Popups - never, ever, ever?

[stlewis]

Some of you have recently given voice to your hatred of popups. I agree when it is an advert, but what about here:

http://www.bricksandbrass.co.uk/desr...lstln/hall.htm

I have used popups here to pull in an entry from a glossary.

Is this ok or is there a better way?!

www.bricksandbrass.co.uk

[stlewis]

Some of you have recently given voice to your hatred of popups. I agree when it is an advert, but what about here:

http://www.bricksandbrass.co.uk/desr...lstln/hall.htm

I have used popups here to pull in an entry from a glossary.

Is this ok or is there a better way?!

www.bricksandbrass.co.uk

[pduggan]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>I agree when it is an advert, but what about here...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Have to say I detest pop-up ads and other unnecessary pop-ups too, but this seems to be an appropriate and intelligent use of pop-ups and I can't see an obviously better or more user-friendly way to do the same thing. So long as you're prepared for the possibility of some people and/or browsers missing out through the Javascript (and here I don't have the expertise to comment further), I'd say it's OK!

Peter

Peat Stack or Pete's Tack?

PS But I close down pop-up ad windows the moment they appear!

[diane buenger]

There are some appropriate uses for pop-ups, and you've hit on one of them. I have used them on carts to give close ups on images, for example. One thing I do is set them to close on blur so they don't build up in the background

suggestion - you might want to make the window a bit smaller to fit the text.

cheers
diane

blog

[dk_art]

I used tons of pop-up windows on my site as I have so many images.

I remember seeing a site for a local financial business. The person who did the site not only made a greeting auto-pop-up when entering the site but also a "come again" message pop-up upon clicking off the site ...arg ...very annoying in my opinion. Pop-ups should have a use.

One thing I've noticed is that inexperienced web surfers tend to lose pop-ups behind another window when they click other links on the main page, the content gets loaded into the pop-up behind the window . It's good to give each pop-up it's own unique name so as to prevent this reloading in the background (or perhaps there's a way to get the window to be put back on top).

David K ... www.dkingdesign.com http://www.dkingdesign.com/stuff/signature.jpg

[gidgit]

I agree with everybody here in that there is an intelligent, appropriate place for which to employ pop ups... [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

I think what we would all agree with here is that we are mainly turned off by those sites we visit which use pop ups that bombard us from the time we open into the site...one, two, three...sitting in the tray, before we had a chance to blink...and for no apparent reason beyond spamming us, or even worse, because it was thought to be cool in design...not, mainly because it complicates things where there is truly no need to.

You folks have a reason for the use of such, and other than active x, java, or through the use of frames there is little else to do, except perhaps load a new page... [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[diane buenger]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>One thing I've noticed is that inexperienced web surfers tend to lose pop-ups behind another window when they click other links on the main page, the content gets loaded into the pop-up behind the window . It's good to give each pop-up it's own unique name so as to prevent this reloading in the background (or perhaps there's a way to get the window to be put back on top). <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This is one reason to use a 'close on blur' function. If you give each popup a unique name, it only solves the problem for you - not your visitor. When they leave your site their browser is still cluttered with your windows litter.

[dk_art]

Well I guess for my own site I like to allow people to have as many pop ups as they want as they are all paintings or images ... this way they can keep many open at once if they want. I suppose some people will inadvertantly get 30 pop ups still open when they leave but I'd rather have that on my own site than people not being able to open more than one at a time.

David K ... www.dkingdesign.com http://www.dkingdesign.com/stuff/signature.jpg

[Steve Newport]

Pop-Ups are really nice when used in galleries to display the images enlarged. There can be some use for them

Steve Newport

[dalel]

I recognize that there are Good popups, and popups from the Dark Side(ads).

When a popup is used for images and such, I don't care to end up with a bunch of popups under the main window, so I write my code to allow only one popup, using the same window name, and bring that window forward when each new thumb is clicked.

Can anyone present a reason why someone would *need* to have several popups open at once? I haven't ever needed that functionality, and I have surfed hundreds of sites with popup images.

Dale

Why, I’m afraid I can’t explain myself, sir, because I’m not myself, you know...
- Lewis Carroll