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That said, it looks like I am not the only one:
Twitter Search "Facebook AND Maintenance"
http://search.twitter.com/search?q=&ands=facebo...
And this specific one:
http://search.twitter.com/search?q=unavailable+...
But if it is wider than just me, it's a very small audience from what I can tell.
In the old AdWords system I could target keyword phrases to specific ads to specific products. Good luck doing that since they "improved" it into a useless spending machine.
StumbleUpon must have had some sharp people because their system managed to sort and display most content into the correct niche with very little human correction. That was the "old" SU before they sold out to eBay and those excellent targeted pages that allowed us to vote for sites and excerpts that we found most relevant and easily identify subject matter experts. We could then click through to what they shared and their comments specific to that topic. The "new" SU eliminated them! Why?
It simply is NOT that difficult. Complex, yes. Some words and phrases have multiple meanings and apply to more than one subject so there does have to be fine-tuning and some human intervention - which interested users will gladly provide as we did at SU for a time.
If I were a Social Networking site I would find out who was behind what SU almost did right and hire them to first data mine and present niche information and then hire Mary O'Brien and her people to monetize it. (They were behind the original Overture system that ppc engines are based on.)
If anyone wonders why I am so interested in seeing this happen it is because I see the enormous danger the monopoly that is Google poses and know what can happen if an alternative doesn't appear. Google currently has the power to put almost any business OUT of business at their whim. That is simply not acceptable.
And, for the most part, I agree. I end up flagging ads as offensive, misleading, and repetitive all the time. It doesn't seem to help enough.
If the advertisers had their brands on them, though, they'd be getting amazing coverage. Much of marketing is about coverage and discussion, good or bad, because it creates awareness. Just knowing about something is a big part of the battle of selling it. Negative impressions are still impressions.
And, they are still paying for them (unless it's pay-per-click). Presumably they wouldn't be paying for ads that don't work. But paying for ads that annoy people? Isn't that their job?
Search ads convert because someone is actively searching for something. Content ads rarely do because curiosity rarely ends up completing a purchase. Really targeted ads next to the right content can convert even better than search! That happens when the content is announcing that product or service or about buying it.
Branding for the sake of branding is a strategy for businesses with VERY deep pockets - not for small businesses that need to focus on immediate sales - or at least sales that will be completed very soon.
Furthermore, I've found that Facebook ads are about the least intrusive image ads I've seen on any site. When compared with Myspace, or your average tech blog that runs ads (e.g., Center Networks), Facebook is a veritable oasis of restraint.
i know my facebook ad for cloudcontacts isn't offensive, it's just that you won't see it because the stomach ads are willing to pay more and there is no targeting.
In time the advertisers will come, fb will enhance their ad platform & using facebook ads will become as common as advertising on adwords.
im following the progress at my new blog; adsonfacebook.wordpress.com - check it out.
thanks
You'll wind up like Scoble getting de-listed. Horrors!
Cheers,
Bob Warfield
They're completely detached from reality, insulting the intelligence of every user.
They're giddy with the thought of hyper-targeting data, as user
tell them what's okay.
Facebook- I hate that I can't get an ugly off my page with going through
your stupid multi-click poll each time. How's that for data?
Try putting 'single' in your personal bio and see what happens.
I have clicked offensive, irrelevant, uninteresting, and the same ilk
continues over and over.
Business Ads?
Worse. I tested an ad last summer to a friends course.
It was as no-strings, freemium as you can get.
I used no graphic (I know, poor advertising), but I was trying to keep it
dry.
What happened? They took my money for a month, then suspended it.
On manual review, they apologized.
BUT- I kept seeing get rich quick scams, er, I mean schemes,
with pic of wads of cash during and after.
Who's running things over there?
Only deaf people?
And then come the IVF ads. Because if I mark the "just for moms" ads irrelevant, I must be just DYING to get pregnant, no? That's all women are good for! I spend thousands of dollars a year on books, technology, electronics, clothing, accessories, vacations, etc. Yet not a single one of FB's advertisers has gotten a dime of this, since they never manage to advertise anything I want.