Most of what Google is mentioning here is not new. They’re still tracking you, and still learning about you and what you do on the Internet. They don’t sell your browsing history or identity to advertisers, and as far as I’m aware, they never have; that’s their golden goose. What they sell is access to a certain type of users based on what they’ve learned about you from your browsing history. For many, many years, users didn’t have a choice. They’d be served ads for things that might be wildly irrelevant based on one errant search, or when shopping for a niche gift for a friend.
The difference now is that they’re opening up topics to users. It’s win-win-win: Users don’t see irrelevant ads, Google doesn’t serve up ads that users won’t click (thus driving down the value), and advertisers pay less for useless impressions and are more likely to reach users interested in their products.
Make no mistake… Google isn’t doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. It only makes their ad-based business model more efficient and valuable.
If the word “ads” makes you turn red as your blood boils like most of Lemmy, I can’t help you. But if it weren’t for ads, we’d still be paying for Netscape.
If I see “relevant ads”, i.e. products I buy because I saw an ad for it, I lose. I lose money. I wouldn’t have bought it without the ad. The ad created a need in my brain that I want to fulfill. Without the ad I wouldn’t have had it.
No, I do not win with relevant ads. I win with irrelevant ads. I don’t care about those and don’t look at them and waste my time and money.
There are actually such things as relevant ads. One of the paper magazines I used to subscribe to was “Small Craft Advisor”. In addition to the articles and editorial content, there were articles written by vendors about their products and traditional ads. Literally everything in that magazine was aimed at small boat owners and builders. No BMWs, no Rolexes, no shaving products, just very specific content and ads for those passionate about small boats.
When they switched to online only, enough subscribers reached out to them regarding the loss of vendor articles and ads that they now occasionally put out something to address that loss.
I don’t know where else I could learn about a new epoxy product or a new boat design so easily.
We used to get at least some of them before the advertisers conned themselves (with the help of Google et al) into thinking that they had to know who we are instead of what our active interests are.
Eh. Perhaps you’re right. I just know that on a personal level, I have purchased goods and services learned about through ads over time that have enhanced my life and allowed me to have meaningful experiences and create memories with the people I care about I wouldn’t have otherwise had. Perhaps I’m naive, but it seems awfully silly and shortsighted looking back to have missed out in exchange for a knee-jerk angry reaction to anyone trying to sell me something.
Most of what Google is mentioning here is not new. They’re still tracking you, and still learning about you and what you do on the Internet. They don’t sell your browsing history or identity to advertisers, and as far as I’m aware, they never have; that’s their golden goose. What they sell is access to a certain type of users based on what they’ve learned about you from your browsing history. For many, many years, users didn’t have a choice. They’d be served ads for things that might be wildly irrelevant based on one errant search, or when shopping for a niche gift for a friend.
The difference now is that they’re opening up topics to users. It’s win-win-win: Users don’t see irrelevant ads, Google doesn’t serve up ads that users won’t click (thus driving down the value), and advertisers pay less for useless impressions and are more likely to reach users interested in their products.
Make no mistake… Google isn’t doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. It only makes their ad-based business model more efficient and valuable.
If the word “ads” makes you turn red as your blood boils like most of Lemmy, I can’t help you. But if it weren’t for ads, we’d still be paying for Netscape.
Wow.
It’s not win win win
If I see “relevant ads”, i.e. products I buy because I saw an ad for it, I lose. I lose money. I wouldn’t have bought it without the ad. The ad created a need in my brain that I want to fulfill. Without the ad I wouldn’t have had it.
No, I do not win with relevant ads. I win with irrelevant ads. I don’t care about those and don’t look at them and waste my time and money.
There are actually such things as relevant ads. One of the paper magazines I used to subscribe to was “Small Craft Advisor”. In addition to the articles and editorial content, there were articles written by vendors about their products and traditional ads. Literally everything in that magazine was aimed at small boat owners and builders. No BMWs, no Rolexes, no shaving products, just very specific content and ads for those passionate about small boats.
When they switched to online only, enough subscribers reached out to them regarding the loss of vendor articles and ads that they now occasionally put out something to address that loss.
I don’t know where else I could learn about a new epoxy product or a new boat design so easily.
I’d love to see content related ads
We used to get at least some of them before the advertisers conned themselves (with the help of Google et al) into thinking that they had to know who we are instead of what our active interests are.
Hmm. You only buy things you don’t need because of ads? You only lose money and get nothing in return, every time? That’s a shame.
Sad you don’t understand how ads work
Eh. Perhaps you’re right. I just know that on a personal level, I have purchased goods and services learned about through ads over time that have enhanced my life and allowed me to have meaningful experiences and create memories with the people I care about I wouldn’t have otherwise had. Perhaps I’m naive, but it seems awfully silly and shortsighted looking back to have missed out in exchange for a knee-jerk angry reaction to anyone trying to sell me something.