The name Adblock Plus will be familiar to anyone who was using the internet before integrated popup blocking became a standard feature of browsers. The tool still exists and can be used to block banner ads and other obtrusive distractions. But the latest version can also be used to iron out some of the more irritating aspects of Facebook.
Adblock Plus is available as an extension for various web browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Internet Explorer, and you can install a copy of your own by visiting the extension’s webpage. For the purposes of this article, we’ll be looking at Chrome, but the process and functionality is very much the same in other browsers.
Pay a visit to the Adblock Plus site and click the “Install for Chrome” button. Follow the instructions for installing the extension.
Once Adblock Plus has been installed, a page will appear that enables you to configure some settings. Click the green “Activate Features” bar and you can then enable as many or as few options as you like.
What we are particularly interested in here is Facebook. With the extension installed and the initial setup complete, pay a visit to http://facebook.adblockplus.me/en/ to start configuring your preferred Facebook options.
You can take three different approaches to block unwanted content from Facebook: blocking contents that appears in your sidebar, in your newsfeed, or both. If you opt to use the “Block all Facebook annoyance” option, you will also block Facebook-related elements such as page liking and recommendations.
Hover your mouse over one of the “show details” links to see exactly what is blocked by each of the three options.
Click the “Add” button beneath the blocking option you would like to use and you will be given the opportunity to configure additional settings.
To prevent the appearance of all ads, be sure to untick the box labelled “Allow some non-intrusive advertising”.
With this done, you can switch to Facebook. You may have to refresh the page, but you should immediately notice that your page looks cleaner, enabling you to focus on the content you are interested in rather than being filled with distracting advertisements.
As you browse the web in general, and Facebook in particular, hover your mouse over the Adblock Plus icon that appears in the address bar. The popup that appears lets you know just how much unwanted content has been blocked.
Enjoy your newly sanitized version of Facebook!
Mark Wilson is a software fiend and a fan of the new, shiny and intriguing. Never afraid to get his hands dirty with some full-scale geekery, he’s always trying out the latest apps, hacks and tweaks. He can be found on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.
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