subliminal adverts

[2knee]

I use a local Newspaper's website icnewcastle.co.uk and recently this site has started to use something called subliminal links for unsolicited advertising.

The links are to AOL, which makes things worse as AOL is one of the best viruses about.

What can I do to get this stopped and who can I make an official complaint to?

[Wazoo]

1. Back up your sources.

2. look up "subliminal" in most any dictionary, then explain just what it is you're talking about in reference to a web-site.

3. There is no code on that page directly linking to anything dealing with AOL.

4. Page code includes a bunch of java scri_pt, making some kind of call to something referencing ads (maybe this is what you're talking about, this stuff doesn't run on this system);

<scri_pt language="java scri_pt" type="text/java scri_pt">

OAS_url ='http://oas-eu.247realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/';

OAS_listpos = 'x02,x11,x20,x50';

OAS_query = '?';

OAS_sitepage = 'icnewcastle/homepage';

</scri_pt>

Complain to the parties involved, if you can actually point to something. Don't allow unauthorized scripts to run loose on your system. Have you checked the entire TOS for the site?

[2knee]

I have now found out that the subliminal is a "pop Under" advert. I usually get when looking at the football pages and it does not occur immediately. The most common time is when you switch pages within the website. I need to use Java for some of the sites that I use. I use Adaware profressional, I also have Spybot, Zonealarm and BOHDemon so I do not get any intrusions to my PC. I have also noticed that Yahoo is also using this "pop under" Technique, which is as far as I can determine quite leagal in the UK.

Thanks for your reply

[Wazoo]

As suggested. "subliminal" is a far cry from pop-up or pop-under.

Along the same line, "java" is not the same as "java scri_pt" ...

As there are so many "big bucks" in advertising, that's the nature of the beast .. first it was banner ads, then bigger banner ads, the in-your-face-interactive ads on the front page, then pop-ups, then pop-unders, .. pop-up blockers keep adding in new blocks, advertisers keep pushing their programmers to come up woth ways around the blockers .... (remind you of any other scenarios?) ... somehow thinking that all this aggravation leads to brand-name recognition and sales ..???

[andrewsteele]

I'm not sure this relates directly to spam but ad blocking is a challenge.

I've found careful use of a well constructed HOSTS file can effectively block pop-unders and overs.

This site has a helpful explanation.

Andrew