Clunky Flow

Ah Google targeted ads. Such a revolution and spookily accurate in the way they offer you what you want when you want it. Like when you search Paris and the ads are for Paris hotels. Simple. Effective. And worth a fortune. Google makes an average of 20 cent for every search made via its associated advertising.

As I write Damien Mulley is on Marian (RTE Radio 1 Saturday 8th at noon) telling us how Google use very complicated mathematical algorithms to know what you are actually looking for and thus send better you more targeted ads.

The value that Google offers is that the ads you get are relevant to you, targeted to your needs wants and desires.  What you want, when you want it. They achieve this by constantly profiling you and your searches and activity within Gmail, docs and spreadsheets etc.

I don’t know what tweaks they’ve been making to their algorithms of late but more or less as I was listening to Mulley and using Gmail, Google suddenly started to believe that I was not male at all but actually female (news to me).  But not just your average female either. But one who this Saturday morning was beginning to feel interested in embarking on a career selling sexual services. The “sponsored link” which I first noticed this morning at the top of one of my Gmail accounts announces

“Dublin Ladies Wanted - www.cosmos-escorts.com - We are looking for attractive young ladies in Dublin. Please apply now!”

 …which links to an escort service which seems to be operating from Germany.

A bit left of centre. A mildly amusing misjudgement.  Now, there is nothing in my search history or activity online (and you’ll have to trust me on this) that would suggest that I am a female considering employment in the sexual services industry. I found it interesting that Google could get it so wrong. This of course won’t stop me using Gmail or any of the Google online services. I really like them and will continue to use them. But I can only imagine my mothers reaction if she was offered such an ad through a service I recommended. I’m pretty certain she’d be highly dissapproving.

 

Damien Mulley’s final words on Marian..”companies should be transparent and should tell you what they think of you, what profile they have on you”

Couldn’t agree more. I’d love to see how they put my profile together to come to the conclusions they came up with this morning.

 

 

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