NONE: Re: ONLINE-ADS>> Cookies - New name
Re: ONLINE-ADS>> Cookies - New name
Alan Ferguson (alan_at_5line.com)
Fri, 18 Jul 1997 18:03:34 -0700
Rick Bruner <rick_at_bruner.net> responded to Mark Dolley with:
<snip>
>I certainly would agree that most Net users are instinctively anti-cookies.
>Again, I can't cite the stats now, but I recall seeing recently that more
>than 80% of Net users said they were against cookies when cookies were
>explained to them (but how were they explained, one wonders).
Just to be clear, almost 87% of regular surfers polled didn't want cookies
used without their explicit permission first, no matter what they did.
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~sgupta/hermes/
>The main reason that users are so against cookies, however, is that privacy
>advocates have taken charge of shaping public perception of what cookies
>are, including all the disinformation about them snatching your email
>address, etc. (which even the FTC's online white paper about privacy
>perpetuates -- http://www.ftc.gov/WWW/bcp/conline/pubs/privacy/privacy1.htm
>).
I don't think that Times-Mirror, Knight-Ridder, NBC, et al, would likely be
classified privacy advocates. It was this group that contributed recently
to the "disinformation" and public perception.
<snip> The stateless character of HTTP
>sessions means that cookies are presently by far the best way (I know of)
>to keep track of any user interactions from one click to the next.
This information is available to site administrators without cookies, it's
just more convenient with them. As I discussed in more detail on
http://www.clickz.com - June 27, issue, the confusion continues about the
differences between a stateless token and a persistant cookie which
basically do the same tracking job but differ greatly in other ways. The
persistant variety can contain a lot of information, more so if you agree
to accept them and voluntarily contribute it. None of them can snatch your
e-mail yet, but...
With the recent announcement by Microsoft that the new Windows90-something
will use IE 4.0 as the default browser, and trying to use another brand
will probably void your tech support, among other disasters, the cookie
issue will get bigger. This will happen when a Windows00 user logs on, the
cookie most likely available will contain as much information (which you
provide simply by registering the product) by default as they can get away
with.
In this business, the more demo/psycho-graphics you can discover and
resell, the more billions you will make, which is why the big push for MSN.
It's going to be the 800lb. demo/psycho center, just make the checks out to
BG.
>If they go away, it's going to hurt a lot more online businesses than just
>DoubleClick. I say they're worth preserving, but to do so the online ad
>community needs to be at least as vocal about cookies' consumer advantages
>as the privacy community has been about their nefarious intents.
Solution: Drop the cookie label, it's now soiled beyond the budgets to
reverse, call them GeoTokens instead, and campaign that. Why, you may ask?
Because the most important bit of info that mosts interests advertisers and
is the easiest to get the consumer to give you is, that's right, their ZIP
code. All the other stuff they already have, where you came from, what
pages you looked at, when you left, etc. And most would agree that the
current information on cookies is of limited value; the current user may
not be the one the cookies are relevant to, to name just one flaw. Add the
ZIP and you've got something.
Their it is, GeoTokens, take it and run. By asking for this innocuous
tidbit you can then set that cookie with all the other info you want, and
then your cool with the whole thing and it's more valuable. The really
funny thing that will likely occur is the vast lowing bovine herd that
advertisers believe are out ther will do it eagerly.
Don't mention it, glad I could help ;)
Alan
_
_
_
_
_
Alan Ferguson
5line Communications
Marketing
http://5line.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This week's Online Advertising Discussion List sponsor:
Take a stroll down Madison Avenue and see what other planners are up to
Geocities - 312 million page views a month
http://www.geocities.com/MadisonAvenue/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Online Advertising Discussion List To Unsubscribe send UNSUBSCRIBE
http://www.o-a.com/ to online-ads-request_at_o-a.com
