autoplaced ad faux pas

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: "Dr. James J. O'Donnell" <provost () georgetown edu>
Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 19:54:17 -0500 (EST)
To: <dave () farber net>
Subject: autoplaced ad faux pas


Dave, it's standard now for programs to select ads for a given page (e.g.,
on Google pages) to match the content of that page, supposedly to attract
the attention of people interested in the content.  If at this hour (7:52
p.m. EDT) you were to read the story on the International Herald Tribune
(www.iht.com) front page about Swedish reaction to loss of probably over
1000 Swedish tourists in the tsunami, the four ads on the page you get are
these:

 -- bargain tour to Thailand (ad in English)
 -- bargain tour to Thailand (ad in French)
 -- Swedish private-eye service (for missing persons?)
 -- bargain tour to Thailand again (different ad, in English)

The 'bots don't know good taste yet, any more than Charlie the Tuna did.

Jim O'Donnell
Georgetown U.

------ End of Forwarded Message


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