Is Invasion of Privacy The Answer?

From: Charles Lewis <webmaster_at_webprozone.com>
Date: Tue 20 Mar 2001 08:03:57 -0600

ADRIAN HARVEY <aharvey_at_sympatico.ca> WROTE:

>Trying to read content on websites is like driving down
>mainstreet Las Vegas...BILLBOARDS, PLACARDS, FLASH!
>FLASH! FLASH! ROADBLOCKS...ATTENTION AND FLOW KILLERS...
>WHERE AM I?

>Pretty soon we won't be able to see the text at all for
>ad detritus...

>Smart, moneyed, task-oriented consumers who use the
>Web daily (the most important people on earth to us all)
>want helpful, relevant info that addresses their specific
>interests and needs...not annoyance beyond belief...and
>you're expecting ad agencies to commit more of their
>clients' money to an approach that will *totally piss
>consumers off moreso than now!!* How much more do you
>want to alienate consumers? They have already had enough
>of being treated like brainless eyeballs by the
>dotcommers......right?

I could not agree with you more, Adrian! Now here's
my controvertial rant for the day.

If these smart, moneyed, task-oriented consumers *want*
this helpful, relevant info that addresses their specific
interests and needs, they will still have to view ads.

My point is that some day they will no longer be
un-targeted billboards -- but each ad will be specifically
targeted to a certain person based on information about
them collected through various sources. Consumers will be
identified by their IP addresses, and banners will be an
extinct species (YES!)

A few examples of these might be cookies which reside on
their computer, surveys they have taken over the course of
their life on the Internet, etc, etc.

Here's what I'm worried about:

Invasion of my privacy will be the only way for advertisers
to launch that *surgical strike* marketing campaign. Do I
have a problem with that?

No -- absolutely not

...just so long as it's used for the purpose it was intended.

My $0.02,

Charles Lewis, Author
"A Complete Online E-ducation"
http://www.coe-d.com/=20



Received on Tue Mar 20 2001 - 08:03:57 CST