I hate to ADD to this thread...but clarification is in order: -First of all, this thread would be perfect for the Hot Topics Forum...but "it dont fit" in Hot Peppers or Hydroponics. -"Troll" is not a comment on one's appearance/stature/etc: In Internet terminology, a troll is someone who intentionally posts derogatory or otherwise inflammatory messages about sensitive topics in an established online community such as an online discussion forum to bait users into responding (Wikipedia) -Posting the identical off-topic message to multiple groups is typical troll behavior. I realize however, that Willard's intent may have been merely to rant, not to 'troll'. -The ads are indeed annoying and frustrating; but I have yet to see one that is "offensive". -If the ads annoy you...I agree with John...email the specific advertiser or gardenweb... --Don

I agree, but just for a moment. (the use of blockers) Those that are computer savvy, and have the instant ability to cary on by using apps so quickly, do have an advantage. My father is 86 and needs social media for stimulation and brain exercise. He is still brilliant but very frustrated. Every update is a struggle. Every visit i need to walk him through changes. And i can barely keep up. I don't like to think of our elders loosing connections via their computers, or getting more confused. (i'm on my husbands new air laptop right now, just days old, without problems.) My iPad i use at work, and for work, is touch sensitive. I speed read and just can't read posts with big sections of posts blocked. And i have add blockers but need to keep trying i suppose. I'm personally not at all put off as i know it will continue and needs to be accepted...I just have to support those here that are frustrated with it just wanting some social time, relaxing time... On an iPad it is a mess. Just a simple scroll, the page present jumps away instantly and hard to retrieve. As if these new pop-ups were designed for just that.

I don't mind ads along the top or sides of pages. My mind can block them out pretty well. But iVillage has a problem here in that some ads, on some posts, cover part of the post and cannot be turned off. That's a problem on their end that they need to address. I also saw one post where the message text runs off the right side of the message area. Due to large photos in the post perhaps?

Mozilla Firefox - a dream come true. No pop ups, no ads, none of the annoying videos that used to play here AND, no annoying ads on my Yahoo browser either. And, and, and....so many extensions that can be added that are too numerous and too cool to list. Love my colorful tabs! And just added a coupon code alert to tell me if the site I'm shopping has a code available. Woo Hoo! fwiw, I've never had a problem with pictures not showing.