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The Facebook Ad Backlash Begins
techcrunch.com — Within hours of Facebook ’s announcement of its social advertising plans, the backlash began. What about privacy? What about relevance? (I know everyone is sick of hearing about Facebook, but there are some important business issues at stake here, so bear with me)...
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- MikeonTV, on 11/09/2007, -8/+27Doesn't really sounds like backlash. People use Facebook for millions of reasons. It provides many services and needs revenue to continue to give us what we require. Why not let third party companies in on the gold. It is after all our decision which Page I am a fan of or what application I install.
This sounds like a lot of hot air.- timdorr, on 11/08/2007, -2/+7Exactly. What's silly is that you have tons of crap that fills up MySpace pages to do the exact same thing. Facebook is, once again, taking something that MySpace users do a lot and turning it into something clean and usable.
- Audacitor, on 11/08/2007, -1/+3The problem here is that if I visit a site that participates in this thing, that site can track what I do there and send all that info back to Facebook, which then broadcasts that to all my friends. For example, I could go to imaginarycompany.com, and visit a page about xyz. If I stay there for five minutes, or do a particular action, or anything that JavaScript can pick up, imaginarycompany.com will send that info to Facebook, where it will not just improve the targeting of the ads I see, but also send a little note to all my friends saying I did such and such on imaginarycompany.com. It's like having your browser history presented to the world in the form of ads. As for backlash, check out: http://digg.com/tech_news/Facebook_is_Stalking_You ...
- MikeonTV, on 11/08/2007, -1/+2Well, first having better targeting of ads is a good thing. I am part of a lawnmowers fan club - I'm going to want to find deals on lawnmowers. But how will I know about the lawnmowers deals if my friend (in the lawnmowers appreciation fan club) doesn't inform me via his minifeed? If we dont want facebook to track it we can log out and visit the website outside of the ad frenzy.
- krets, on 11/08/2007, -0/+1I noticed yesterday that Konqueror.com does this but it pops up a little option that allows you to decide whether your friends see that info or not. I'm assuming that all ads will have something like this?
- CrossfireCurt, on 11/09/2007, -5/+37They'll complain now just like they did after the news feeds, then in a month they'll look back and wonder how they lived without it.
- hipsterelitist, on 11/08/2007, -1/+7I think they'll stop complaining, but somehow I doubt they'll wonder how they lived without it.
People generally dislike ads, but they'll end up like wallpaper. They always do.
- hipsterelitist, on 11/08/2007, -1/+7I think they'll stop complaining, but somehow I doubt they'll wonder how they lived without it.
- ibanezplayer85, on 11/08/2007, -3/+14I don't really have a problem with a free service putting up ads... who clicks on them, anyway? Not I.
- jswjimmy, on 11/08/2007, -4/+12Actually i do click on them every so often. Its a good way to support the site you are using without spending your own money.
- CondoleezzaRice, on 11/08/2007, -10/+5your clicks are worthless, even damaging, if you don't buy the product afterwards
- Otto, on 11/08/2007, -1/+6Clicking on an ad where you don't buy anything is a wasted click. Advertisers aren't paying for clicks on their ads out of their own good will. They're trying to sell things. That money has to come from somewhere. So when you click but don't buy, then the buy/clickthrough ratio suffers and the site becomes less attractive to the advertisers. In other words, it costs the advertiser money that they're not getting back.
Don't click ads just to pay the host site. You hurt the host site that way, in the long run. Click ads only when you're actually going to follow through.- ricree, on 11/08/2007, -1/+2No one buys anything directly off of TV either (not counting shopping channels), but companies have no problem advertising there. As I see it, if I click on a link and look around the company's web site for a bit, then they have certainly gotten their money's worth from the ad via brand exposure.
- MScrip, on 11/08/2007, -0/+3Exactly. I can't click on a billboard either... but there are tons of billboard ruining the highways in this country.
- ricree, on 11/08/2007, -1/+2No one buys anything directly off of TV either (not counting shopping channels), but companies have no problem advertising there. As I see it, if I click on a link and look around the company's web site for a bit, then they have certainly gotten their money's worth from the ad via brand exposure.
- MattBD, on 11/09/2007, -1/+2Nor do I in principle - I'm quite happy for Google to display relevant text-based adverts when I do a search, I've even found some to be useful. What I have a problem with is the more complex adverts, such as pop-ups and animated adverts that slow down your browser and generally make your internet experience more tiresome. Google's adverts are simple, unobtrusive, relevant, and most of all, they don't slow anything down.
- jswjimmy, on 11/08/2007, -4/+12Actually i do click on them every so often. Its a good way to support the site you are using without spending your own money.
- mt066, on 11/08/2007, -0/+2This actually has very little to do with an ad backlash, except for a passing mention of "they are using my publically posted information" internet privacy. Although I suppose that is a requirement for any facebook-related article that ends up on digg.
- MrKeroChan, on 11/08/2007, -5/+2Facebook = Myspace = Who bloody cares?
- Maxtrosity, on 11/09/2007, -5/+35I have Adblock Plus, I see nothing.
- anononon, on 11/08/2007, -3/+1I just replace my HOSTS file with this one: http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
It are free.- intellimouse, on 11/08/2007, -0/+2So is Adblock (not sure about the "Plus" version, but on Firefox all versions of Adblock are free).
- ryan899, on 11/08/2007, -0/+1All I see are a bunch of Websense ads. I didn't realize they advertise so much!
- MattBD, on 11/08/2007, -0/+2Adblock Plus rules. I barely recognise some sites if for some reason I'm using a different browser or someone else's computer.
- phoomp, on 11/08/2007, -0/+1ah, but if these ads are served through your Facebook feed, will Adblock catch them? It seems to me that this would be the point of using Facebook to deliver ads.
- Hubris, on 11/08/2007, -0/+1A Greasemonkey script will take care of any ad in Facebook that is prefaced by the word 'sponsored'.
- anononon, on 11/08/2007, -3/+1I just replace my HOSTS file with this one: http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
- uploadjoe, on 11/08/2007, -0/+3I guess if the ads and referrals become too annoying people will leave. I already find the request bit to be annoying.
- ButchersBoy, on 11/08/2007, -6/+5If you don't like ads, don't click on them. I don't go buy a can of Coke everytime I see a poster at a bus stop.
- intellimouse, on 11/08/2007, -1/+3What if that Coke ad was making noises and flashing so brightly that it kept disturbing you while you were trying to read your book at the bust stop? Would that annoy you?
- CrimsonBlur, on 11/08/2007, -0/+3Sure, that would annoy anyone. However, that is not what Facebook is doing. In fact, they are doing the exact opposite of what you describe. The ads are non-obtrusive and relevant to your interests.
- intellimouse, on 11/08/2007, -1/+3What if that Coke ad was making noises and flashing so brightly that it kept disturbing you while you were trying to read your book at the bust stop? Would that annoy you?
- Jb611, on 11/09/2007, -7/+28Facebook is the new myspace. It will continue to clutter and clutter until it becomes obsolete.
- tedhead2k, on 11/14/2007, -2/+7Yeah, that little box on the profile that says "I am a fan of" and lists the products is such an eyesore!
As always, people on Digg over-reacting to a little advertising. - deadnoob, on 11/14/2007, -2/+2it already has become cluttered. all i saw were little apps and ridiculous things everywhere
- tedhead2k, on 11/14/2007, -2/+7Yeah, that little box on the profile that says "I am a fan of" and lists the products is such an eyesore!
- zyl0x, on 11/09/2007, -2/+12Oh, I'm not sick of hearing about Facebook, I'm just sick of Facebook.
- wrttnwrd, on 11/08/2007, -3/+7What about revenue? Dumb asses. Somehow these guys have to make money...
- slashbot, on 11/08/2007, -2/+6Backlash? please.... more people are using facebook today than ever.
Hate the ads? Get Ad block plus - xerus, on 11/09/2007, -2/+7MySpace 2.0 in the making :I
- fuckingusername, on 11/08/2007, -0/+3how does this make it to the front page?
@#$%^ face book and my spam get a real website! - tman84, on 11/08/2007, -2/+5he's right, buried because I am sick of hearing about facebook and all its lame users.
go ahead and bury away at my comment. But facebook and myspace, and whatever else is out there to showcase how incredibly awesome and popular you are on the internet serves no other purpose than that. - Sjikob, on 11/08/2007, -1/+2Stop the press - there are adverts on Facebook? I guess the Adblock plugin in Firefox is doing its job, then.
If Facebook advertisers want to know that I'm not seeing their adverts then I have no real complaints. - carterx, on 11/08/2007, -1/+3Great article. Facebook just seems to be gearing up with way too many un-need add ons and over taking the world :-)... well, not the world but peoples lives. I understand the need for FaceBook to make money to survive, but selling passing on user info is not good news for it's many users.
- presidentjapan, on 11/08/2007, -0/+1This is exactly how I read the move. Way too close of a relationship between advertisers and my social life; I feel like I'm being raped already with flash ads and horribly animated .gif's with sound.
- Krakn3Dfx, on 11/08/2007, -2/+3I've never even been to Facebook, but I love backlash when it comes to ad based revenue on the internets.
Millions of people will complain about a Toyota ad pop-up when they're trying to see the latest picture of their friend from Portland that they've never met letting men grope her boobs while she's in a drunken stooper, but when they start trying to imposes tax on internet purchases, it's always the same 5-7 people who actually speak up.
Welcome to the Internet.- terracottapai, on 11/08/2007, -1/+1Stooper.
- MisterSquishy, on 11/08/2007, -0/+5What would be more useful would be if you could also become an enemy of a company. For example, seeing this in your news feed: "Bob has become an enemy of Verizon!"
- tattertech, on 11/08/2007, -1/+0AdBlock isn't really the point here. They're trying to integrate things beyond the simple obvious banner ad, instead ads will be embedded in "content"...
- kevin.gc, on 11/08/2007, -0/+2I just hope they don't start sending ads to friends on the user's behalf. That would be as bad as the AIM Triton fiasco.
- phoomp, on 11/08/2007, -0/+2I think that's *exactly* what they want to do
- wedges, on 11/08/2007, -0/+4if you don't want to be friends with a product or company, then don't be.
- over90000, on 11/08/2007, -0/+4If you care about privacy, you wouldn't be using facebook in the first place.
- MYarms, on 11/08/2007, -1/+4Buried, get adblock plus and shut the hell up.
- phoomp, on 11/08/2007, -0/+2But, will adblock plus work against ads embedded in a feed? what if they aren't Flash ads, but rather ads disguised as feed info from your friends?
- CaffeinePowered, on 11/08/2007, -0/+4There was supposedly a 'backlash' when they opened it up to everyone, and all the college students said they would quit...and nothing happened. People will huff and get angry, but the sheep will end up forgetting after a week and continue to use it.
- CrimsonBlur, on 11/08/2007, -0/+2It's not that "the sheep will end up forgetting", it's that there is a loud minority in every community of any kind that is totally against any changes whatsoever. So, any time anything changes, they get all pissy. What happens is they eventually figure out the changes weren't actually bad, so they shut up. That, or they just leave, and no one cares.
- jeffyjones, on 11/08/2007, -0/+2Why are people so opposed to being served ads that matter to them? There isn't an online ad system yet that links you, the person, to advertising. I'm user 429404 to them, and if the fact that they know I'm male, live in Ohio and like the movie Clerks means they can serve more relevant ads, so be it. I don't care.
- jmitch, on 11/08/2007, -4/+1This image pretty much sums it up for me- http://www.ashersarlin.com/cartoons/turtlevscrab.g ...
- mikehill33, on 11/08/2007, -1/+1LOLz.
- mikehill33, on 11/08/2007, -2/+1This means it will take off!
- tinselt0wn, on 11/08/2007, -0/+2theres no issue here. It's zuckerberg's service. use it, or not. Make friends in real life. People stayed in touch between England the ***** colonies by sending letters.
if you're still obsessed with facebook, you need to get out more, and maybe see those 400 friends you have. - shauncorleone, on 11/08/2007, -0/+3The people who are "so sick" of hearing about Facebook don't have an understanding or appreciation for the massive and mostly reliable data store that the Zuckerberg Empire has amassed, especially considering it's by far the most successful MySql utilization anyone has ever seen. Any programmer, especially web developers, should be studying and taking notes on the growth and success of Facebook both from a business model and programming perspective. They know what their user base wants often moreso than their user base. The same people who went nuts over the News Feed now use it daily with their own privacy tweaking. This Advertising Model will be given the same treatment, just give it a month max.
- Heliocentric00, on 11/08/2007, -2/+0http://www.digg.com/tech_news/Facebook_is_Stalking ...
Important - earthmansurfer, on 11/08/2007, -3/+2I think it's a matter of time before open source and not money driven sites, take over.
Get some great programmers to copy the basic design and improve on it. Slowly people will move over to it (I think). - mikito238, on 11/08/2007, -2/+1Facebook does not even attempt to protect privacy. I just quit this morning and it feels great!
- Bridea, on 11/08/2007, -0/+1Privacy is a concern, sure, but it's not like facebook sells email addresses to Coca Cola. When you attempt to add a product/company to your profile, you get this message:
When you add Coca-Cola, it will display on your profile. Coca-Cola will have no access to your profile information beyond your name and profile picture thumbnail.
See that last part? - daizaru, on 11/08/2007, -0/+1I'm sure there will be a way to filter product related feed articles... there will have to be or people will just leave. I hate facebook anyways, it has some minimal uses for me to check it once a week... but when you go nuts on it making it a personal blog space hosted by a commercial website... you get what you pay for.
- amed, on 11/08/2007, -0/+3if your concerned soo much about privacy dont' upload your sh*t on their site. . the smart thing to do is create a real account with fake interesting, photo.. now that's gonna get the advertisers no where
- epuiatti, on 11/08/2007, -0/+2"I know everyone is sick of hearing about Facebook" Sick of you say? NOT sick of, i think ADDICTED is a more appropriate term. It has so many different uses, I only started properly got into it about 1 week ago when i started a new school becuase its the only site the school wont block (paranoia), that also states that schools see it more than just a gizmo.
- ajb2015, on 11/08/2007, -1/+1i have adblock plus but i'm getting sick of the ***** facebook is pulling. i disabled my account today.
- ronaldinho, on 11/08/2007, -1/+1I have never been one influenced by ads, not to mention I probably only have to go to Facebook once a week. Well, if there really will be a backlash, it's Facebook's loss as people get annoyed and stop going to the site. Facebook should know better anyway than to let ads dominate their product, and they are not (or will not make it obvious.....and people will know when it's obvious).
On another note, if you are one of those people that buy whatever the ads tell you to, you are one pathetic human being - echotype, on 11/09/2007, -0/+2I work in marketing and I see the benefits of Facebook's angle, and in fact make full use of the social ad flyers ... nonetheless, I removed all my information from Facebook to avoid as much targetting as possible. Other people may not care about being targetted but I do :) I guess I could be considered one of those people who are somewhat sick of hearing about facebook, but when you spend so much time dealing with Facebook as an aspect of work ... you would too.
- MoFoKeR, on 11/09/2007, -0/+1what did you say? facebook will not be another myspace! ..right next thing on diggs frontpage magical servers electricity free...slowly but surely it shall be and another social site shall emerge,nice vicious cycle
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