The massive data-collection industry that fuels Facebook's targeted ads

via theverge.com

Facebook's user-targeted ads have been fueling profits and unsettling privacy advocates since the beginning, but a new report shines a light on just how extensive the company's research is. As it turns out. Facebook's data-collection efforts don't stop once you leave their site. They don't even stop when you leave the internet.

This week, the New York Times shined a light on four companies contracted by Facebook to provide user data from outside the site — ranging from court records and survey data to point-of-purchase information collected by retailers. Combined with Facebook's internal analytics, it allows the company to build a comprehensive profile of each user, including information they haven't shared on the site, which allows advertisers to more accurately target specific demographics, or even specific users. In one example, Facebook targeted specific users with ads for items they had previous browsed on the e-commerce site JackThreads.

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Website Tips Based On Your Website's First Impression [Infographic]

via bitrebels.com

Need some fresh website tips based on data you don’t already have? I’ve got just the thing for you. If you have a website, whether it’s an e-commerce site, a blog or any other kind of webpage, you’ve probably put a lot of time into determining how it looks. When it comes to attracting visitors and keeping them, there are so many things that factor into the equation. Everything from how many ads are displayed to the colors you choose will play a role in how your website will be received by the readers who visit you. We’ve written about dozens of different aspects that will affect how powerful your website can be, but this is one we haven’t touched on before. Based on what you see here, you will hopefully get some website tips that will be helpful for you along the way.

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Report: Intel Is Planning Targeted TV Advertising With Facial Recognition

via gizmodo.com

Reuters is reporting that Intel is pursuing a creepy little venture, in conjunction with cable providers, which involves a set-top box, recognizing your face and then targeting ads.

The report suggests that, while the technology wouldn't go as far as identifying individuals, it could provide data such as age and gender. From there, it would be easy to target ads, depending on the demographic sat in front of the TV.

Apparently Intel is already in talks with content providers to negotiate how it could be rolled out, and how specific channels could be targeted in the first instance. It's easy to see the attraction for the companies involved: in theory, such a system should significantly improve the ability to generate ad revenue. The report also suggests that Intel is hopeful that it could roll a system out by the end of the year.

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How to Define Your Target Audience in Design Projects

via naldzgraphics.net

Like a business, it is also important for a design to perfectly fit into the target audience. Doing this can give the clients and the companies an assurance that the design can communicate effectively. There would be no clear direction in designing if you do not know to whom you are designing for. When targeting a market for a certain product or service, it is important for it to be specific so that the designers who will be working on their websites, brochures, posters, magazines and others will be effective.

It would certainly be a lot easier to generate business and reach potential clients if the designers are able to know the target audience for a certain project. Hence, we will be giving you some tips on how you can define your target audience. This could be helpful for both clients and designers so that you will know that you are surely getting somewhere with the designs. Here they are:

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Why People Should Chill Out About Targeted Advertising

via readwriteweb.com

The other day, I was reading a news article when a skyscraper banner ad to the right of the story caught my eye. It was for a particular bass guitar, which was for sale on Amazon. I happen to be in the market for a new bass, and this model looked like one that I might like. So I clicked on the ad to take a closer look and then and browsed through a few other options.

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How Americans Feel About Personalized Search & Targeted Ads

via readwriteweb.com

A new report out today from the fabulous folks at Pew reveals something that you, Internet user, probably already know.

Most Americans are "anxious" about the personal information that search engines and websites collect from them, according to the study. The majority of 'Net users disapprove: 65% say that search engines collecting information is a bad thing because it narrows the type of information you'll get online, effectively creating a Filter Bubble type effect. Conversely, only 29% think search engines collecting information to shape future search results is a good thing because it tailors searches to you. In the age of oversharing on the Internet, Google's newest privacy policies and Facebook Timeline of your life, is it right to collect and use personal data?

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7 New Tips to Correctly Target Audience With SMO

via iwebask.com

SMO has become so popular that everyone’s doing at least something under the name of social media optimization. But the question is, are they doing the correct things to target an audience? Well, here are 7 NEW tips to correctly target your social media optimization activities:

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