Thread: Who does Google think I am? Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.


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Posted by Horseman Bree (# 5290) on :
 
Reading on the Ship recently, I noticed the Google ads beside the column. Now, I am retired from schoolteaching and living within sight of an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. And I am warden of a small (tiny) Anglican congregation.

So why does Google think I need an agency in Cincinnati to print our bulletins?

Why do I need outreach from the Saanich Baptist church, over 4000 miles away on Vancouver Island?

I wondered what strange, probably questionable site might be called "YouCat" until it turned out I was reading a site devoted to RC Youth Catechism.

And, given the historic architecture of our small church (it is open all through the summer as a museum piece, and we can't change it significantly), why do I need a Church Architect?

At least these all have something to do with religion, unlike the ad I had a few times for Gas Turbine parts (!), but isn't Google supposed to be smart enough to find ads that might match the profile I assume they have?
 

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Posted by HCH (# 14313) on :
 
I have ads for a Master of Sports Administration degree, a Ship of Fools mug, Reform magazine and one that says "Become ordained today".

At the moment, none of them interest me much (perhaps the mug more than the others).
 

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Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :
 
I only get Reform Magazine and the mug.
 

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Posted by Stumbling Pilgrim (# 7637) on :
 
I've currently got one for oil rig jobs (I live in the West Midlands) and UK death records
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Not sure. It's in Spanish.

I get this problem with Facebook - it throws up some bizarre suggestions for ads, sometimes in other languages. There was a spate of them being in Polish for a while. I've no idea why, as I've no Polish contacts or connections and haven't even attempted to learn the language.
 

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Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
I have these offers right now:

- a 'Bible Timeline Chart (all 6017 years)' which must be caused by an argument with some Yeccies
- Church Incense supplies, as I have declared myself baptised in the RCC.
- Free Hypnosis/NLP course, from correspondence off-Ship regarding NLP which has to be considered as something that came out of California in the seventies (people & music OK, everything else: hmmm).
 

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Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by LeRoc:
I only get Reform Magazine and the mug.

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So do I. That's the default if you use AdBlock.
 

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Posted by Miffy (# 1438) on :
 
This evening, it's giving me:

Anti-Ageing Secrets
New Ways to Claim PPI
Uk Genealogy Records
Children's church lessons

No surprises there then...well, not sure about the last one.

I've also on occasion had ads exhorting me to take out a funeral plan.

As for Facebook it's the usual skin-ageing, tummy-tucking, teeth-whitening crap. Sigh.
 

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Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
I get one for medical coding jobs, ho hum... elsewhere, though, I am besieged by wedding gown ads. ??? And for a while there it was all plexiglass containers. Still, it beats the RL snail mail ads, which are apt to contain "herbal Viagra" crap in the Vietnamese language. Apparently my real life name sounds to them like something a male would choose.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
I ever get any of this exotica. FB is currently timidly suggesting I might want to treat my allergies and send my money overseas. The Ship throws in 'Free Word of Prophecy'. So, those millions in Nigeria - yes or no? Casting out dust mites in the name of The Lord? Bet it won't tell me.
 

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Posted by Horseman Bree (# 5290) on :
 
Some pages only draw one ad, but the threads draw four, IME.

I've just had something from a search engine, claiming to be Digital Heroes of the Search World, or something.

And this thread drew: a eBook conversion kit (for formatting, not salvation), The Book of Mormon (not the play), a Chronological Bible Study, and "Hey, Sandra Bullock Lied".

Which, basically, is getting close to Weird Al's "Midnight Star"
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Whereas, to me, it's just offering Jobs in Retail.
 

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Posted by Heavenly Anarchist (# 13313) on :
 
I just have the mug, Reform magazine and a genealogy website.
When I visit one politics site I get 'mature dating' which seems to consist of middle aged busty blonde women wearing very small Lycra dresses. I guess I'm not very representative of the usual demographics for the site. Though I have also on occasion got 'uniform dating' there so I must be sending out mixed messages...
 

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Posted by Lord Jestocost (# 12909) on :
 
Recently an innocent and inconsequential email to Lady J drew the attention for four companies offering varieties of marital/relationship/sexual counselling ... and a skydiving school.
 

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Posted by Bob Two-Owls (# 9680) on :
 
Shaadi Muslim dating agency seems to follow me around the internet. I am not sure where it came from as "Islam" and "dating" don't really feature in my day to day internet browsing.
 

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Posted by Mili (# 3254) on :
 
On here I got an add for a company offering 51 free marketing ideas - I assume because I have been posting on the heart sinking words and phrases thread where many of the posts were to do with marketing jargon.

On FB I had an ad for rosehip oil which I have never used in my life and wouldn't even know what to use it for and an ad for a Creativity Mindset Mastery course. This course is only for artists of all types and again that's not me. I could gain "mastery over my creativity and a solid success plan for my art" if I attend, which sounds very heart sinking and like something that would kill all creativity, even in the true artist.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
"Fitness Singles. Meet local singles 80+."
 

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Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :
 
Perhaps worth looking into, just to see how often and how many of the supposedly fit oldies you can chase around the block. Have them sign over their earthly belongings to you first, though.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
For some reason best known to itself, Facebook regularly gives me "The Dollar Shave Club".

Is it trying to tell me I need more Immac?


 

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Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :
 
FB is offering me a free night, with butler service, in a swish-looking hotel ....in Chengdu, China.
 

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Posted by Eigon (# 4917) on :
 
Facebook have been targetting me with suggestions for comfy slippers for the over fifties - if I were thinking of buying slippers I'd far rather go for the ones I saw on Fashionably Geek recently, in the shape of the space shuttle or Batmobile!
 

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Posted by luvanddaisies (# 5761) on :
 
I discovered that Facebook can be persuaded to stop giving me adverts for various dieting faddy bollocks by searching for Pro Ana and Thinspiration. All the weight-loss adverts melt away, but sadly having been shed they only stay off for two or three weeks.
 

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Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
Google wants me to become a minister today! Does that come with a pay increase?

Also there is an offer for 40+ Catholic dating. Oh, here's a new one...advertise with J S Paluch, Catholic company, calendars, church bulletins, advertising.

Apparently Google doesn't mind that I'm a Methodist!
 

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Posted by Eutychus (# 3081) on :
 
The stupidest ads I get are for the hotels whose wifi I've logged into because I've already stayed there.

As a translator with a wide range of subject matter, I keep Google pretty confused. At one point it gave up and offered me mostly ads for private detective agencies.
 

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Posted by Surfing Madness (# 11087) on :
 
My favourite moment was when I purseaded it that I lived in Canada, and it kept giving me dog sledging adverts.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Boots. That's all it can think of - I must need Ugg boots.
 

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Posted by MrsBeaky (# 17663) on :
 
Here on the ship I get Reform magazine, the mug, occasional invitations to "get your own prophecy" and all sorts of stuff about finding property and women here in Kenya.....

On a related note about 12 years ago my husband somewhat foolishly amused himself by filling in a market research form that came through the door. He created all sorts sorts of fictitious characters living at our address and we were inundated with junk mail about products ranging from viagra to animal grooming via wine and hair spray. Oh dear
 

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Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on :
 
I get ads in Swedish on fb: I haven't been anywhere near fluent in Swedish since my first year at university when I took the course at Cal with an eye to meeting a beautiful girl when I was an exchange student at the University of Lund. I know few phrases but I cannot even count to ten in Svenska!

My mother did have a Swedish car once...
 

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Posted by Chocoholic (# 4655) on :
 
Facebook has started offering me he London gin festival
 

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Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :
 
It's possible to completely disconnect google so that the ad-blocked ads you're not seeing are not tracking anything at all. "Self-destructing cookies" doesn't work on all browsers which destroys cookies and tracking data as soon as you leave a page, but setting browser defaults to destroy everything on browser close does, though you can usually decide to retain passwords and form data. You don't get automatically logged in but the fields are full. I see no ads on any webpages except rarely, which means the ad-makers have tried to defeat the counter measures. (Chromium and Iceweasel browsers, which are open-source versions of Google Chrome and Firefox).

If you really don't want to be tracked, there's the Tor Browser Bundle, which is how wikileaks and Snowden did their online things. I use it occasionally just because it's available; it will think I'm Dutch, German, Russian, and in various other countries.
 

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Posted by Alan Cresswell (# 31) on :
 
Facebook is currently offering me ads for Amazon, featuring the DVDs I recently put in my basket ... which seems a bit pointless.
 

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Posted by Bob Two-Owls (# 9680) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Alan Cresswell:
Facebook is currently offering me ads for Amazon, featuring the DVDs I recently put in my basket ... which seems a bit pointless.

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I get that a lot, I think it feeds off Amazon's "frequently bought together" offers. However, since I often buy the frequently bought together offer I always seem to have what they recommend.
 

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Posted by Kitten (# 1179) on :
 
I just got:

10 mistakes that ugly women make that drive men away
 

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Posted by bib (# 13074) on :
 
I have no ads on this site. Maybe it depends where you live.
 

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Posted by Alan Cresswell (# 31) on :
 
I'm noticing age deflation. "seniors dating" being for over 40s. Since when was over 40 "senior"?
 

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Posted by Lucia (# 15201) on :
 
Out of curiosity why don't people use ad blocking software? I know a few sites need it turned off to function correctly but I have no trouble with the vast majority and I can't see the attraction of having the webpage you are trying to read cluttered up with ads.
 

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Posted by Alan Cresswell (# 31) on :
 
In part because ad revenue helps maintain a lot of sites, this leaky old boat included. If everyone blocked ads then that would remove a revenue source that many sites depend upon. Besides, how would you contribute to threads like this?
 

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Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Alan Cresswell:
I'm noticing age deflation. "seniors dating" being for over 40s. Since when was over 40 "senior"?

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Only in the dating context, but it shows that they have never heard of U3A.
 

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Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
now I'm being offered "How to Do It Yourself," with the "It" unspecified. Sounds ominous to me.
 

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Posted by storage jars (# 14021) on :
 
well, I'm being offered the "WWE Survivor Series Free!" if I sign up for....something or other. Sorry, got bored reading it. They wasted their money on that ad.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
Facebook has recently taken to asking me to "like" a page called I Love My Grand-kids.

I haven't even got any ordinary kids ...
 

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Posted by Arabella Purity Winterbottom (# 3434) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Alan Cresswell:
I'm noticing age deflation. "seniors dating" being for over 40s. Since when was over 40 "senior"?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Arabella Purity Winterbottom:
In most of the churches I've known, you have to be over 50 to be no longer considered "youth."

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