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The internet is an incomprehensibly large entity that is full of resourceful websites. Whether you’re looking for a way to build your own website for free or a free online computer science introduction course, you can find it all.
However, there are also websites that are less useful and more addicting.
Every day, new websites are popping up, and new content is published.
While this is a wonderful thing, it can also be highly destructive to productivity. Many students and employees struggle with productivity as they search for a playlist or a video on YouTube or they scroll through their favourite social media platform. Luckily, there is a simple solution to the endless distractions—website blockers.
Table of Contents:
#1 What is a Website Blocker?
There are different tools and extensions that block a plethora of different things for example there are antiviruses that block and prevent unauthorized malicious usage, there are some great adblockers for Chrome and then finally there are website blockers.
Any tool created to block access to a specific website is called a website blocker. These tools are most often seen as browser extensions—extra features that can be added to a website browser to add or change functionality. As you’re using the extension, you have control over what websites you’ll block.
As Google Chrome is the most popular browser, we’ll discuss the most commonly used extension found on the Chrome store—Block Site. While this extension is often associated with Google Chrome, it’s important to note that it’s also available for Firefox users.
#2 How to Block a Website with the Block Site Extension
To use the Block Site tool, you’ll need to add it to your browser. First, open Google Chrome and click on the extensions button. In the Extensions window, open the sidebar and click on “Open Chrome Web Store”. Here, you can search for the extension “Block Site”. Click on it and add it to Chrome.
Alternatively, go to the Block Site website, and click on the “Add to Chrome” button. This should take you to the Chrome store where you can add it to your browser. Once you’ve added the extension to chrome, make sure you see the icon—an orange shield and circle with a diagonal line—in the top-right corner of your browser.
Using the Extension 🤖
With the extension downloaded, blocking a website is as simple as a few clicks. If you have a specific website that you want to block, first navigate to the website, and click on the browser extensions’ icon. A small popup box will open that shows a button labelled “Block this site”—click on it, and you’re done!
#3 Other Block Site Capabilities
While the most used feature of Block Site is to manually block single websites, the extension can do much more.
Category Blocking 🚫
Block Site provides a handy feature for users who know what distracts them the most. For instance, if you’re a heavy social media user, you may want to block all such websites. You can take advantage of the category feature to block all social media-related websites. Other categories include adult content, gambling websites and sports content.
Focus Mode 🎯
Another great productivity feature of Block Site is the Focus Mode. If you have something pressing that needs to be done, it may be best for you to get rid of all distractions.
You can use the Focus Mode to block a set of websites for any given amount of time. You can even include a break to permit the usage of blocked websites for a set amount of time.
Keyword Blocking 🔑
Another easy way to block a set of websites is through blocking via keywords. Block Site lets you add keywords that are included in URLs. This allows you to easily block all websites that include the words “football”, “news”, or any other words you wish in them.
Schedule 📅
Many freelancers or work-from-home employees may struggle with productivity during the workday. To get around this, blocking websites on a schedule may be the answer.
In Block Site, you can create a schedule that specifies the days, times, and websites that you wish to be limited to.
Site Redirect 🌐
Another handy website blocking feature is adding redirects to the websites that you know are problematic for you. For example, if you frequent websites like Instagram or BBC, you can include them in your redirect feature. You can have Block Site redirect those web pages to your email or online calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use Block Site in Incognito Mode? 🕵️♂️
Yes, but you have to allow the extension to be used on your incognito browser.
How Can I Block Websites on Mobile? 📱
If you’re using Block Site, you can sync the settings and websites blocked on your laptop to your mobile device. Block Site is supported on iOS and Android.
Can I Lock My Block Site Settings? 🔒
Yes, you can. You can turn on a setting that requires you to enter a password to change or see the settings on your Block Site account.
How Can I Block Websites on My Employees’ Computers? 👔
If you want to block websites remotely, you’ll have to configure settings through the company’s Wi-Fi or an employee monitoring software.
How Can I Block Ads? 🛡️
To block advertisements, you’ll need to add a different extension to your browser as Block Site only works for specific websites, not advertisements.
The Bottom Line
The internet is arguably the world’s greatest invention. We have the ability to stream movies and music, talk to people across the globe, and access location-based content via a quality VPN. However, not everything on the internet is good for us. Each person is likely to find websites that they need to block, whether for a few hours or a few weeks. Luckily, anybody can add a browser extension and block a website with just a few clicks of the mouse.
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