Ads With Your Name On Them

eldavojohn writes "The NYTimes is running an interesting blog piece on the answers Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo, & Google gave to the question: Can they show you an ad with your name on it? The results: 'Microsoft says it could use only a person's first name [which it doesn't consider personal information]. AOL and Yahoo could use a full name but only on their sites, not the other sites on which they place ads. Google isn't sure; it probably could, but it doesn't know the names of most of its users.' Now whether or not they would use this information is a different story. AOL has no plans to, Yahoo is open to it, and Microsoft has implemented a technological barrier preventing it (despite behavioral and demographic data being served to the ad companies). Although Google might use name information at some point, they don't now do so; nor do they use behavioral or demographic data."

Snail Mail does it all the time.

[Marc_Hawke]

I imagine a crafted ad would be quite effective (although misleading). We've all gotten the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes where they call us by name and say we won. Remember back to the first time, and you can know what it would be like to have that happen online.

One time on the news site forum I frequent they did that. The news posting/headline used a little trick to display who you were logged in as. Everyone assumed that the story was actually about them. The forums were chaos until everyone figured it out, and through-out the day new people would hurriedly make a comment and then get modded 'redundant' by everyone else.

Even though it was a simple echo of your login-name and not some great technical trick, it was effective enough to give everyone a bit of a startle.

It's unintentional

[Anonymous Coward]

unless it absolutely positively cannot possibly be avoided [paying bills for one] why link anything about you to an online profile?????

You log in to your Yahoo mail. Your Yahoo mail uses your real name because you don't want to confuse recipients. Yahoo search uses the name from your Yahoo mail to identify you. Either through cookies or by matching your IP address.

Google does this more obviously. Log in to your Gmail account. Now go to google.com, and do a search. Top right of your screen in bold letters is your email address.

Re:Sounds scary

[HTH NE1]

Also, answering with the person's name eliminates an identity confirmation opportunity. Hell, I expect the place where I order pizza delivery to know my name and associate my phone number from Caller ID to my name automatically, but I'd like them to take notice if someone else orders a pizza from my phone and the names don't match.

Not that if someone broke into my home or faked the CLID to order pizza wouldn't know my name, or that they'd even care. But leave the opportunity for a stupid criminal to be stupid:

The phone rang. He stopped the tape and answered it, then almost dropped the phone like an electric eel as he realized what he was doing. Hardly daring to breathe, he held the telephone to his ear.

"Rule One in housebreaking," said a voice. "Never answer the telephone when you're in the middle of a job. Who are you supposed to be, for heaven's sake?"

Richard froze. It was a moment or two before he could find where he had put his voice.

"Who is this?" he demanded at last in a whisper.

"Rule Two," continued the voice. "Preparation. Bring the right tools. Bring gloves. Try to have the faintest glimmering of an idea of what you're about before you start dangling from window ledges in the middle of the night.

"Rule Three. Never forget Rule Two."

"Who is this?" exclaimed Richard again.

The voice was unperturbed. "Neighborhood Watch," it said. "If you just look out of the back window you'll see..."

Trailing the phone, Richard hurried over to the window and looked out. A distant flash startled him.

"Rule Four. Never stand where you can be photographed.

"Rule Five... Are you listening to me, MacDuff?"

"What? Yes..." said Richard in bewilderment. "How do you know me?"

"Rule Five. Never admit to your name."

Richard stood silent, breathing hard.

"I run a little course," said the voice, "if you're interested..."

Richard said nothing.

"You're learning," continued the voice, "slowly, but you're learning. If you were learning fast you would have put the phone down by now, of course. But you're curious - and incompetent - and so you don't. I don't run a course for novice burglars as it happens, tempting though the idea is. I'm sure there would be grants available. If we have to have them they may as well be trained.

Re:Mobil card ms are NUTS...

[GigG]

Is this you?

Tupshin Harper

Director of Engineering

San Francisco Bay Area
First hit for the first name Tupshin.

Re:Sounds scary

[FiloEleven]

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.

Free karma from Google!