ways not to click or to ignore the traditional streams of advertsing via the computer.

Now in our defense, we should have been served with better ads as a result I think – not more annoying ones.