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I agree completely with your assessment. I run a website called HeyAmIFat.com where you can send in a picture of yourself and we'll tell you if you look fat or

I agree completely with your assessment. I run a website called HeyAmIFat.com where you can send in a picture of yourself and we'll tell you if you look fat or not in minutes. I often look at the huge companies advertising on my site and think "if they could see where their ads are being placed right now they'd probably realize they're wasting their money" On the other hand this huge "fraud" is what makes Google free and has thus powered the information revolution that now looks like a pivotal turning point in human history. Hard to be all that mad that Google made all the worlds information freely searchable by ripping off dumb businesses...

icebraining 10y ago
I often look at the huge companies advertising on my site and think "if they could see where their ads are being placed right now they'd probably realize they're wasting their money" But are they? If they're paying per click, completely uninterested visitors won't cost them anything anyway. As dkuebric pointed out, we have no idea if those 395k sites were actually costing them any significant amount of money.
Melk 10y ago
I agree with icebraining that it's not necessarily dumb for a business to advertise on less known or even irrelevant websites. It's the same difference between an ad flashing on a video wall on Time Square, or a billboard along a busy highway, or a poster hanging in a mall. Each has a different reach and purpose and with that comes a different price. Google gives you the choice where you want your ads to be displayed; whether it's within the Google search results, or on websites like yours, or there are programs like Google Doubleclick where you can chose which websites you want to display your ads. I think most of the criticism here doesn't so much reflect the ignorance of advertisers like the parent comment says, but ignorance of the people commenting how advertising works.
mrieck 10y ago
Give your website more credit. I mean what do people do after learning they are fat and feel depressed? They buy crap to feel better. Maybe your website is exactly what advertisers need.
- striking 10y ago
  I feel like the point is telling them that they don't look fat, because chances are they might not be. But yeah, that is a smart way to upsell. Even if it's morally questionable.
  - adamqureshi 10y ago
    Saying someone is "fat" is an insult ( I think its considered an insult) you can be overweight without being fat. Fat has more todo with how you feel about your body then being overweight. I think you've found a niche market. ;-)
- bigtimeidiot 10y ago
  >I mean what do people do after learning they are fat and feel depressed? They buy crap to feel better. Maybe your website is exactly what advertisers need. It is quite sad that anyone would consider this a business opportunity.
  - cpsempek 10y ago
    At the risk of oversimplifying, making people feel a certain way in order to leverage that emotional state for the benefit of another is at the heart of a lot of marketing and advertising. Maybe it tastes worse when it is as blatant as the case above.
  - njharman 10y ago
    Swaths of consumer products are targeted at people with self esteem issues. Fashion, makeup, fitness performance, jewelry luxury and stats products of allmstripes. It's especially bad for young women who are bombarded with Photoshoped images of "perfection" and reminders that attractiveness = success and that sex sells.

icebraining 10y ago

I often look at the huge companies advertising on my site and think "if they could see where their ads are being placed right now they'd probably realize they're wasting their money" But are they? If they're paying per click, completely uninterested visitors won't cost them anything anyway. As dkuebric pointed out, we have no idea if those 395k sites were actually costing them any significant amount of money.

Melk 10y ago

I agree with icebraining that it's not necessarily dumb for a business to advertise on less known or even irrelevant websites. It's the same difference between an ad flashing on a video wall on Time Square, or a billboard along a busy highway, or a poster hanging in a mall. Each has a different reach and purpose and with that comes a different price. Google gives you the choice where you want your ads to be displayed; whether it's within the Google search results, or on websites like yours, or there are programs like Google Doubleclick where you can chose which websites you want to display your ads. I think most of the criticism here doesn't so much reflect the ignorance of advertisers like the parent comment says, but ignorance of the people commenting how advertising works.

mrieck 10y ago

Give your website more credit. I mean what do people do after learning they are fat and feel depressed? They buy crap to feel better. Maybe your website is exactly what advertisers need.

striking 10y ago
I feel like the point is telling them that they don't look fat, because chances are they might not be. But yeah, that is a smart way to upsell. Even if it's morally questionable.
- adamqureshi 10y ago
  Saying someone is "fat" is an insult ( I think its considered an insult) you can be overweight without being fat. Fat has more todo with how you feel about your body then being overweight. I think you've found a niche market. ;-)
bigtimeidiot 10y ago
>I mean what do people do after learning they are fat and feel depressed? They buy crap to feel better. Maybe your website is exactly what advertisers need. It is quite sad that anyone would consider this a business opportunity.
- cpsempek 10y ago
  At the risk of oversimplifying, making people feel a certain way in order to leverage that emotional state for the benefit of another is at the heart of a lot of marketing and advertising. Maybe it tastes worse when it is as blatant as the case above.
- njharman 10y ago
  Swaths of consumer products are targeted at people with self esteem issues. Fashion, makeup, fitness performance, jewelry luxury and stats products of allmstripes. It's especially bad for young women who are bombarded with Photoshoped images of "perfection" and reminders that attractiveness = success and that sex sells.