HATED WEB PAGE TRICKS

The following are the onerous tricks that web page designers, hosts, and advertisers use. They make people mad enough to avoid the sponsors involved:

1. TAKING OVER THE USER'S CONTROLS

   This is the worst thing a website can do to a user. This includes: Preventing the user from using the keyboard and mouse Hiding the insertion point and/or the mouse pointer Using up all of the CPU time, so the user can't do anything Preventing the user from right clicking or using keyboard commands Downloading pages the user did not approve Changing settings on the computer without permission Changing browser settings without permission (e.g. restore-down window size)	Worst offenders: Animated ads Sites selling pictures AdChoice Netflix Lyimg.com ads Microsoft Update Microsoft ads TextTwist ads carmax.com ads Parade.com
   Variant: REDIRECTING PAGES TO DISABLE THE "BACK" BUTTON
   This causes people who do tree navigating to lose other links they wanted to use: The user can't return to the page he came from. Sometimes a user in who was the middle of a process can't get back to it to complete it. In a page such as eBay, such a trick means the user can't go back to other similar items. The user may lose the search he made. It makes the user log into his service again.	Worst offenders: Sneaky eBay sellers Some Yahoo News pages Unscrupulous sites AdChoice Surveys Terms of use pages Privacy statements Page-top banner ads
   Variant: FORMS CLEAR WHEN USERS LEAVE AND RETURN TO THEM
   This causes people to have to fill out the entire form again: The user can't go get information the form needs without clearing the form. Many user feedback pages clear forms when users go to get the needed information. The clipboard can't hold both the form contents and the new information. Users must write down the information on paper to have all of it available at once. The user may lose the search he made. It often makes the user log into his service again.	Worst offenders: Outlook web access Yahoo mail Various surveys Terms of use pages Privacy statements Daniweb Labor Law Talk

2. DOWNLOADING SOFTWARE WITHOUT ASKING PERMISSION

   Any site seems to be able to do this, but should not be allowed to do so: Educational sites think that you are required to use their software as a student. The downloaded software might conflict with other uses the computer is needed for. Downloaded software often conflicts with real-time applications. Some downloaded software changes computer settings without permission. The download might have spyware attached. The user might not own the computer, and thus has no permission to install. This violates the property rights of the owner of the computer. Browsers should not allow such activities.	Worst offenders: Webinar companies Education companies Unscrupulous sites Some mouseover ads
   Variant: PAGES DON'T WORK WITHOUT SOFTWARE DOWNLOADS
   This keeps people from using websites or entering contests without installing unwanted software: Often an education software company uses a special player to protect its "intellectual property." Contest systems want the user to have special software to prevent coupon counterfeiting. The downloaded software might conflict with other uses the computer is needed for. Downloaded software often conflicts with real-time applications. Some downloaded software changes computer settings without permission. The download might have spyware attached. The user might not own the computer, and thus has no permission to install.	Worst offenders: Prentiss-Hall / Pearson Webinar companies Many contest companies Unscrupulous websites
   Variant: DOWNLOAD PAGES SNEAK IN EXTRANEOUS DOWNLOADS
   This causes people to download software they do not want: The user might not own the computer, and thus has no permission to install. Some free software companies get money by being paid to push another company's software. Some companies want you to download players they use on their websites. Many of the downloads are free trials, with a hidden fee charged later. The downloaded software might conflict with other uses the computer is needed for. Downloaded software often conflicts with real-time applications. Some downloaded software changes computer settings without permission. The download might have spyware attached.	Worst offenders: Google Toolbar *** Adobe AVG Free Microsoft QuickTime adaware Unscrupulous websites
   Variant: DOWNLOADED SOFTWARE CAN'T BE UNINSTALLED
   This keeps people from removing software that causes problems on their computers: Some software companies vainly think you will never want to remove their "wonderful" software. The downloaded software might conflict with other uses the computer is needed for. Downloaded software often conflicts with real-time applications. Some downloaded software changes computer settings without permission. The download might have spyware attached.	Worst offenders: QuickTime *** Some Microsoft products Unscrupulous websites

3. REQUIRING PAYPAL FOR PAYMENTS OR REWARDS

   Any site seems to be able to do this, but should not be allowed to do so: This discriminates against certain religions. This keeps people without certain credit cards or bank account types from doing business with the company. It is an identity theft threat. It violates the right to use cash as legal tender.	Worst offenders: surveys.com SurveySpot Many online stores Many eBay sellers Unscrupulous websites
   Variant: REQUIRING CREDIT CARD OR ONLINE PAYMENTS
   Any site seems to be able to do this, but should not be allowed to do so: It violates the right to use cash as legal tender. This discriminates against certain religions. The use of www in the url also violates certain religions. This keeps people without certain credit cards from doing business with the company. It is an identity theft threat.	Worst offenders: Most online stores Government agencies Welfare agencies Unemployment agencies Unscrupulous websites eBay.com

4. FACEBOOK OR TWITTER REQUIRED TO CONTACT A SITE

   Any site can do this, but should not be allowed to do so: The user is required to belong to Facebook or Twitter to be able to contact the site. This discriminates against people who don't trust those sites. Certain employers prohibit employees from having Facebook or Twitter accounts. Those people can't contact the site. Facebook and Twitter are known identity theft threats. It violates the right to free speech.

   Worst offenders: many news media sites*** surveys contest sites online stores some government sites Unscrupulous websites

5. WEBSITES MAKE USERS REGISTER

   They want your identity. Why? Someone has to register to leave one comment, though that person will never be back. You have to register to get information? Why do they need to know who wants it? This could be a form of identity theft. This opens the door to government invasion of privacy. Users soon have to contend with remembering hundreds of registrations, many with different password rules.

   Worst offenders: Yahoo News Many political sites Most newspaper sites Many government sites. Grolier Buzz Up (defunct)

6. TOOLTIPS AND DROPDOWNS CHASE YOUR MOUSE POINTER

   This drives the user crazy as he tries to read other parts of the page: Dyslexic people can't read the rest of the page. The motion erases their temporary memories. People new to computers often think they did something wrong when things suddenly appear. The tooltips hide other parts of the page the user is trying to read or click. Dropdown menus appear when the mouse approaches, covering what you wanted to read or click.	Worst offenders: Mouseover menus The Weather Channel Daniweb.com Microsoft sites
   Variant: THE MOUSE ACTIVATES LINKS WITHOUT CLICKING
   This is usually an ad activating a link when the mouse passes over it: Moving the mouse across an ad makes the ad open a new page. This often covers the navigation controls needed to use the site The ad then will not contract again, even when there is a "close" button. Often any close button opens another web page instead. This causes users to think they did something wrong. People with perception problems are especially likely to think they did something wrong. Often the user can't get back to the page he wanted.	Worst offenders: Yahoo news All-Bran ads Betty Crocker Ads Iams ads Ford ads Netflix ads Liberty Mutual DirectTV ads T-Mobile Sony ads sync.com ads
   Variant: MOVING THE MOUSE CHANGES THE PAGE
   Web programmers think this annoying feature is a cute trick, and as programmers use it to get attention: Moving the mouse across an ad makes the ad expand to cover the text the user wants to read. Moving the mouse around the page causes menus to open or pictures to change. This often covers the navigation controls the user needs to use the site The ad then will not contract again, even when there is a "close" button. Often any close button opens a web page instead. This causes users to think they did something wrong. People with perception problems are especially likely to think they did something wrong.	Worst offenders: Yahoo news Daniweb The Weather Channel All-Bran ads Betty Crocker Ads Iams ads sync.com ads

7. COVERING PARTS OF WEBSITES WITH OTHER ITEMS

   This is usually an ad expanding beyond its design size: Covering up the text the user came to the site to read Covering the navigation controls needed to use the site An ad expanding out of the bounds the website designer set for an ad to occupy Often any close button opens a web page instead. Downloading other windows the user did not approve Bad XHTML code Popup advertising Popunder ads cover the desktop or other windows

   Worst offenders: AdChoice All-Bran ads Raisin-Bran ads Betty Crocker Ads yimg.com ads Netflix ads Iams ads Ford ads Liberty Mutual DirectTV ads Mrs Dash Herbal Essences Oil of Olay T-Mobile Dove soap Secret deodorant BrainGames Sony ads sync.com ads Ads on Yahoo Mail (covers mail text) Lyimg.com ads

8. UNNECESSARILY DELAYING WEB PAGE LOADING

   This is usually the result of an ad site oversubscribing its servers: The page sits there, taking several minutes to complete a download The status bar contains "Waiting for" and the name of an ad site This wastes the user's time Websites should arrange the content so the ad downloads AFTER the other content is displayed.

   Worst offenders: AdChoice doubleclick.net *** pubmatic.com yimg.com ads spc.atdmt.com dl.openx.org Lyimg.com ads eBay.com Yahoo

9. REQUIRING INTERNET EXPLORER FOR THE PAGE TO WORK RIGHT

   The page greedily requires you to use a certain browser, usually Internet Explorer: The page uses ActiveX, the intellectual property of Microsoft. The page uses Microsoft's wrong nesting of web page parts. Ads on the page don't work right on other browsers. This has been used to prevent people from downloading images. IE conflicts with some applications, so the user has to disable it. Sites with popup advertising don't want Firefox disabling it.

   Worst offenders: myitlab.com Some surveys Yahoo mail icon

10. FRENZIED ANIMATED ACTIVITY

    This drives the user crazy as he tries to read other parts of the page: Dyslexic people can't read the rest of the page. The motion erases their temporary memories. Most of these annoyances are ads, designed to attract attention. These ads are sometimes so frenetic that they use up all the CPU time, freezing the user's controls. The excessive use of CPU time can hide the text insertion point. This prevents posting messages. The only good use of an animation is one that demonstrates some important effect. The descriptive name for this is "Angry swarming bugs."

    Worst offenders: Microsoft ads LowerMyBills.com ads Video game ads DirecTV ads Beazer ads

11. PAGES THAT MOVE WHEN YOU ARE ABOUT TO CLICK

    This can cause the user to click on the wrong thing: The page suddenly moves when a late-loading item resizes its container. The page scrolls to make an the location of an ad appear on the screen A user trying to click on a link clicks on the wrong link because the page moved. Often the link that is accidentally clicked is a buy link. Downloading pages the user did not approve.

    Worst offenders: Google search*** eBay Daniweb.com Yahoo Parade.com

12. LOW BANDWIDTH LIMITS MAKE PAGES INACCESSIBLE

    This makes people mad, because they can't get the info they want: It wastes the time of serious researchers. It is a sneaky way to make nonprofit sites pay more. People using a site for a planned demonstration can't get to it. They also put ads on the websites. That should be enough to pay for the site.

    Worst offenders: Webshots Photobucket Free hosting sites Geocities (now defunct)

13. SOUNDS THAT SUDDENLY PLAY WITHOUT WARNING

    This annoys other people in an office environment: The worker in a cube farm is instantly embarrassed, as other workers prairie-dog over the cubicle tops to see who did it. The user's concentration is disrupted. Cell phones playing music are just as distracting. It can disrupt a meeting. This is a horrible thing to happen in a classroom.	Worst offenders: Many personal pages Many business websites yimg.com ads Pages selling products Lyimg.com ads
    Variant: ADS PUT SOUNDS ON OTHERWISE SILENT PAGES
    This annoys other people even more than expected sounds on websites do: The users never know what page is safe from unwanted sounds. The worker in a cube farm is instantly embarrassed, as other workers prairie-dog over the cubicle tops to see who did it. The user's concentration is disrupted. Cell phones playing music are just as distracting. It can disrupt a meeting. This is a horrible thing to happen in a classroom. Why don't these advertisers realize that, if they make people mad, they will turn people AWAY from their products?	Worst offenders: Page-top banner ads yimg.com ads Some eBay sellers Lyimg.com ads

14. PAGES THAT NEVER STOP DOWNLOADING

    This uses up paid bandwidth for users with some ISPs and some web phone plans: It costs the recipient money. This uses up bandwidth that might be needed for other uses. It loads down educational networks. It slows down ISP and Internet traffic unnecessarily.

    Worst offenders: doubleclick.net *** AdChoice Yahoo News Microsoft A & E channel

15. WEBSITES MAKE USERS WORK TO GET INFORMATION

    They surround the information with useless blabbery: The user has to follow a chain of pages to get all of the information, instead of putting it in a list. Each page takes time to load, wasting the user's time. Some of the offenders make the user watch a slideshow, with all of the download times between slides. They want you to read the useless blather the journalist wrote to get the information. You can't get the information without joining their service and logging in.

    Worst offenders: Yahoo News Reuter's News Service Associated Press New York Times Forbes Parade.com

16. WEBSITES MAKE USERS PAY TO USE INFORMATION

    This is pure greed! These waste the user's time when he needs information fast. The pay sites clutter up search engine lists. Many of them want users to buy a book containing the information. The user might not own the account he is using. Browser makers don't provide an option to exclude pay sites. How many sites do this, and then commit credit card fraud?

    Worst offenders: amazon.com Google books too many news sources Britannica highbeam.com docstoc hearldt.com some government sites

17. PAGES WON'T VALIDATE BECAUSE HOSTING SITES MODIFY THEM

    This is usually caused by inserting incompatible ads into the pages: The sponsor's lazy web coders refuse to write W3C compatible code. The page author can't demonstrate to prospective employers that he can write proper code. The pages misbehave on certain browsers. The pages will fail to render in the near future.

    Worst offenders: MySpace GoDaddy AOL Geocities (now defunct)

18. WEBSITES AND HOSTS THAT BAN CERTAIN BELIEFS

    This is usually the site owner enforcing his own political or religious belief onto other users: Most of these sites require users to obey the Liberals' Political Correctness religion. Some sites discriminate against certain religions. In some cases, the country or state the site is hosted in has discriminatory laws. This violates the freedom of speech of the user. Worst offenders ban the following: Conservative views Refuting liberalism Refuting bad science Info about Nazis Some Christian beliefs Items offensive to Islam Links to user's own page

    Worst offenders: French hosts Dutch hosts UK and Canadian hosts Swedish hosts Hosts in Islamic countries cc.co hosts Many bulletin boards

*** The worst offender in the category