Kate, I hate them too! How do you opt out? It's bad enough with those stupid ads that expand and contract...now we have words that pop up videos! Yuck.

Donna

I am using 2 different Macs - different ages - each using Firefox with Adblock Plus and I am not seeing the new ads here. I did opt out; you have to re- opt out each time you clear your cookies and cache, but I don't think I did and I clear C&C often. I do get the underlining in other sites I visit & I get out & don't go back.
They have been talking about this issue in conversations in the Cooking Forum and Computer help.
I think you can block them - if you follow the suggestions in those threads. I am afraid this will drive good people away from here.

I use Firefox with Adblock Plus also and have no problems.
But I do use the NoScript add on.
It takes a bit of getting used to, but I'm not missing anything except the ads!
Cathy

Here is a link that might be useful: Firefox - NoScript

I was getting so frustrated that I stopped visiting the forum for a while. Then I switched to Firefox and it has helped, but not eliminated, the probs. For the last 2 weeks I have had problems trying to log in.
I only have these problems on this forum and I know it from the advertising and the surveys.
Rosa

I use Mozilla Firefox with both Adblock and Noscript installed an enabled. I have never suffered with the obnoxious ads everyone complains about UNTIL TODAY!! Ads all over the place. The flashing and animations are not only distracting, but actually bring on my migraines. After many years enjoying these forums, and considering all the troubles iVillage has had since they took over, and especially all troubles lately with lost pages, etc, now these unstoppable ads, iVillage has lost me. I know the ads allow this to be free for me, but not at the cost of annoyance and headaches. I'm sure I'm not the only one leaving because of this.

I'll miss the people here and the exchanges, but there are so manu other websites, forum, and blogs to enjoy, I will adjust, I'm sure.

empress - I know what you mean about the flashing! I had a huge problem with that when I was with Comcast. The only other add on with Firefox that I use is Flashblock (in addition to Adblock Plus). You get an arrow with a F in it in place of the flashing. It blocks all moving objects!! If you want to see the blocked object you click on the F - It is easy to enable and disable as the icon is in my toolbar (like I disable it for some of my business vender sites).
Try downloading the Flashblock and see if that takes care of the problem. I would empty the cache & cookies also. Follow the directions GW has for opting out of their new ads - fortunately they are letting / telling us how to do this as that revenue does keep this site free (as obnoxious as it is!)

Maybe I should knock on wood but haven't had a problem lately. I have Norton 360 installed now. Not sure if that is helping but it works. My computer is running low on V memory and that causes some problems though. Jayne

I use Firefox on one computer and Google Chrome on another. I almost never see the flashing ads or popups on either computer. But these IntelliTXT links are a annoying. I appreciate that there is a link to disable them but I would appreciate it even more if it actually worked!

However, by following advice on another forum I think I finally was able to get around it. Go to the website link below and scroll down to the paragraph headed "Intelli*nix*: An Intellitxt link remover". There will be a link you can drag to your favorites bar (at the top of your page). Each time you go to a site that uses IntelliTXT links you click on that thing on your favorites bar and the links immediately go away. Unfortunately, it doesn't keep blocking them so when you navigate to another site you have to click it again, but at least it's just one click.

Kate

Here is a link that might be useful: IntelliTXT link remover

Good morning. I am happy to report that the problem was mine and not Firefox. In the course of fixing another issue on my computer, something happened to my FireFox addons, even though it appeared they were all in place. This morning I have reinstalled FireFox as well as AdBlock. It is all working again as it was a couple days ago, so I can once again enjoy these forums with nary an add or Intellitxt link to bother me.

I am so happy I won't have to give up all the wonderful people and information I enjoy here.

Since I am leery about adding programs to my computer and trusting sites to disable their pop-ups, I decided to surf the web about this problem and found something that works. Go to internet options, tools, security, restricted sites, sites then put *.us.intellitxt.com into the first blank and hit "add". This will keep it from showing up again, it's just too cool and simple. Now let's see if the corporate hackers will find another way to hijack our computers! (which I'm sure they will do)
Rita

I haven't really noticed ads...I tend to look past them unless they pop up in the middle of what I'm trying to read. What I've been having trouble with is that the main page of this forum is scrolling up and down without my consent! What a pain that is!
Salijo

Ads haven't been a problem for me - the "new" big frustration is that in people's posts words are underlined and they are a link to something else! (at least on my computer!) like in Ritaweeda's message above, the word "programs" is highlighted in green & double underlined. If you hover over that junk advertising comes up. It's not a legitimate link as far as I can tell! Really frustrating.
Sue

I decided this whole site is an ad. The forums are just a little sideline to lure people in to see the ads. That's why it's so confusing to me that they make the ads so absolutely annoying that people can barely stand it.

Sue, those underlined words are exactly what I'm talking about. It is a 'legitimate' link and the advertisers are paying iVillage for the use of the site. We were warned it was going to happen - look at the What's New section right over the top of the message list - and even told how to opt out of the ads. (Click on the connection under What's New that says "Please read this important announcement about new advertising.") But it's not working and we are not able to decline the ads right now. Tamara says they are working on it.

Although I find the underlined connections annoying, I REALLY hate that someone looking at one of my posts might think I condone or even promote a company because there's a link to them in my post! But all of these links are automatically inserted at key words and it's all done by a company called IntelliTXT. I want to be able to opt out of seeing them AND having them attached to my posts, but I don't think that's going to be possible.

Kate

Kate, you have a very good point there. I don't think any agreement in the terms of use would have covered this at the time I joined, for sure. And what if an advertisement attached to one of my posts is completely objectionable to me in some way not simply because it is an ad, but because the product or viewpoint or content? What if it is completely opposite of any product I would ever use, promote or ever want to be associated with? Would I have any say in that case? Hmmmmm.....

I hate to be redundant, but if you do the steps that I explained in my previous post it really works. I don't see those links anymore. It won't prevent others from seeing them unless they are somehow blocked and I know that is a concern to some people, but I'm afraid there isn't anything that can be done about that if iVillage insists on allowing them in. We can complain all we want, but in the end, we want and need to use this website and are at their mercy. I wish I knew how to build and maintain a website myself but I'm sure it takes money and IT expertise to prevent hackers and viral invasions, identity issues, etc. from happening, so that's why they are doing this, the bottom line. I just wish that they could think up different, more creative ways to jerk people around to looking at ads other than these kinds of terroristic methods, all they are doing is making people angry and it might close the forum for good if enough people can't deal with it anymore.
Rita

Rita, that works on many browsers ( firefox, IE, etc) but not on Google Chrome. I like Chrome and don't want to stop using it just because of GardenWeb.

Kate, I didn't know that (about Google Chrome) I've seen it promoted all the time and never downloaded it, (seems like every time I do that I run into more problems) and I'm not a computer whiz, just know enough to get myself into trouble. Again I do wish they wouldn't hijack our computers like this, seems like they could come up with something not so intrusive and up to the user to choose.
Rita

I agree, Rita! I'm not opposed to advertising and I understand running a site with this many users, this many forms and this much storage is a real business, not just some techno-twinkie in his or her basement with a server or two. But hijacking my c0mputer and my very own words is unacceptable!

(btw, I was a Firefox user for years and really liked it. I had no problems with it, but once I tried Chrome I liked it even better. It's lightning fast and I like being able to change themes. But it's still new and one of the issues they haven't fixed yet is the ability to restrict sites. If I had kids in the house I would not be able to use Chrome for that reason. Everything else with it is good and I'm sure they'll fix that issue soon!)

Kate

None of the fixes seem to work with Safari either. 8^(

I haven't been here for quite a while and imagine my surprise when I wrote a reply and one of the words was green! I haven't seen this anywhere else but I do have to admire someone's persistence in creating such a thing. (Wonder what will be green in this message). :)