Pop-Up Video Ad · 4:39am May 10th, 2014
Okay, what the heck?
I've got adblock running on Fimfiction, but the ads are getting through. Not only a relatively unintrusive one at the bottom, but a pop-up video ad. I didn't see what it was for. I reflexively closed the page with keyboard shortcuts when a pop-up came up. That reflex is overwired from the early days of the internet when questionable sites would chainspawn pop-ups until only those with quick reflexes could avoid their browser dying.
This is the kind of unacceptable that makes me want to go to another site. Talking ads were bad. Evading the adblocker is worse. Evading the adblocker with a pop-up video is so far beyond the pale it makes me wonder if the site got hacked.
EDIT: Upon posting this blog, I was immediately greeted with a talking video ad. ARGH. Seriously, advertising this intrusive smells like someone who wants to hurt the site got the admin passwords. I can't even seem to get the talking to shut up by specifically blocking site elements.
EDITx2: I had Adblock misconfigured in a way that was supremely ineffectual. Kind of odd... Until I specifically whitelisted FiMFiction, it HAD been blocking ads, but with the configuration as it was that doesn't make any sense... Anyways, I added another blocking script, and the problem is solved now for me. I do feel bad for people who aren't savvy to the ways of the adblocker.
What browser do you use? I use both chrome and firefox and use Adblock Plus with both of them. I have not seen an ad on fimfiction in like, forever.
2094598 Chrome and Adblock Plus. I have two Fimfiction windows open. In spite of the site being blacklisted for ads and with many specific elements blocked, both of them are trying to sell **** to my ears right now. I have my headphones off as a compromise.
Ouch. I suppose you've updated both browser and add-on? Something else you might check to see something is piggybacking in. The pop-ups might not be the site, but something else that is slipping past by faking being part of the browser while being separate and therefor not blocked.
2094637 I'll hunt for possible causes. I have, however, confirmed that it only happens on this site, and in fact the chatter is bound to specific tabs. If it's piggybacking in, the piggyback is going to a lot of trouble to seem like a site problem.
Oh hey look, Twitter just got relevant.
Strange, I haven't done any extra fiddling with adblock, and FiMfic was been totally ad-free with me.
It sounds more like you got a piggyback of some kind, or some malware somewhere...except it isn't happening to you anywhere else.
2094686
I fixed the problem by fixing my adblocker configuration. The only question left is why all but the least effective of my blocker scripts had gotten turned off - and how I could possibly have browsed the rest of the web without noticing. I guess advertising standards in general have gotten less annoying. Nothing jumped out at me and made me feel I had to care until this.
2094740
That still sounds mighty suspicious...
I might be being jumpy, but I would probably give your computer a quick scan for anything malicious.
2094900
I concur with other commenters here. I've not really noticed any talking adds on fimfiction and I run without any kind of add blocker. Something seems suspicious. I'd avoid doing any online banking from that computer.
Though if it is only fimfiction, that's also weird.
2095257
I actually have had a talky ad, a few times, but only when FiMfic was whitelisted. And I could never actually find the ads on the site window, it's just it stopped when I closed the tab. But it sounds like Casual's talky is targeting Ad-Block, or something. I don't know, it just sounds shady to me.
http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/321569/audio-adverts-on-fimfiction
Hmm. Looks like Casual and I aren't the only ones to have them. And it looks like knighty doesn't approve either.
2095294
Hey, stop calling me Casual!
2096626
I didn-
...
FUUUUUUUUUUUU- I thought I got that right!