Just an observation.
So I'm sitting here listening to opera on youtube.com (yes, I actually like opera...) and on almost every video that I've been switching between, there is an ad for CatholicMatch.com.
Not that there is anything wrong with CatholicMatch.com...it's just that this doesn't seem to be the first time the ads on youtube are catered to my particular demographic...
So, is the ad for CatholicMatch.com just popular today or does Google actually keep track of your searches/keywords and cater the ads on all their sites to you?
Creepy....
Cheers!
BTW... I'm listening to "Une Furtiva Lagrima" sung by Roberto Alagna...bliss...
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I'm not sure if they track such things, but it wouldn't surprise me if they did. Google's whole business model is built on advertising, and contextual advertising enables them to demand more money from businesses who want to reach a narrower demographic.
ReplyDeleteOn one hand, that's kind of cool. I mean, if I have to be exposed to advertisements, I would like them to be ones I might actually be interested in. On the other hand, as you said, it is kind of creepy. Sometimes I do feel like Google knows way too much about me....
Laura--Google keeps information about searches conducted by individuals -- or individual IP addresses -- for roughly 2 years. They claim this information is used to refine search but there is lots of evidence that they are using it to target ads as well. While some people, myself included, find this creepy, Jonathan is right that most people would rather see ads that are relevant to their interests.
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