Why I'm not allowed to have sound on my PC.

I give up. It seems I cannot, as a news hound, permit sound to be enabled on my computer. Not even for brief periods. Why?

Well, it seems some webmasters and particularly those trolls of the major media organizations, believe that AUTO-STARTING a video with full sound running is their right to everyone who crosses their website. It never crosses their pea brains, it seems, that not EVERY person on Earth who is on the internet and curious about news is sitting in a location or position which lends itself to a any story from the best Chocolate Chip Cookies to the horrible rape, torture and murder of the latest hapless victim to come down the wrong path to play for all around to hear.

Why is it some people who run or build websites feel OUR resources like sound, are THEIRS to play with as they see fit? Does it not cross their mind that doing so pisses off the people their ability to make a living depend upon?

While I'm in a ranting mood anyway, I want to mention something else that drives me up the wall. Site plugs programmed into CTRL-C copy calls on a web page.

When I copy something to paste it elsewhere, I do not need or want the "to read more....." and another 2-3 lines of text and URL after that. Especially when an article title may be all I was looking for. In fact, it's worth noting that not only do I strip EVERY bit of that code from every site that does it? I tend to make a habit of SPECIFICALLY using those sites content at times out of sheer spite for making themselves SUCH a pain in our butts. Oh... Everything still gets it's [SOURCE] tag...but I'll tell you something?

YOU WILL NEVER ...EVER...SEE ME POST FULL SOURCE DATA ON A SOURCE TAG TO ONE OF THE ABOVE TYPE SITES. NEVER!

"Best Web Practices" as many refer to them, aren't just a good idea to joke about or find ways to screw with. They really are pretty well thought out and presented to the overall community so webmasters to not INFURIATE their own users.

Thanks for the spot to blow off some steam. I just got external speakers for the first time in almost 2 years. I use high end surround sound stereo muffs/headphones instead. I thought external speakers may be nice .......until the first really HORRIBLE story I opened the page for at a news site started played unbidden for my son to over hear. DAMN them. If I WANTED sound...I'd have hit PLAY!

S&F.

There is a special place in hell for people who make automatic pop up ads, Play on click video links, Ads with video and or sound.

I am on the internet for a reason, IF i wanted a complete multimedia video presentations I would watch the GD news on TV.

NOT in my silent study at 3 am, where I happen to have an awesome PC set up for games, which includes a ridiculous sound system for when I play games...

ATS: I am looking at you with your roll over adds with sound...

Drives me crazy, too, Wrabbit! It reminds me of the coffee shop scene from the film, "Wild Hogs."

reply to post by wrabbit2000


I'm a web developer... You might be surprised to learn what clients ask of us. I had one last week ask if I could remove the navigation from the home page because it was getting in the way of her background images that were rotating. UGGGHHHHHH!

I don't think I need to explain to you all why this is a bad idea, but let me explain to those that don't. How would the user get from your home to any other page on the site from home "home" page without any navigation? Are you somehow; within the images going to sublimity tell the user what url to type into the address bar to get to another page?

Just to respond to your complaint about sound... I get that one at least once a week. I immediately, but tactfully tell them why that is a really BAD idea (for the reason you gave) and then they agree.

Web developers (as most people these days) spend a lot of time on the Internet. Is it so hard to put yourself in the "users" position and see how that is f'ing annoying?

Anyway, S&F!

I know, right! And who hasn't been blasted right out of their seat at 3 or 4 am with that obnoxiously LOUD,"Congrats! You are a winner!" That guys voice is not only 20 decibels over my normal sound setting, but it is annoying, too! If I ever saw him in public...

The thing that gets me? You think, "Omg. I am glad that is overwith!", and just as your heart rate returns to normal, the add repeats, or another one plays!

Huge pet peeve here, too.

/sound off

Does anyone remember in the early days of the 'net people would embed MIDI songs set to auto play? Does anyone remember how annoying that was back then? Furthermore, does anyone remember how Myspace used to allow the same thing and everyone hated it?

Media and marketing people know we hate it. They continue to do it because even negative thoughts about a product are still thoughts.

Case in point, those annoying "HEAD ON" commercials.

reply to post by wrabbit2000

Sometimes i have all kinds of sites open and i can't find the source of the stupid video! it really does make me angry and I have to wonder how they think anyone is going to like them or their product after that!

retracted, off topic

reply to post by wrabbit2000


a not helpful answer but an answer just the same is "there is no such thing as bad publicity" and that seems to be their bible in this case.... and I do agree with you, but unfortunately no one owns the internet so no one's ass to kick, and barring a few basic guides and rules of internet useage, more or less anything goes.... probably could be worse, but could also be much better, I would add though, that there is a lot of liberties taken by companies and personal sites, that can safely be regarded as intrusive and an invasion of your personal space even if it's virtual space.. its still our private little patch..... good post so something positive from the negative

This does bug me, but I've blocked most of those little vids through ad-block (just click on the little "block" tab above the vid frame while ab+ is running, and add filter)...what I DO hate are those sites that seem to disable the back button to get more hits (as the page refreshes when you attempt to do so).

This is the very reason I push all my PC sound through my home theater system...I have to select the PC input to get any sound at all otherwise I'm surfing and listening to satellite radio

What I find the most irritating about these autoplays is that i'm on a limited internet package but I used the internet alot, so I have to forfeit watching nearly and and all videos... then some happy go lucky website decides it needs to load a five minute video about some crap or other and tell me in a loud annoying voice about said crap whilst I rifle through my tabs trying to track the culprit. Polluting my air at the expense of my bandwidth limits... bar stewards, I could've spent those megs watching something worthwhile.

As a reminder:

20b) Ad Blockers: As the Websites are provided as a free service, in part through the income of our advertising, you agree not to use "ad-blocking" software or similar built-in web browser options designed to obfuscate or block online advertising while using the Websites.

Any post calling for the use of this product will be removed.

~Tenth

reply to post by wrabbit2000


I keep my sound on mute for a reason...if I want to hear something I click the sound on...otherwise I sympathize with you mr. rabbit.......hope you feel better....Carrot?







Soul

Sorry, but when my underage children are looking over my shoulder at naked fat ladies in thongs wanting my love (I am female) I have a problem!!!

reply to post by soulpowertothendegree


Awwww.. I really appreciate the carrot!

At the moment, Mute is what I am using. It's a short term thing while I work on something longer when I have time. It's amazing how many sites are starting to do it though. It used to just be an ABC thing I'd notice and avoided even opening their web sites for that reason. Now, it just struck me with the one before I posted this thread...it's enough to make it risky just having sound on.

I use Ghostery for websites I DO NOT TRUST it actually TELLS you about adverts and which ones are Malicious or not!

Blocking may interfere with web Pages in unexpected ways. You will experience issues with videos, logins, comment forms, etc.