If you're using Firefox and the Adblock extension, you can just block the URL:

spa.snap.com/snap_preview_anywhere.js

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Thank god I'm not the only one who hates those things. They showed up on so many Techmeme blogs at once, I figured they must have paid "A-list" bloggers to use it.

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Fantastic!

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Hello,

My name is Jason Fields, I am Product Evangelist for Emerging Technology for Snap.com and Snap Preview Anywhere (aka SPA) blog widget. I wanted to address some comments recently about the usefulness of our product.

We are committed to making SPA a useful feature for both the site owner and end user.

In the weeks to come, we will be:
(1) Making improvements that will reduce the confusion about whether a link is SPA enabled, or not

(2) Making it much easier for a site owner to point SPA to a particular type of link

(3) Enabling the site owner to totally customize a link, image, css, etc.

Rest assured that these various viewpoints have been, and will continue to, inform the ongoing development of this product.

Jason Fields
Product Evangelist, Emerging Technology
www.Snap.com

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Thanks for posting the way to turn those off. It was a slight annoyance that I'm glad I can disable.

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This functionality should be a totally client-based solution. But as I understand it this is a feature that lingers on the server pages--and cannot be turned off. I deactivated the wordpress plugin for snap and then removed the files altogether--and the damn thing didn't turn off! (eventually we had to comment out the code). This is totally uncool!

It added an extra hour or two to a web server migration I did last week.

Please note that the snap guy who made the comment did not offer a solution to the server (only the client) problem.

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"I deactivated the wordpress plugin for snap and then removed the files altogether--and the damn thing didn't turn off! (eventually we had to comment out the code). This is totally uncool!"

What are you talking about? I deactivate the WP plugin and the popups are gone.

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You could also enter snap.com into a hosts file (like adware blockers) -- it'll disable the popups, but also disable anything you might actually want from snap

However, its way easier- you just add one line to your hosts file (mac, pc, linux) , and it'll work for all browsers on your machine.

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Or you can just use the options menu in the bubble...

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Thanks so very much for this information. I never even knew what the
**heck** that snap thing was in the first place. I actually searched through my Firefox extensions list trying to determine the source of it thinking it was some add-on

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aol has stopped yahoo and google and all yahoo services and stopped enternet explorer how is this possablwe how can aol take over and run computer operation and stop yahoo e mail interneyt explorer ive sent reports about the crooked aol it does no good the poweres thet be on judas tree

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The Snap Preview disabling on their own site uses cookies. I use Opera as my browser, and every time I close my browser all my cookies disappear.

Solution:

1) In Windows start Notepad (select Run from Start menu, type notepad.exe)

2) Open the following file:

In Windows XP:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC\HOSTS

In Windows 2K:
C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC\HOSTS

In Windows 98/Me:
C:\WINDOWS\HOSTS

3) Put the following line to your HOSTS-textfile somewhere UNDER the localhost-line, like this:

127.0.0.1 localhost
127.0.0.1 spa.snap.com # disable Snap Preview(tm) everywhere, for good

4) Save and reload the page, and they are gone! Everywhere! In every browser.

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TO: Jason Fields, Product Evangelist, Emerging Technology, www.Snap.com (See his comment above.)

SUBJECT: Get a real job!!!

MESSAGE: Surely you can find a job that doesn't involve abusing people.

The option to turn off the crazy, useless Snap system does not work, of course, because all browser users should check the option to throw away cookies on exit.

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