Targeted Advertising

[Jimbo357mag]

I'm sure many of us did some shopping online this season and I am sure many of us noticed all those ads, pop-up ads and whole commercials directed at (guess who) us. Now I notice that no matter where I go on the internet I get targeted advertising. I find it interesting that they even throw gun stuff at me, Midway advertising etc. Do they know me better than myself? Do they know that I bought a dishwasher or a chair and forget that I'm not still looking for one or do they think I need two or more of them. ...or do these 'robots' or whatever they are even think anything?

How do you feel about 'targeted advertising' and have you seen anything interesting or controversial or inappropriate? I hate to think if I looked at some personal stuff instead of a power window motor what I might be seeing on the screen.

I don't remember this type of advertising last year so it must be new. Perhaps it's time for a big cookie dump?

 

[Kevin]

I know Google and I'm sure others as well scan your emails for key words and then extrapolate to figure out which advertising to send your way. Amazon Of course bases advertising off of past purchases. It's interesting though isn't it? That there really isn't anything as privacy anymore. Cash won't even get you a car rental or hotel room anymore. Well maybe some hourly hotels...

 

[6GUNSONLY]

Jimbo, like you, i've found it amusing that they "target" me for ads for stuff I've already bought. A little late...

 

[Dan in MI]

It drives me bonkers. I've noticed it for over a year. Stuff I lookup for the wife, stuff I look at out of curiosity all haunt me.

 

[Hugh]

That is because of cookies left on your computer when you visit a site. That is the reason I delete browsing history a couple of times during visits to internet sites, and again just before I close my browser. None of those ads for stuff I look at.

 

[speedsixman]

An excellent way to cut down on that crap is to use Ixquick instead of Google for your search engine. There is NO tracking by Ixquick, and it can be set to display up to 100 links per page of results.
Tracking can still be done by search engines scanning the sites you visit, but not by Ixquick.

Myron

 

[m657]

AdBlocker+ seems to work for keeping cookies etc absent.

The basic Firefox tool bar has some choices that help too.

Mostly any company that hunts me down to inflict advertising is mistaken that it will produce a harmonious outcome.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

...and then there are the emails from places where I have bought things. Seems every place wants your email address when you order something so they can constantly bombard you with 20% off, free shipping this week or "we haven't seen you in a while" messages. I guess I have to delete 20 or more emails a day from places where I have bought something not to mention all the places that want to sell me Viagra or some Prince HooHanni treasure trove smuggled out of Angola or someplace.

 

[exavid]

Dump the cookies automatically using an ad blocker. That will also prevent almost all ads from showing up on your computer screen. Once in a while I'll turn off the ad blocker to see what kind of ads are aimed at me. It's a revelation. It doesn't take me long to turn the protection back on. I do keep cookies from locations I want, like the Ruger Forum so I don't have to log in each time. Same with business contacts. Most ad blockers will let you specify which cookies you want to keep and dump the rest. Works well and keeps down the irritation.

 

[wunbe]

Is it the same technology that preselects offerings on Youtube according to your recent displays of of interest there?

Any casual hit you make -- recently for me it was old Bob and Ray programs -- prompts multiple new offerings of the same or similar type. Probably works that way for porn too but you'd have to be an idiot....

wunbe

 

[powder smoke]

The adds are a waste of their energy, I do not shop per say, I buy!
When I search on line I usually know exactly what I want and shop price. ps

 

[Cracker-American]

Some things I have learned about this subject in the past few weeks.

Tracking cookies are the spawn of hell.

If you ever go on overstock.com you will be followed by their cookies to the end of the earth.

You can search (start by clicking that odd shaped icon at the top right of the ad) and find a way to opt out of the tracking. The means that are used to allow you to opt out of the tracking take up so much space on your computer that it slows down so much you opt back in just to be able to use your machine.

Google is one of the biggest offenders.

Overstock replied to my e mail telling me that they were not going to stop because their goal was to optimize my shopping experience and increase their knowledge of me as a customer.

And finally, this may just be a coincidence, while I was on my search to get ride of the tracking cookies my machine became infected with a near terminal case of malware.

The pro that I took my computer to to get rid of the malware told me I might as well just accept the tracking as the effort to fight it was just not worth it. Both in time and money. This truly knots my knickers.

Did I mention tracking cookies are the spawn of hell?

 

[ken s]

my favorite.
e mails..
your amazon order is being processed
your amazon order is being packed
your amazon order is being shipped
your amazon order is shipped.

LEAVE ME ALONE

your amazon order will be there shortly. track it here
your amazon order will arrive today.
STOP ALREADY
your amazon order has arrived
NO IT HASN'T
did you like your amazon order. based on your purchase we think you'll like these books..
NOT. THE ORDER IS LOST...WHERE THE ##$$% IS IT.???F
call. wait....resend...finally got it.
deleted all the e mails. put amazon in bad contact file....
( sorry amazon, but you're not the only one)

 

[graygun]

I delete cookies/history often and run Norton about once a week. Norton always finds tracking cookies and deletes them.

 

[Merle1948]

I'm sure many of us did some shopping online this season and I am sure many of us noticed all those ads, pop-up ads and whole commercials directed at (guess who) us. Now I notice that no matter where I go on the internet I get targeted advertising. I find it interesting that they even throw gun stuff at me, Midway advertising etc. Do they know me better than myself? Do they know that I bought a dishwasher or a chair and forget that I'm not still looking for one or do they think I need two or more of them. ...or do these 'robots' or whatever they are even think anything?

How do you feel about 'targeted advertising' and have you seen anything interesting or controversial or inappropriate? I hate to think if I looked at some personal stuff instead of a power window motor what I might be seeing on the screen.

I don't remember this type of advertising last year so it must be new. Perhaps it's time for a big cookie dump?

I installed Adblock plus - that got rid of about 99% of those pop-ups!

 

[Jim Puke]

The adds are a waste of their energy, I do not shop per say, I buy!
When I search on line I usually know exactly what I want and shop price. ps

X 2

Like ps, I buy...I do not shop...I know what I want and pay no attention to the ads.

 

[Taterman]

Adblock plus here too on Mozilla Firefox. No issues at all with popups.

Side note to the OP: I had to replace a power window motor in my Ford Ranger this summer, big pain in the butt. What vehicle are you putting a motor in?

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Adblock plus here too on Mozilla Firefox. No issues at all with popups.

Side note to the OP: I had to replace a power window motor in my Ford Ranger this summer, big pain in the butt. What vehicle are you putting a motor in?

An old Sable. I put a regulator and motor in one side and just the motor in the other side. I'm pretty good at it now. YouTube helped me the first time.

 

[RugerHound]

I used to see very little of this until Mrs. Rugerhound went and created a facebook page for me. Now I get hounded from everywhere.

I have been 'out of circulation' in the advertising market since the 1960s. I quit watching commercial TV in 1968, and really never paid a moment's worth of time to newspaper ads.

This stuff now is amusing but moderately annoying. Advertising doesn't have the pull with me because frankly, I don't give a @)*!$ what the people next door have. (There ain't anyone next door! )

I consider myself "Ad-resistant", so it's really not an issue. Just a little spooky sometimes.