Heads up: Turning off the "graphical previews"

[matgb]

There are some people that like "snap previews". They like annoying, bandwidth hogging javascript pop ups that come up when your mouse passes a link^[2]. I'm not one of them. You might be, and if so I can, when I've time, rant at great length about why they degrade the user experience, clutter the web and really don't actually help in any way. But for now a heads up. If You haven't explicitly turned them off from your journal, they're now switched on by default^[1]. There's more about how awful Snap Previews are and that includes links to how they're planning on filling them with ads. Turning them off is really easy and I highly recommend you do it, not just for yourself, but for anyone that reads your journal as well. I sleep now.

ETA: spacecowb0y has given us this howto on blocking them with adblock, which I personally don't use but I know others do.

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[1] Basic and sponsored users are turned on by default—that paid users aren't? It's because they'll end up revenue sharing the ads.

[2] Anil? You never did point us to the UI research that said Regular people on the web *love* Snap previews. I'd love to see it, really, because it seems so utterly wrong to me and I like having my preconceptions challenged. So if you do get the chance (of course, I may've missed it as well—I did look around a bit at the time of the discussion)

Comments

[frightened.livejournal.com]

It does rather raise the question: if they're that convinced they'll be popular, why aren't they foisting them on the paying customers?

Generally, you can tell whether it's a feature or a pain in the ass by whether they give it to the paid or basic users first.

[matgb]

Precisely. They know most won't turn them off, or realise how to, so can figure it'll be a revenue stream across the board, which is just nasty. We're not users any more, we're eyeballs for ads. Gah!

[morgaine-x.livejournal.com]

Thanks for pointing that out - duly switched off. I was getting annoyed and suddenly realized that was what you meant...

[ladyegreen.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I turned it off.

That's just crazy isn't it? I'm not crazy about gizmos for the sake of gizmos. I've been very staunch about not running off to set up another account elsewhere but it would be very nice if they would allow people to have streamlined accounts without all these useless things they keep adding.

[matgb]

But then they can't make money from the adverts in the useless things :-(

[susumu.livejournal.com]

They are the stupidest thing ever. Well done LJ.

[matgb]

I've never got why site owners like and use them, but now I do-ad revenue embedded in something "useful" to the user. Ah well.

[spacecowb0y.livejournal.com]

I also did a little post that ejects Snap Shots permanently. :)

http://spacecowb0y.livejournal.com/281574.html

[davidnm.livejournal.com]

Oh, so that's what's going on ... I wondered why all these random boxes kept popping up while I was looking at my F-list. Quite the useless feature and a little irritating, too - off it goes, I think!

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

Obviously they are shit but why haven't I seen them?

[matgb]

You still have a paid account, they might be blocked through any firewall or security stuff you've got (blocking them is easy at admin level on a network apparently) or oyu may have turned them off on a different site ages back and forgotten?

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

Ah.

[freddiefraggles.livejournal.com]

Well, having a paid account, I didn't have this problem. But I didn't like the thing where you hover over an icon and it tells you "This is matgb, he is your mutual friend." I'm like, yes, I know.

So I turned that off, seeing how you gave the link to the place to turn that off.

Ta ducky.

[matgb]

Ah, the contextual popups. Yup, hate them too. Turned them off when they were released, thought I'd posted, might not've though.

[fracindy.livejournal.com]

*smooch*

I was just beginning to get annoyed, cheers for that.

[misscoollinda.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tip. I hate snap reviews, pop-ups, or anything that slows down my internet surfing that I didn't ask for in the first place. Don't even get me started on spammers.

[davegodfrey.livejournal.com]

Duly deleted. Thanks for the tip.