If you have watched the dystopian TV series Black Mirror, you might remember an episode named White Christmas about (spoiler alert) the ability to “block” someone. Being blocked meant that you could no longer see the person who performed the block. All you could see would be a silhouette. Can you imagine what kind of feud would rationalize such a drastic measure? Thankfully, at this point, blocking someone on Facebook is as far as it can go.
Website blocking works with the same idea, almost. If you want, you can prevent websites from being accessed by a family member, a colleague, and even yourself.
Reasons to Block Websites
It isn’t just the IT departments of companies that are looking to block websites. Concerned parents who are trying to protect their children from growing up before they’re ready would also be interested in having certain websites blocked.
You could be a student trying to focus on your final exams and find yourself itching to load Reddit for the tenth time today. You might be a gambler trying to control your gambling habit. Blocking websites will go a long way in helping you focus on achieving your goals.
If you are the IT administrator of a company or school, you might want to block websites to maximize productivity or reduce network load. After all, there is nothing more annoying than trying to conduct a meeting when half of the attendees have their attention focused on social media.
If you are looking to block a website because it doesn’t function well, then probably JavaScript is disabled on your browser, and your issue is something else altogether. Here’s how to enable JavaScript on Internet Explorer.
Ways to Block a Website
There are a few levels at which you can have websites blocked, and there are a few ways to go about it. You can block websites at the network level, computer level, and at the browser level.
Websites can be blocked by configuring your router. You can try this method if you want to prevent workers or family members from accessing certain websites.
There are also programs and browser plug-ins that you can install to block websites. These are very flexible. You can configure them to work in time slots and enable blocking whole categories of websites, which are great for time management, productivity, and parental control.
If your computer is running on Windows 8 or newer, it comes with a free feature called Microsoft Family, which works well for parental control. Microsoft Family enables you to block websites from being accessed on the computer. You simply create profiles for your children and add the websites you want to block.
Blocking a Website on Internet Explorer
To block a website on Internet Explorer, follow these steps:
- In Internet Explorer, go to Tools (represented by the gear icon), then Internet Options.
- Select the Content tab, and click on Enable under Content Advisor.
- In the Content Advisor pop-up, click on Approved Sites.
- Enter the name of the website you wish to block, and click on Never.
- Provide a password and a password hint. You can use this password later to override the block if needed.
- Go to the General tab and make sure that “Supervisor can type a password to allow users to view restricted content” is checked.
Steps 5 and 6 ensure that you can access a blocked website by keying in a password. Bear in mind that websites will only be blocked on Internet Explorer and will still be accessible using another browser.
Blocking Websites is an Easy Way to Take Control
Whatever your reasons might be, rest assured that there are plenty of easy ways to block a website, and you do not have to be a pro to do it. It is a great way to manage your time well, avoid procrastination, or to maintain your sanity if you are a teenager’s parent. Thankfully, it’s not as painful as getting blocked by someone a la White Christmas.