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Data points that Facebook uses to target ads

washingtonpost.com

51–60 of 137 posts

Re: Data points that Facebook uses to target ads

#51
post #7

Contrary to popular opinion, people want to see ads. A good ad is very much appreciated. This is why magazines still make money. This is why the SuperBowl is popular amongst non-football fans. Unfortunately, most ads are spammy which is why internet ads have earned this terrible reputation.

Super Bowl is sort of a good point, but what do you mean by magazines? Given a choice between a magazine with and without ads, are you saying some people would choose the one with ads? I don't think anybody seeks out ads, especially when they're paying for something. Super Bowl ads are only popular because they're essentially comedy skits and short films, they're basically free, and they're part of a cultural event t…

I really enjoy the ads in print magazines. Especially tech magazines. I want to see the cool stuff that's available.

Online ads I block. The ads in the magazine can't spy on me or serve me malware.

Re: Data points that Facebook uses to target ads

#52
post #7

Contrary to popular opinion, people want to see ads. A good ad is very much appreciated. This is why magazines still make money. This is why the SuperBowl is popular amongst non-football fans. Unfortunately, most ads are spammy which is why internet ads have earned this terrible reputation.

nah, you're just wrong.

superbowl ads are popular because they are a spectacle. you know they are going to try to be different/unusual because the companies had to spend millions. you want to see them compete. BUT if you had to watch any of those fantastic ads 10 times everyday you would grow to hate the site of them.

ads in newspapers, magazines, flyers aren't as bad because they are passive. You can read them if you want to (i used to buy computer shopper magazines which are 99% ads). but TV and internet ads are desperate to engage with you.

auto-playing video ad with sound? I will make a note to hate your product and I will bad-mouth it any chance i get.

Re: Data points that Facebook uses to target ads

#53
post #7

Contrary to popular opinion, people want to see ads. A good ad is very much appreciated. This is why magazines still make money. This is why the SuperBowl is popular amongst non-football fans. Unfortunately, most ads are spammy which is why internet ads have earned this terrible reputation.

Absolutely. I even sign up to have ads delivered to my email: they're called newsletters. What I don't like is intrusive, spammy, misleading ads that want to track me across the internet. That's why I use an adblocker.

Re: Data points that Facebook uses to target ads

#55
post #54

I like when they show me ads for the expensive thing I already bought, as if I'm going to buy it again. Had they predicted I wanted to buy that thing, and shown me ads for things like it first, that might have been useful.

That happens all across the 'net though, not just on Facebook. Happens to me with Amazon all the time - they have records of me eyeing something up, I buy it a day later, and 2 days later they're still pestering me around the 'net with ads about that thing.

Re: Data points that Facebook uses to target ads

#56
post #54

I like when they show me ads for the expensive thing I already bought, as if I'm going to buy it again. Had they predicted I wanted to buy that thing, and shown me ads for things like it first, that might have been useful.

That happens all across the 'net though, not just on Facebook. Happens to me with Amazon all the time - they have records of me eyeing something up, I buy it a day later, and 2 days later they're still pestering me around the 'net with ads about that thing.

This is intentional. They're shaping your perception of the purchase by mitigating remorse.

Re: Data points that Facebook uses to target ads

#57
post #7

Contrary to popular opinion, people want to see ads. A good ad is very much appreciated. This is why magazines still make money. This is why the SuperBowl is popular amongst non-football fans. Unfortunately, most ads are spammy which is why internet ads have earned this terrible reputation.

> Contrary to popular opinion, people want to see ads.

I'd like to see some data supporting this opinion. I'll form the contradictory opinion that no-one really wants to see ads but most recognise that some form of advertisement is necessary to lower the cost of access to some information.

Rather and a _want_, it's more of an acceptable evil, sometimes.

There is probably a threshold at which ads become acceptable, and that probably involve their level of intrusiveness, perceived relevance/usefulness and the privacy risk they pose (although I would guess that the implication of that last point probably fly under the radar of most regular users as it needs some technical understanding of how the web works).

Ads on the internet are nothing more than spam, a privacy risk and some are just outright dangerous.

This industry is pretty much out of control and its bad actors deserve to disappear. They probably still have a few years left before ad blocking becomes mainstream enough that it hurts them enough. We'll all be forced to find new -hopefully better- measures to keep having some of the content we love.

Hopefully, some of the fluff content whose sole purpose is to feature ads will also disappear. Good riddance I say.

Re: Data points that Facebook uses to target ads

#58
post #8

When people purchase GQ or Vogue, they are buying it as much for advertisements as for editorial content. When someone flips through one of those magazines, it's like they appreciate the designers hiring models, taking pictures, and sharing it in the magazine even though both they and the reader paid. Take the ads out of GQ or Vogue and there is almost nothing there. If I create an ad on Facebook and people click on…

>I don't understand why people hate on it so much. Because they fundamentally misunderstand how advertising works. Read the comments on any article that discusses advertising and you'll see endless pages of people furious that Facebook or Google or Microsoft are "selling my data", as though an advertiser can click a few buttons and download a list of people's names and addresses and preferences. It's the same confusi…

So you would claim that these companies do not hold these lists? Or do you understand that they currently don't sell them (because it is currently more profitable to sell services based on them)? Do you remember what happened when Radioshack went under recently?

Re: Data points that Facebook uses to target ads

#59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That happens all across the 'net though, not just on Facebook. Happens to me with Amazon all the time - they have records of me eyeing something up, I buy it a day later, and 2 days later they're still pestering me around the 'net with ads about that thing.

This is intentional. They're shaping your perception of the purchase by mitigating remorse.

Are you sure? I often see ads for the same type of thing but from multiple competing brands.

Re: Data points that Facebook uses to target ads

#60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That happens all across the 'net though, not just on Facebook. Happens to me with Amazon all the time - they have records of me eyeing something up, I buy it a day later, and 2 days later they're still pestering me around the 'net with ads about that thing.

This is intentional. They're shaping your perception of the purchase by mitigating remorse.

is this your personal guess? it sounds plausable, but... reference?
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