Big brother Microsoft

[Graham Orm]

I heard a while ago that Google etc scan emails for words to relate targeted advertising at. It happened to me a few months ago over something like a sofa and I dismissed it as coincidence. I recently discussed with a customer freezing a pipe where no shut off was available to install a new stop tap. Low and behold I am now getting pop up ads for pipe freezing equipment! Coincidence? Hardly! :evil:

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

That really pisses me off when they do that!!

 

[finneyb]

Come on guys - they are only trying their very best to be helpful :lol:

 

[graduate_owner]

Now if that happened to my computer I think I would change browsers out of sheer annoyance. Google seems very efficient but there are others. You don't have to stick with Microsoft either, a few of my friends use Ubuntu. There's a learning curve though.

K

 

[mseries]

it's not to do with your browser or your computer it's to do with gmail or hotmail or whatever webmail is used. it's a free service, you get what you pay for. using gmail on Ubuntu won't change it. but yes ditch Microsoft none of my computers ms windows

 

[tpot]

If you use google to search for information, Google will record this info and use it to show targeted ads while you browse using the google display network.

If you want to see what Google knows about you, the following page is a start

https://www.google.co.uk/settings/ads

On this page you can can see the interests that Google thinks you have, always interesting. You can also opt out using the two links at the bottom of the lists.

 

[RogerP]

Now if that happened to my computer I think I would change browsers out of sheer annoyance. Google seems very efficient but there are others. You don't have to stick with Microsoft either, a few of my friends use Ubuntu. There's a learning curve though.

K

I've not use any MIcrosoft products for many years and I don't use webmail for anything much although I do have a Gmail account from when it first started up and it was by invitation only - remember? I use my ISP's (Virgin) provided email accounts via Thunderbird reader -never by the webpage.

I use Linux, I don't think there's any more learning curve than any other OS - it's just what you're used to. I mainly use Firefox browser, I also have Chrome and Opera installed but rarely used.

As far as ads go, well I don't see many at all, the pop-up blocker seems very efficient.

 

[Graham Orm]

If you use google to search for information, Google will record this info and use it to show targeted ads while you browse using the google display network.

If you want to see what Google knows about you, the following page is a start

https://www.google.co.uk/settings/ads

On this page you can can see the interests that Google thinks you have, always interesting. You can also opt out using the two links at the bottom of the lists.

I didn't search for freezing equipment and never have. I discussed it via email with a client!! They've picked up on it through the email.

BTW I use Gmail. As already mentioned it's all free so there has to be a downside, but reading your mail, which is what it amounts to is not on!

 

[kostello]

[
BTW I use Gmail. As already mentioned it's all free so there has to be a downside, but reading your mail, which is what it amounts to is not on![/quote]

That's why its free..........

There isn't a person sat there reading your mail, just a program which picks out key words and then you get corresponding ads.....


It was there in the agreement when you signed up

 

[Graham Orm]

[
BTW I use Gmail. As already mentioned it's all free so there has to be a downside, but reading your mail, which is what it amounts to is not on!

That's why its free..........

There isn't a person sat there reading your mail, just a program which picks out key words and then you get corresponding ads.....


It was there in the agreement when you signed up[/quote]

Yes I understand that, it would be impossible for them to open and read every email then attach an advert relating to it, it has to be an automatic thing, but never the less, feels like an intrusion. Thanks for the input.

 

[RogerP]

There isn't a person sat there reading your mail, just a program which picks out key words and then you get corresponding ads.....

This is where I get confused - what ads and where?

 

[Graham Orm]

There isn't a person sat there reading your mail, just a program which picks out key words and then you get corresponding ads.....

This is where I get confused - what ads and where?

Banner ads along side your email sometimes.

 

[RogerP]

I use Thunderbird as the mail reader, of course, no ads with that.

I just tried gmail webmail in FF browser (https://mail.google.com/mail) and no ads there either.

Do you use a pop-up blocker?

 

[mseries]

Re: ads and where the OP saw them. I was wondering where exactly they appear. I have a gmail account which I use via it's web interface and via the gmail app on my androids and I don't see any ads. I do use ad-bloc plus in Firefox and Chrome though on my Linux Mint desktop and in Firefox on my Android.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I think if I used a pop up blocker on full strength my laptop would have a strop and throw itself out the window!

 

[mseries]

I think if I used a pop up blocker on full strength my laptop would have a strop and throw itself out the window!

Not sure what the context of your message is, but ad-bloc plus isn't a popop blocker, it removes ads that are embedde in the page. For example I can't see any ads down the right hand side of this site.

 

[RogerP]

Re: ads and where the OP saw them. I was wondering where exactly they appear. I have a gmail account which I use via it's web interface and via the gmail app on my androids and I don't see any ads. I do use ad-bloc plus in Firefox and Chrome though on my Linux Mint desktop and in Firefox on my Android.

The common factor would seem to be we both use Linux - maybe it's Microsoft users who suffer all these ads?

Random Orbital Bob
I think if I used a pop up blocker on full strength my laptop would have a strop and throw itself out the window!

Not sure what you mean?

 

[mseries]

The common factor would seem to be we both use Linux - maybe it's Microsoft users who suffer all these ads?

I am sure I don't see them because I use Firefox/Chrome with ad-bloc plus. Even when I use a Windows machine at work with Firefox and ad-bloc plus I don't see any adds.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Sorry Roger...it was so cynical that I think it actually lost its message!

What I mean is that all the major IT players, particularly the newer social media breeds like Facebook, twitter and even google (less new of course) have been pushed down the advertising route to drive their revenues.
It seems to me that the Internet is generally so chock full of commercial messages that you cant fart without a pop up storming your senses and ramming some product or service at you.

My somewhat weak comment was suggesting that the advertising conspiracy is so pervasive across all IT that even the hardware mis-behaves if you refuse to watch the adverts.

This is partly down to a recent experience I had with a non HP printer cartridge in an HP printer. The bloody thing did everything in its power to make printing as inconvenient as possible because obviously HP want you to pay their extortionate prices for cartridges. Their whole business model has become linked to that assumption. Sell them a cheap printer, get em hooked then sting em with the cartridges. Meanwhile build in every possible trap and foible if they use a non HP cartridge. Makes my blood boil. Hence the comment that the relentless march of commercialism isn't confined to software like search engines and their web-mail spin offs but to the very computer itself

Hope that explains it. Phew, that feels better

 

[AndyT]

Lurching off the original topic a bit, but now you mention HP printers Bob...
My inlaws were having trouble with their new HP printer and asked me to help.

On its touch-screen control panel there was a series of very large, easy to press buttons to start a whole slew of built-in 'apps'. These would do various 'useful' things: - print off the weather forecast, print a 'recipe of the day,' print the news headlines etc - can you see a theme here? They were a built-in way to make you accidentally use up more paper and ink printing off on-line content you didn't want or need. But since the buttons to do that were large and in the way of the useful buttons, it was quite hard for someone in their 80s not to press them!
Removing them was a rigmarole too - I had to create an on-line account for the printer, log in to that account from a pc, connect remotely to the printer, then remove them one by one. Horrible, and a waste of an hour or so working it all out.