Blocking Banner Ads

What is a banner ad? A banner ad runs along the top of a web page and is a hyperlink as are most other embedded ads. Typically, a banner ad is 468 pixels wide by 60 pixels high (this allows them to fit on smaller browser windows, for example).

You can limit banner ads in several ways. If you control your own proxy server, you can configure it to block certain sites. When an attempt to access these sites is made, the proxy server simply discards the request. Another technique, for those not using a proxy server, is to configure your firewall to block certain sites. Most firewalls allow this type of configuration.

A write-up, or script to configure your proxy server, can be found at http://www.schooner.com/~loverso/no-ads/.

An example of a banner ad is shown in Figure 5.3. This example is only a demonstration, but it does reflect what a banner ad looks like.

Figure 5.3. A sample banner ad, along with the image's properties. Placement is typically at the top or bottom of a page.

Are banner ads more annoying than other inline ads? I don't think so they are all annoying. But, there is hope because you can block ads like these with Adblock! Read on....