Just a Strange Coincidence? I'm Sure That it Must Be!

now im getting ads of palm readers!!.....

reply to post by MichiganSwampBuck


While it does seem strange, I think you are more than likely seeing these advertisements because Google profiles users to deliver advertisements that fit their interests. Pretty annoying move by Google in my opinion.

Originally posted by TruthLover557
reply to post by MichiganSwampBuck

 

While it does seem strange, I think you are more than likely seeing these advertisements because Google profiles users to deliver advertisements that fit their interests. Pretty annoying move by Google in my opinion.

I agree, annoying. It wouldn't be so bad if they would at least show related products, rather than the ones I was already looking at, or show me some better deals at least.

Of course, seeing the Dr. Who ad is just an astronomically improbable, but very possible coincidence. Or is it?

reply to post by MichiganSwampBuck


No, it is not some kind of coincidence. It is being done on purpose.

It is just that people are too naive. You have described it "accurately". The websites that you most visit, especially those that involve purchasing items, will then be collected and analyzed.

Once done, in a matter of no time, it is shown back to you through "Acceptable" terms, so it will draw your attention.

reply to post by Rikku


I was thinking the same thing! There are ways to avoid those ads.

To the OP, clear not just cookies, but cache as well. Do this frequently. There is also a flash storage, that you can access, and clear, from the Adobe site. Plus, you can actually (at least in Firefox) block various sites from storing on your system. Blocking from all third party cookies is good, too. If you visit an occasional site that needs those (for whatever reason, some log-ins for certain sites do), you can adjust for those, then change it back.

They do track anything and everything they can, these days. Were you watching the program on your computer? If not, that's a bit odd.

reply to post by LadyGreenEyes


Very strange coincidence with that Dr. Who advertisement. I happened to be watching PBS on broadcast TV on a flat screen that can decode the digital broadcast signal. No connection to anything but an antenna and the electrical outlet.

What adds to the strangeness is that I haven't watched Dr. Who in a long time, in fact I missed the episodes just before and after the Dr. regenerated into a new character, so I was pretty far behind in the overall story line. Also, I've been, almost exclusively, seeing bicycle parts and accessory ads.

The only thing I think of would be that I've been seeing Dr. Who ads every once and a while, but because I haven't been watching it lately, I had no reason to acknowledge the ad, must less remember seeing it. So when I happened to watch Dr. Who on TV, it brought the ad to my attention when I went online and saw it.

That would be the most likely reason , or is it?

Edit to add: I've noticed that if a topic is on TV, that online references to that topic increase after the topic was broadcast. So if Dr. Who is in a popular trend, I would expect to see more references to it online, including ads.

Originally posted by MichiganSwampBuck
reply to post by LadyGreenEyes

 

Very strange coincidence with that Dr. Who advertisement. I happened to be watching PBS on broadcast TV on a flat screen that can decode the digital broadcast signal. No connection to anything but an antenna and the electrical outlet.

What adds to the strangeness is that I haven't watched Dr. Who in a long time, in fact I missed the episodes just before and after the Dr. regenerated into a new character, so I was pretty far behind in the overall story line. Also, I've been, almost exclusively, seeing bicycle parts and accessory ads.

The only thing I think of would be that I've been seeing Dr. Who ads every once and a while, but because I haven't been watching it lately, I had no reason to acknowledge the ad, must less remember seeing it. So when I happened to watch Dr. Who on TV, it brought the ad to my attention when I went online and saw it.

That would be the most likely reason , or is it?

Edit to add: I've noticed that if a topic is on TV, that online references to that topic increase after the topic was broadcast. So if Dr. Who is in a popular trend, I would expect to see more references to it online, including ads.

edit on 7-1-2013 by MichiganSwampBuck because: Added last line

Well, that all seems quite logical and sensible. Still....I would wonder! If you did watch it before, I would think you would notice the ad anyway, even if you hadn't for awhile. I know I would, in such a case. I don't see a lot of online ads (thanks to a couple of wonderful add-ons!), but if one happens to come up for something familiar, I notice. Just a tv, no decoder box, no net connection.....then, right after, the ad? I want to call it coincidence, but this little voice won't let me. It's the timing, I think.

I read someplace (I think in a thread here) that there will be DVRs, and maybe TVs, that can keep track of what people watch, and gear ads towards the viewer. If I remember correctly, there was even mention of them tracking more than just what was watched, as in, recording people's actions in the house, with audio, and maybe video. How that could be legal, I have no idea, but that it would even be discussed openly is disturbing! I was actually thinking of getting a DVR recently, before a channel came to its senses, and changed the schedule so there wasn't a conflict. Glad I didn't now! Think I will stick with the "dumb" DVD recorder!

reply to post by LadyGreenEyes


You're probably right about noticing a Dr. Who ad. I've been a fan since the late 70s when I would watch it on Canadian broadcasts, long before anyone really knew about the series here in the states. I probably would notice it regardless. Yeah, I'm going to be really careful now too and maybe test a few theories. I'm mildly paranoid I guess.

As others here have said clean out your cookies, history, and Your Cache daily.

If your using Firefox get Ghostery it will not fail you......as I type this Ghostery is reporting 4 web trackers.

Years ago I remember getting my Brother to trash IE Explorer for Netscape and he came over to our house a few days later with tears in his eyes because he had a full screen to view with no ads...........he claimed it burned his eyes and his brain with no moving or flashing ads.

Regards, Iwinder

It's because of a marketing tactic called "remarketing".

In a nutshell, remarketing is where a company will target people based upon past searches, websites they've visited, products they have viewed online, etc.

There is a thing called the Google Display Network where websites can join in order to monetize their website. Companies pay to get their ads into the display network, and these ads appear on the websites who allow them.

Say you were doing some browsing in an online store of a website that uses remarketing. Cookies placed on the website capture your IP address information and determine you have willingly expressed an interest in their product.

Therefore in the future when you are browsing a site that sells ad space, you're highly likely to see ads related to that product you previously viewed.

No conspiracy, just innovative marketing tactics.

In the case of the Dr. Who ads, are you 100% positive you didn't do a Google search to see what time the program would be airing on T.V.?

Okay, I don't think I can take a screen capture with the ipad to prove this but...

I was just lurking (not signed in) and saw this thread. After I read your OP, I looked at what ads were at the top of the screen for me. They were bicycle and motorcycle ads. Crazy, because I have never googled either of those things. The first few posts here mentioning bikes and motorcycles must have triggered something in the interwebs, and they thought, "Oh, he's reading about bicycles, SELL HIM ONE!" I must have cleared my cookies last night or something, because if that's "targeted" advertising, they sure are sensitive to my potential interests. I'm just surprised because bicycles are not mentioned in the title or anything, so they must automatically scan the text of the articles or threads and post an ad of the first marketable object mentioned.

Well for me personally, all of the ads I see on websites (including ATS) are all very relevant.

Right now at the top of this page I see one for a project management tool that I use occasionally for work.

I have also recently seen ads for a brand of cowboy boots, the same type I recently purchased for my girlfriend for Christmas.

So the remarketing that is targeting me is spot on.

Originally posted by Frettin
Okay, I don't think I can take a screen capture with the ipad to prove this but...

I was just lurking (not signed in) and saw this thread. After I read your OP, I looked at what ads were at the top of the screen for me. They were bicycle and motorcycle ads. Crazy, because I have never googled either of those things. The first few posts here mentioning bikes and motorcycles must have triggered something in the interwebs, and they thought, "Oh, he's reading about bicycles, SELL HIM ONE!" I must have cleared my cookies last night or something, because if that's "targeted" advertising, they sure are sensitive to my potential interests. I'm just surprised because bicycles are not mentioned in the title or anything, so they must automatically scan the text of the articles or threads and post an ad of the first marketable object mentioned.

As some one pointed out, that is what they do now. They scan the text for keywords and put forth ads based on that. Thanks for the reply, it really proves that point.