Ugh, you know, I love Facebook, but sometimes it’s really frustrating how the targeted ads aren’t relevant enough to me and my consumer lifestyle. Like, yeah, I enjoy pizza and video games, but couldn’t it be more precise and creepy? Yes.
Ad Age reports Faceboook is currently testing a beta model of info mining on 1 per cent of its users – six million people – that allows it to read what you type as you enter it in order to serve up ads. So if I update my status to “anyone seen any good movies lately?”, I could potentially get hit with a Netflix promo. Or if I write “I’m really horny and I want to have intercourse with you” on a friend’s wall, perhaps I’ll get a message from our friends at Trojan. You get the point! Is it great news for advertisers? You betcha! Will it make Zuck more money? Yup! Is it unsettling? Sort of! Does it mean someone’s actually reading your conversations and mundane updates? Nope, just a computer! Is that still sort of unsettling? Yeah, I think so! [Ad Age via Village Voice]