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Why Do Contextual Ads Fail?
minstrelmike writes If we give up all our privacy on-line for contextual ads, then how come so many of them are so far off the mark? Personal data harvesting for contextual ads and content should be a beautiful thing. They do it privately and securely, and it's all automated so that no human being actually learns anything about you. And then the online world becomes customized, just for you. The real problem with this scenario is that is we're paying for contextual ads and content with our personal data, but we're not getting what we pay for. Facebook advertising is off target and almost completely irrelevant. The question is: Why? Facebook has a database of our explicitly stated interests, which many users fill out voluntarily. Facebook sees what we post about. It knows who we interact with. It counts our likes, monitors our comments and even follows us around the Web. Yet, while the degree of personal data collection is extreme, the advertising seems totally random.
You had me at "free pen". You should lead with that next time.
But... but... but...
Just imagine how many people would be out of work if they weren't tracking everything you do and collecting data about you and going 'woo... woo.... wooooo' as they wave their hands over it and exert the Magic 'Fluence that determines the kind of ads you want to see on Slashdot.
THINK OF THE ADVERTISING EXECUTIVES, PEOPLE!