You don’t know me!

Originally posted on MySpace 02/16/2007 – Now with Real Updates!*

I am on MySpace (ad here), how about that? I check my messages (ads), read peoples blogs (explicit ad) and post my own blogs (*). The problem (ad) is (ad), getting (ad, ad & ad) around (commercial) these (hi…) ADs!

Your ad here.

Now I understand that MySpace needs to pay for it’s servers, bandwidth and lawsuits. I also understand that we give them a lot of info about ourselves so they can properly target us with stuff we’d be interested in. It’s really in their advertizer’s interests to target the right ads to the right people, that is, if they use it.

Free porn.

I have on my main page a quick listing of my statistics. I am married, Male, straight, Mormon, Virgo, in college, not athletic and have kids. All of these allow quite a range of ads to be displayed as I parouse the site. Ads for school materials (because I’m a student, have kids and I’m a Virgo), geneology (Mormon), family trip packages (Mormon, Married & Kids), cars/vans (Kids), find classmates (graduated in 1993 & Virgo) and best of all a black leather family/business planner (Married, Male, Straight, Student, Married, Kids & Virgo). So of course the most common ad I see is for singles dating sites.

Swinging kid.

Every single one of those items of information I picked from Drop-Down menus of pre-entered information. That means that everyone only has those options to choose from and they all can be grouped by their choices. They know who I am! A trendy, young, horny, stud that has nothing to do but chase random tail.

Really? That’s the best they can do? I think after spending 500 million dollars purchasing MySpace.com someone has dropped the ball. I want their job, because I could do it better. I would find people like Lisa and advertize cute kids clothes; like Matt and advertize chest hair shavers, like Aaron and offer a gaming site; or like a young inexperienced 14 year old girl and offer porn because she’s a 36 year old guy living with his mom.

I’ve been spammed.

Now the disturbing moving/talking dating ads are becoming easier to ignore. Mostly because they are in the same places every time and I just know not to pay attention. The problem now is the constant friend requests and messaged from bands and other tripe that end up in my inbox. I guess nothing really is for free.

Stay tuned for Frogs.

*Update!

I decided to look into the whole advertising thing again. I haven’t been on MySpace in a while and I’m surprised I still remembered the login, but I was able to access the account. The first ads I saw were for a Tech School, Mormon Dating Website (right) and Wal-Mart. Then there are notifications letting me know that Teen Choice 2010 and 2010 Hip Hop Awards are going on. Based on this information I would assume I am a single Mormon black teen, close to graduation living in a poor community.

Aaand?

I know, you’ve known it for years, but I checked my profile and all of the info is accurate and up to date (I must’ve logged in sometime last year). I live in Beaverton, OR an affluent community 90 minutes from the nearest Wal-Mart. I am married, an alumni of CSULA and almost eligible to run for President. So I’m exactly the opposite of what the advertisements would suggest.

Boring.

Really? In the last 3 years of social media no one has come up with a way to tailor ads to the audience based on the information they’ve freely given you? Actually, yes they have. It’s on Facebook.

Gasp!

I know. No wonder they’ve out performed MySpace. The internet is a world where the first monetarily successful entity in any market will always be the dominant player (ie. Google, Amazon, eBay, AEBN, etc.). So it is a surprise that Facebook has caught up and surpassed MySpace. There must be a truly innovative team at their disposal.

Little, grey, different, better.

Facebook has put something revolutionary in their ads: a grey x. There is nothing remarkable about the x when you look at it. It’s about 7 pixels square, grey and very symmetrical. When you click on it something impressive happens: it removes the ad and asks you why (see right). So if you don’t like ads they let you delete them and try not to give similar ads to you again.

The other remarkable thing is the ads have become very relevant to me. Notice the ad to the left. It is for a Masters Program and I have a Bachelor’s degree. There was also ads for Portland Restaurants and Farmer’s Insurance. So based on the ads on Facebook I live near Portland, am capable of starting a Masters Program and might have something worth Insuring. Now that’s more like it.

Why not drop them?

I don’t dislike advertising. I will often watch commercials that catch my attention. I’m in marketing so the info is relevant. Ads make so many sites and shows I enjoy possible so I don’t mind them being there, as long as they relate to me, the site, the show or something that would make sense.