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Why the obnoxious "sign up for my newsletter" popup? The best reason I can think of is it gets more people to sign up to the newsletter. (Who are these people,

Why the obnoxious "sign up for my newsletter" popup? The best reason I can think of is it gets more people to sign up to the newsletter. (Who are these people, that would sign up for a newsletter b/c something interrupted them reading the blogpost, but wouldn't sign up on their own?). A popup is nice for the people who would sign up for a newsletter anyway, but a PITA for anyone else who cares to read the blogpost's content, right?

a_imho 8y ago
There really should be a adnauseam for newsletters to discourage this practice.
robin_reala 8y ago
Because it turns out that there are design patterns that are simultaneously user-hostile for the overall set of readers, yet convert enough people to make the hit worthwhile to the owner. See also: undirected AB testing, designing for anxiety, etc etc.
cmod 8y ago
I've struggled with this popup (keeping it or nixing it; I'm the owner of the site). Sadly, it's insanely effective at converting folks (thousand of subscriptions over the last few months; high retention as I track those subs separately). It shouldn't trigger while reading unless you leave the window. And also won't trigger until you're at the bottom of the screen. And if you dismiss it once, you should never see it again with that browser on the site. That said, it is annoying, especially on a page about newsletters. So I just modified my templates to take a variable to turn it off on a page-by-page basis (using Hugo to generate the site). Won't appear for this post anymore.
- rgoulter 8y ago
  Thanks. :-) I didn't know it was such a big difference.
- stordoff 8y ago
  > It shouldn't trigger while reading unless you leave the window One thing I've noticed is that they often appear (can't speak to this one specifically) if you alt-tab to another window to note something. That can be almost annoying as appearing while you are reading.
- cuspycode 8y ago
  I regularly delete all cookies for sites that don't require login (i.e. most content sites I visit), so for me such popup annoyances keep recurring. And I often leave the window before I come back later to finish the article, which is even more annoying and makes the popup look like a desperate scream for attention. Sometimes I actually do sign up for newsletters, but in those rare situations I first look for the contact details on the page, and then I create a specific new email address for that subscription, so it's nothing I do on a whim. I am amazed that people submit their email address to a random popup. But thanks for removing it for this page, it's a step in the right direction! Note: I have no problems with non-popup info about newsletters or other engagement offerings (e.g. end-of-page banners), those are much less intrusive than popups.
eeeeeeeeeeeee 8y ago
As an end user, I hate it, but I see why they do it. Getting your email is the last bit of control they have that cannot be taken by Facebook/Google.

a_imho 8y ago

There really should be a adnauseam for newsletters to discourage this practice.

robin_reala 8y ago

Because it turns out that there are design patterns that are simultaneously user-hostile for the overall set of readers, yet convert enough people to make the hit worthwhile to the owner. See also: undirected AB testing, designing for anxiety, etc etc.

cmod 8y ago

I've struggled with this popup (keeping it or nixing it; I'm the owner of the site). Sadly, it's insanely effective at converting folks (thousand of subscriptions over the last few months; high retention as I track those subs separately). It shouldn't trigger while reading unless you leave the window. And also won't trigger until you're at the bottom of the screen. And if you dismiss it once, you should never see it again with that browser on the site. That said, it is annoying, especially on a page about newsletters. So I just modified my templates to take a variable to turn it off on a page-by-page basis (using Hugo to generate the site). Won't appear for this post anymore.

rgoulter 8y ago
Thanks. :-) I didn't know it was such a big difference.
stordoff 8y ago
> It shouldn't trigger while reading unless you leave the window One thing I've noticed is that they often appear (can't speak to this one specifically) if you alt-tab to another window to note something. That can be almost annoying as appearing while you are reading.
cuspycode 8y ago
I regularly delete all cookies for sites that don't require login (i.e. most content sites I visit), so for me such popup annoyances keep recurring. And I often leave the window before I come back later to finish the article, which is even more annoying and makes the popup look like a desperate scream for attention. Sometimes I actually do sign up for newsletters, but in those rare situations I first look for the contact details on the page, and then I create a specific new email address for that subscription, so it's nothing I do on a whim. I am amazed that people submit their email address to a random popup. But thanks for removing it for this page, it's a step in the right direction! Note: I have no problems with non-popup info about newsletters or other engagement offerings (e.g. end-of-page banners), those are much less intrusive than popups.

eeeeeeeeeeeee 8y ago

As an end user, I hate it, but I see why they do it. Getting your email is the last bit of control they have that cannot be taken by Facebook/Google.