Luckily, no - contributing members are spared such aggressive marketing. Sorry to hear they're going down that path again - for a while they were putting stuff on that was crashing a bunch of folk's computers.

I have been having a lot of problems with this thing! Are you saying that if I were a contributing member the advertising would go away? I don't seem to be having this problem on other web sites. Ladybug

I am not a contributing member and I don't get the popups. The cure: Firefox browser -- ditch IE quickly. I also have other software installed also which blocks most of the ads from showing up.

i don't have a problem with the pop-ups either, but i have noticed lately that they have been putting in "Intellitxt" (key words that are highlighted green and double underlined) within people's posts (today i noticed this in grant's post about his water lillies). if you drag your mouse over the highlighted key word it shows an ad for a related web site. guess they will always find a way to bombard us with ads and spam.

Yeah, I just found that "intellitext" yesterday. Obnoxious if you ask me, and I'm a paying member. If it gets much worse, I don't know how long I'll stick around.

I have Firefox installed, that isn't helping. I am also having to run ad-aware and spybot more frequently. I sure hope this web site isn't the problem. Any other suggestions on how to get rid of the adds? Ladybug

Firefox is the right answer. Go to Tools/Extensions then click more extentions and get the NO Script and the AdBlocker. The NoScript will take care of this one, and the AdBlocker is good for many others.

Yes, I am annoyed by them as well. They are not really pop ups per. se. because the latest version of IE blocks pop ups by default. I think they are Flash. I've found you actually won't see these in older versions of IE. I know gardenweb is using these to generate revenue like anyone else, but do they have to be so annoying. They cover the whole screen and you have to chase them around to get rid of them. At least keep them in the margin.

If you're using Adblock, use this as one of the filters, and you should not see anymore popups: [http://*.ivillage.us.intellitxt.com*]

Use everything between the brackets.

Once and for all: How to stop the iVillage ad onslaught.First we need to understand how it's done: iVillage doesn't bother to try and buy ads directly from all the various companies that show up on the pages of GW. Instead they use large ad-service agencies like doubleclick, akamai and pointroll. You can visit some of these sites if you'd like to see who's behind the ads.

http://www.akamai.com
http://www.doubleclick.com/us
http://pointroll.com

This makes it easy to block out all or almost all of the ads very easily, just block the originating sites. Right now all the ads on GW come from:

http://amch.questionmarket.com
http://a820.g.akamai.net
http://iv.doubleclick.net
http://i.ivillage.com
http://m.2mdn.net
http://tste.ivillage.com
http://img-cdn.mediaplex.com
http://ads.vmirror.com
http://cmhtml.ivillage.overture.com
http://ads.pointroll.com

The Universal Solution.This will work on Windows systems for all browsers; IE, FireFox and Netscape. This is the best way to remove the ads from GW and not effect other internet sites.

The Windows operating system provides a system-level method to block specific IP addresses before they even get to the browser. To effect this solution you need to edit a Windows system file called hosts. This file is located in the directory:

Windows XP: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC
Windows 2K: C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC
Windows 98: C:\WINDOWS

Open the file in Notepad. Cut the following from this post and paste it to the end of the file.

127.0.0.1 amch.questionmarket.com
127.0.0.1 a820.g.akamai.net
127.0.0.1 iv.doubleclick.net
127.0.0.1 i.ivillage.com
127.0.0.1 m.2mdn.net
127.0.0.1 tste.ivillage.com
127.0.0.1 img-cdn.mediaplex.com
127.0.0.1 ads.vmirror.com
127.0.0.1 cmhtml.ivillage.overture.com
127.0.0.1 ads.pointroll.com

Edit each entry so that there is a tab between the IP address 127.0.0.1 and the URLs. Save the file and you're finished. Close and re-open your browser and all the ads will be gone.

Unfortunately, iVillage may in the future buy ads from a new source. In this event the new ad source will have to be added to the list.

The IE solution.Most of the ads are placed using Java$cript. You can remove the more offensive ads in IE with the browser settings. You can't however remove them all. To improve GW using IE do the following:

From the menu select Tools -> Internet Options -> Security and click on Custom Level. Scroll down to the end of the list and you'll see an entry for Scripting. Disable all the sub-entries. Now select the tab labeled Privacy. In the bottom of the box that appears check on the option to block pop-ups. I recommend you also click on the button Advanced and select the option to block Third-party Cookies.

NOTE: By disabling Scripting you will also effect the way other websites behave -- other sites may not function at all! You may need to get used to switching scripting on and off as desired. That's why this is the...

retina, that is a wealth of info, thank you!

Thank you so much for the info Retina.
One question, though, please.
Under the Universal solution you state:
"Edit each entry so that there is a tab between the IP address 127.0.0.1 and the URLs."
Is a tab just a space? and if so, there appears to be a space already in your list. So, what should we put there?
Thanks again.

Linda--take a look at this article. It explains the hosts file in some detail and may be able to get you going in the right direction.

A note of caution: Backup the hosts file before you start messing around with it (just save it as hosts.old for example).

Here is a link that might be useful: Host file details

thank you azdesertrat for link. good info there.
I ended up just c/p the list above into the Host file and now...voila...no more ads, except the "visit Ivillage merchant" one. (I did back up the Host file also, just in case..lol)

Every time I come back to the forum, I'm now being forced to re-login before I can post (I repeatedly check the Remember Me box). Anyone else having this issue? I'm wondering if it's related to the system changes I made?

Thanks.
Mary

I am having the same problem Mary, and I made no changes, so I don't know what is going on there. This just started within the last 3 days, wonder what they have done NOW???

Susie
frustrated

It has been happening to me also--I am almost glad I am not alone now. Don't get me wrong, I am not real happy about it either. Luckily, I use the password manager in Firefox and I only have to remember my master password instead of the 16 million other ones.

I also noticed that I only have to do it when I close my browser. If I come here then bounce around a few more sites and then come back, I don't have that issue. I usually have this site open in one of my tabs though (have to love tabbed browsing). :-)

Now about the rain thing---I have almost forgotten to what it feels like or even smells like. We need some soon.

Yeah, same for me. If I close my browser I have to re-login. All of a sudden. :-(

yep me too the last three to four days what`s up??

Same here
I believe it is Aliens
I didn't realize they removed our ability to e-mail each other from our profile either. Seems they're working really hard to make this forum UN-user friendly

Me too on the log in. But at least I can come here now. I was more or less shut out for a couple months due to those ads hijacking my browser and displaying NOTHING when I tried to view threads.

I also am shocked to find out they have removed our ability to email each other. How on earth do you make a community where people can't communicate freely? Then again, if we email each other, we can't see their ads....

You still can email people--you just have to dig for it a bit, Check someone's bio--and then check the journal. It should be buried down there somewhere.

Did anyone else take the "influential survey?" (See conversations.) I think they're on one of their everlasting experiments to 'improve' the forum. It sucks. To have to bumble around and look at a 'journal' - which no one seems to use - to find someone's e-mail address is ridiculous. And to have to keep logging in every $^*^%$%$ time is just as silly. (As if you can read that agate size font, either.) Maybe we could find the people who sold this off to I-Village and wring *their* necks!

IVillage is a publicly traded company on NASDAQ. They exist to give a means for their investors to trade out and make money. The way they make money is via advertising. Same as Martha Stewart - advertising. We are just Smiley Faces walking through their aisles buying stuff. They offer us Gardening forum but for their purposes its about advertising. Selling space/pixels.

My 2 cents, since nobody asked is that the forum is still a valuable resource and generally a pleasurable experience. I used retina's instructions and the flash ads went away. One extra click to find an email address is tolerable if iVillage has moved it to protect me from spammers, and that may well be what's up. I sent a message to the website hosts telling them they broke the "Remember Me" checkbox functionality and have asked them to fix it. Hey! Maybe that will work!! We'll see.

Mary

Well, Mary, here's hoping you get some response. As of now, every time I log in I also have to check the stupid little box - again. Some time saving device that is!

MaryMcp, I concur. It's still a good place even though I'm slightly more inconvenienced than I'd prefer. I can live with that. ;-)

Ah Ha! I did NOT have to re-login this morning to post a message. Sweet. How about the rest of you?

Mary

Yeah, I was beginning to wonder if that box I kept checking ("remember me on this computer") was working, since I had to check it every day. But not today. Hope that does it.

That's two positive changes! You also get directly to "send me an e-mail" when you click on "My Page." Guess someone's listening. I still don't understand why you can't edit your page like before. Does anyone know how?

Tomato,

At the top of the main page (where you view the list of open threads) there is a link to "Instructions". Scroll to the bottom and find a link to "Member Services". This should do it. There's several options there.

HTH.
Mary

Ive been having the same login problems - in fact, I couldn't log in with my old name (cindy ash) and had to come up with a new name at a new email. What a pain.

However, I agree with you Mary, this is a great place - and I've recently discovered there is a book section in the Home forum so I am one happy camper. And now that I can control some of the ads, I can ignore the rest. Still, I hope these iVillage people (hee) don't make the place totally unsuitable for humans.

Cindy