I hate websites that fire up modal boxes when a user landed on their page, to force them to sign up or subscribe. I have no idea why it works, as claimed by big websites with metrics and stuff. How stupid can people be to sign up for something without actually knowing what a website is all about first (unless it is just a landing page with coming soon teaser). Maybe it is just me. But since I have to design one, I went all emo, and tried to come out with something less scammy-looking like all the other websites, just to sooth my hatred towards the idea.