Hi discjockey,

Yes, there is something you can do about it - MetaMod Pro

The long answer:

The left and right columns in most templates "collapse" if there are no modules published into that column. The template can query Joomla to find out how many modules are published there, and adjust themselves accordingly.

The problem is that MetaMod is a module, and has to be published into that position. It may or may not publish any other modules inside it, but the fact remains that there's always at least 1 module published inside that position - the MetaMod. Therefore the columns often will not collapse.

This was a very difficult problem to work around until MetaMod Pro came along. MetaMod Pro works deep inside Joomla, and completely removes the MetaMod module HTML from the page. Then, if MetaMod includes some modules, then they appear as normal. If it doesn't include any modules, then the MetaMod itself is completely removed from the page, and the module positions (like left and right) don't even see that it was published there.

Hope that helps,
Stephen

ps this is also a FAQ in the FAQ section.