Horizon, We Know What You're Thinking. Options

[Kanada Ten]

Google's newest advertising strategy, behavioral targeting, has finally arrived. The strategy, referred to as "interest-based" advertising, will go beyond current targeted advertising practices and track your Internet usage habits in order to serve an ad that the search giant hopes is better suited for you. This means that, instead of visiting a music site and simply getting music-related ads, you might visit a music site and getting ads for the newest "Cats Meowing Christmas Carols" album - because Google knows you spend 95 percent of your Internet time at Catster.

[kanislatrans]

Its for our own good,really, and I see it as a wonderful way bring information to people who might miss something useful and helpful while browsing the internet. By focusing on a customers interests, it can save time and energy by cutting out a lot of the redundant and non-related content and allow the customer to use the time saved on activities such as family or leisure time. All in all, Horiz....er, Google is once again showing that it is a company that really does care about its customers, not as a source of income but as real people with real concerns. Thank you, Google, for making life a little simpler. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/silly.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/silly.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/silly.gif)

[TBRMInsanity]

I don't mind Google knowing everything about me (including when I had my last BM), as long as they use the info to make my life easier. I get "spam" in my GMail all the time but since it shows me stuff that I'm more then likely going to buy I don't mark it as spam and in some cases I do look at the products. It's only spam if you don't want it.

[Kanada Ten]

The point of advertising is to create want. With the ability to directly see what ads inspire want in a specific person, Google Horizon will be able to create adaptive advertising agents which will inspire desire for products you didn't know you wanted.

(edit) I'd like to point that this is exactly how good Google is at advertising - they've already sold you on the service of selling you ads.

[kanislatrans]

I have worked in retail and one thing I couldn't get through to my co-workers was that if you get the product into the customers hand, it becomes"Theirs". On a subconscious level, once the product is touched, it becomes a possession and the customer is much more likely to purchase.

Google is taking things to the next level and not only putting the produce in you hands,per se, but knowing before hand that you prefer blue shirts and socks with"hello kitty" embroidered on them.

I would like to know if opting out means they don't keep track of you, or if they just don't show you they are keeping track of you. Not targeting ads at me but still gathering my info. is a possibility I don't feel comfortable with.

[Wesley Street]

I find this whole thing really strange. Companies have been gathering this information for years. All Google is doing is being up front about it. You shouldn't need to opt out of anything, just clear your cache, cookies, etc. before you close your browser or don't use Google. But I suppose the opt-out function is for the less tech savvy.