November 14, 2015
A few days ago I wanted to add a suggestion for a product to a thread on ask.metafilter.com. So I hit google with a few keywords and found the thing at LL Bean. I linked to it, and done. (And as I think about it, the link I followed was one of those "sponsored search results.)
Now I keep getting ads for that thing at LL Bean on web sites all over the place. They're using Google for their ads, and Google has decided that I want to buy thousands of copies of this gizmo.
They aren't giving me "things which are similar", they're giving me the exact thing I linked to originally. It would be annoying if it weren't so funny.
Posted by: Steven Den Beste in Weird World at
10:50 PM
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Post contains 125 words, total size 1 kb.
Posted by: Avatar_exADV at November 15, 2015 12:13 AM (v29Tn)
Posted by: ForgottenBoy at November 15, 2015 01:11 AM (aOdCZ)
I turn off the Adblocker on sites I like/trust, but, otherwise, most webpages are coded like junk these days. 15 instances of Flash should never be on a webpage. (Not that I have Flash running actively either. It of major security issues now.)
The Internet really did used to be a more enjoyable place. And I'm not even old yet!
Posted by: sqa at November 15, 2015 03:33 AM (ZZT0u)
You can actually game that; Do an occasional search for something on Amazon, and it will skew your ads in favor of it. Want ads for classical paintings? Search for them on Amazon.
Posted by: Brett Bellmore at November 15, 2015 03:45 AM (l55xw)
um... I'm not looking for solutions. I don't see those ads most of the time because I am indeed using an ad blocker (Proxomitron). But sometimes I have to turn it off because otherwise certain sites won't load, and that's the only time I see those targetted ads.
Also, I didn't buy the gizmo; I just searched for it and clicked through.
(Please keep in mind how I feel about unsolicited suggestions and advice.)
Posted by: Steven Den Beste at November 15, 2015 08:56 AM (+rSRq)
The general creepiness of this is disturbing, but still nothing compared to what Facebook users seem to accept as normal.
Posted by: ForgottenBoy at November 15, 2015 10:45 AM (aOdCZ)
Mikeski: Hey Amazon, I wanna buy "Relayer" by Yes.
Amazon: You might like "Fragile" by Yes.
Mikeski: Yup, "I own it", actually.
Amazon: Well then!! You might like this more-recent reissue of Fragile. And this less-recent reissue of Fragile. You might like this import edition of Fragile. You might like this Yes box set; it has Fragile AND Relayer. Both! How about the Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs remaster of Fragile? Vinyl version, maybe?
Mikeski: Your algorithm needs some tuning. (Edit recommendations, "Not Interested"...)
Posted by: Mikeski at November 15, 2015 06:27 PM (hAtXl)
Enclose all spoilers in spoiler tags:
[spoiler]your spoiler here[/spoiler]
Spoilers which are not properly tagged will be ruthlessly deleted on sight.
Also, I hate unsolicited suggestions and advice. (Even when you think you're being funny.)
At Chizumatic, we take pride in being incomplete, incorrect, inconsistent, and unfair. We do all of them deliberately.
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