Matt

This is the result of past abuse -- Sites that created endless chains of unsolicited pop-ups. Combined with the security threat of cross-site scripting, it was clear that popups not triggered by a user click were simply not a good idea, and they had to go.

Keep that in mind -- As time goes on, fewer and fewer visitors may have their browsers configured to allow unsolicited pops.

As an example, one of the marketing slogans for the Firefox browser was "Take back the internet" -- or something like that. It has provisions that make it fairly easy to prevent unsolicited popups, status bar changing, windows without scroll/resize/navigation controls, off-screen or hidden windows, and anything else in the DOM that may be seen as a problem by the user. The new rule is, "Control of the browser belongs to the user, not to the Web site being visited."

Jim

However, I continue to see them very regularly on sites of all kinds. I have several large consulting clients that use them to very good effect. I initially expressed concern, but after seeing their numbers, could not argue with the results. They had found the line between being acceptable to most site visitors, and being noticeable.

The risks are generally well known, and mainly relate to alienating users.

The rewards are clear: They work better than almost any other form of graphical ad vehicle on the Web, and I don't see that changing any time soon.

The trick is to use them wisely, in context, and not in sneaky or overly aggressive ways.

I tend to hate them, but there is no denying that they (still) work. And as jdMorgan points out, users who don't care to see them are increasingly aware of their option to turn them off.