Not sure about Google

[Clodfobble]

Just a small devil's advocate here... part of the inherent, lifelong problem with advertising has been that it lies.

4 out of 5 dentists agree... when asked a loaded question that guides a clear answer
I'm Tiger Woods, and I love Bran Flakes... except actually, I hate them.
Best in its class... where class is defined so narrowly that it is the only candidate.


Everyone understands by now that all ads are complete crap. Many if not most people have TV systems that can skip them, and click-through rates are at all-time lows. The most important factor in whether I buy a product is if people I know and trust say it's good. You can't even trust strangers on the internet because fake reviews are so prevalent.

There's something nice about the idea of getting recommendations from your friends without those friends having to do any work to convey that information. Obviously there are some sensitive products that no one wants to talk about, but if you really like a certain product, why wouldn't you want to allow people to know that you like it?

[Lamplighter]

...but if you really like a certain product, why wouldn't you want to allow people to know that you like it?

My quarrel with Facebook and then Google is/was with the idea that
they are selling "you" without compensating you for the resource.
Likewise, they are selling "you" to others without you knowing where, when, and to whom.

If someone called and asked you to endorse a product, but refused to tell you
how they were going to use that endorsement, would you still give it to them ?

e.g., a silly example...just because you "liked" or "+1'ed" a bar-casino
(or a STD Clinic ) while on vacation last year, are you OK with your kids,
friends, or members of your church randomly seeing that on their iphone ... years from now ?

I'm old school... believing that bad things happen when someone has access to
and/or uses personal information about "you" to make $ for themselves,
especially if they claim to "own" that information and will not allow you to delete or restrict it's use.
... like your medical information being used by insurance companies or employers, etc.

Likewise, for kids who are vulnerable to bullying by classmates over even the smallest of details in the lives.

[limey]

Originally Posted by Lamplighter

My quarrel with Facebook ... is/was with the idea that
they are selling "you" without compensating you for the resource ...

The compensation is that I get the social interactions from FB ...


Sent by thought transference