Constant intrusive videos

[BTECBetty]

These are driving me mad. I understand you need to sell advertising space, but on every thread there is a highly intrusive video. Even when I close them down they reappear on the same thread! Surely once a user has closed the ad that should be it?

I want to use mn without a subscription, like I do many sites with adverts (I have several whitelisted on my adblocker). I'm not against ads per se.

I'm against a site where the adverts make it usable and I'm against handing over card details to a site that has had so many data beeches.

I understand that ads are needed. If they worked alongside browsing (like any normal site) I would whitelist the site. As it is at the moment (MN being greedy and the ads making the site unusable) I block the ads on principle.

Make the site usable and the ads won't be a problem 🤷

I still want to know where this magical ‘X’ is? I can’t stand that Fisher Price ‘learn laugh chair’ being in my face on a stupid loop.

So where’s the X? Where’s the X on the Borderlands ad?

I'm against a site where the adverts make it usable and I'm against handing over card details to a site that has had so many data beeches.

And this ^^ does really need addressing. It’s not just @LoveMyLifeAlways who has said this - lots of posters have.

I'm against a site where the adverts make it usable

That should be adverts make it unusable

Yeah I get that. I genuinely hate those adverts and so many sites have ridiculous ones.
This has been a thing with mumsnet for a long time though. Its not new.
I don't think it would be a great business strategy to worry about thd user experience of the ones that use it for free and want to block the adverts though.
I refuse to buy from companies that have annoying adverts on principle.

and now the lovely Aldi advert, that has a movable line down the page that moves with your mouse... who on earth thinks these ads are a good idea and will pull in shoppers?

It puts me right off Aldi if they are prepared to have stupid ads like that on a popular page.

a movable line down the page that moves with your mouse...

I was just coming on to post about this. There is also an arrow with the moveable line. The surround ads are even causing a problem with the PM page. When trying to write or reply to a PM, the text box disappears down towards the bottom with a large blank space between it and the last PM. Very odd and somewhat concerning @BeckyAMumsnet @PipMumsnet

There are increasingly regular times when the whole screen is adverts and I can't scroll past them or shut them down despite jabbing at little Xs or 'skip' buttons.

Morning, everyone. We're still working on this. In the meantime, just a quick recap of things that might help and other things that will help us find fixes.

• Always press 'X' rather than 'skip' if there is an option. That should help prevent the ad popping up again.
• For the new 'pop-up' video ads: Each one should include an ‘X’ button. If you click the ‘X’, you should not see that type of ad again during your session. (If you do please let us know with a screenshot if possible). If any of these ads appear without an ‘X’, please share screenshots so we can investigate. If you are seeing the same ad repeatedly after clicking the ‘X’, video recordings would be very helpful, too.
• For all other ads (ie not the pop-up video style), please send screenshots if you can, which will help us troubleshoot.

Many thanks for your help and patience with this.

So it’s still that they are staying even though we hate it and will actively refuse to buy anything from companies advertising on the drop down videos? Just so I’m clear.

I have a post-it note stuck to the bottom right hand corner of my screen where the videos appear which means I can't see them. It does mean I can see a big pink post-it note though....

I can cope with the ones on the iPad or computer screen. It’s where you’re on the phone and they drop down covering up the top of the screen I get annoyed.

I've given up on trying to use my iPhone today for MN. It's impossibly annoying and slow.

The screen is littered with little bastard adverts in corners that are uncloseable and make it as unusable as those abominations of websites from the Mirror and Express.

It's obvious that these are going to continue.

I managed to get a screenshot of it the other day. On a mobile you lose the whole thread.

@HebeMumsnet For the new 'pop-up' video ads: Each one should include an ‘X’ button.

I’m not getting an x on my iPad (safari), only ‘skip’, which doesn’t work anyway. The small ad top right of my screen has had ‘4’ on it for several seconds. I did take a screen shot but it is saying it isn’t a valid image and won’t attach. I’ve never had an issue attaching screen shots before. It’s taken me 4 minutes to writ this due to the constant freezing -is that what the 4 on the add indicates then, the delay? I assumed it was seconds until the ad finished -even though it was incorrect.

Let’s face it, they are here to stay.

I never see x’s on any adds - not the banners at the top or the ones that take up the whole screen as you scroll.

no way to get rid of them.

@HebeMumsnet I think it will let me post this one. It’s the ads that start off as a black box top right, underneath the Vrbo ad. it doesn’t matter what the ad is for though, it’s freezing everything and there is NO X anywhere, ever.

NOTHING HAPPENS EVEN WHEN PRESSING THE X

I want to reiterate that it’s not the ads per se that are the problem. I have many sites whitelisted so that the ads will play.

The problem is how intrusive they are. How they cover the screen. How they freeze my phone. How the (multiple, multiple) videos steal my data. How the flashing ads cause problems when reading.

Ads like on mumsnet are seen on the worst of sites. Many, many sites have most of ads that work alongside browsing.

Afternoon everyone. We're still looking into this and are also looking at some of your individual questions and trying to replicate what you're seeing. We do have a few answers for some of you in the meantime, though.

@Rinoachicken Thanks for the screengrab. This looks like a standard display ad so there won't be any 'x' to hit here. You should just be able to scroll past it though. Let us know if it's not letting you do that or is otherwise misbehaving.

@TessTickle0 Sorry you're still having problems with this. We really need to see it in action in order to work out what's going wrong. Would you be able to email us a video of it in action to [email protected]. please?

@HEC2746 You should just be able to close that using the 'x' button at the top right (just under your battery sign)

So still tough it’s staying then?

I've filmed the problem.
Will send it in.
It won't close on my laptop and is at the bottom of the screen over where I scroll to see trending threads so very annoying.
On my phone it's at the top of the screen and will close when pressing the x.

It’s practically unusable this morning, it’s freezing and reloading every few seconds.
Still no X to close the little black box down, and even if there was I couldn’t hit it as MN just freezes and reloads before I’d have the chance!

Not only are we the product for MN (providing their advertisers an audience), and expected to pay if we don't want to be the product (see adverts), we're also expected to do the tech work for them 😅