Targeted Ads

They're funny things. I suppose I can make a case that I should appreciate them, since they're what makes most of the stuff on the internet free. Somebody else is paying, not me. But still, they're kinda weird.

When I make the click that sends this draft to be posted, an ad will pop up for a few seconds. The day I mentioned that Bambi killed my Hyundai, it was an ad for Hyundais. Reasonable, I assume,though it didn't pop up for future postings with the same mentions. When I mentioned the acceleration problem for Toyotas, it was an ad for Toyotas. Sure, try to sell me something I've been criticizing. Lots of luck with that. How's that working for you? Most times I have absolutely no idea what in my post prompted a particular pop-up, since by the time a word will catch my eye, the ad is gone anyway. What was the point?

At least they're not a nuisance.

Spam is a different matter. If I order something online, I get spam encouraging future orders, whether it's flowers or a donation to certain charities. Long after I searched for my replacement car I'm still getting car adds. (I can only afford one, guys.) I ordered clothing online from a store once because the color in my size was sold out locally. They said they needed my email address so I could keep track of its shipping progress, and since the garment was for an upcoming wedding, I agreed to give my email. Every third day they send me spam, even though the store claimed that wouldn't happen. Apparently some companies which get my email give their lists to rival stores, because sometimes competitors ads show up.

By far the most annoying, however, was after reestablishing contact with a long-lost neighbor, instead of saying Howdy in return, she put me on her sales list for Avon. I can't get them to go directly to my spam email box, even though I label each and every one of them as junk. Like Flixter, another company I never order from, they must come with headings that change minutely every time so the spam filter thinks each email is from somebody else. My understanding of spam filters was that they kick new email senders to the spam box, but apparently that's wrong or there's a way around that.

What everybody ought to realize, however, is that I NEVER buy anything because you've sent me an add: mail, email, telephone, or anyway else. NEVER!