4 ms·

Maybe some of it...but without any advertising at all it would be really hard to know what products or out there or even that there is a restaurant on the other

Maybe some of it...but without any advertising at all it would be really hard to know what products or out there or even that there is a restaurant on the other end of the block.

OrgNet 7y ago
reducing consumption would be a benefit if you think about it from a climate change angle... For restaurants, I usually search for them in a directory and not in ads...
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- nrb 7y ago
  That directory is almost invariably funded with money from advertisements
  - OrgNet 7y ago
    well, I guess they can be considered ads, but at least I don't get bombarded with them on every site I visit (like google ads)... I have to voluntarily go search for them on a specific site...
- spullara 7y ago
  How do you think that directory makes the money necessary to produce and maintain it? Generally, ads.
- alephnan 7y ago
  In NYC, there are many pop up events including food events, which wouldn’t show up in a food directory site, but they do show up on Instagram ads.
  - buckminster 7y ago
    My town has a couple of stuff-happening-today directories. (Or this week or this month.) Doesn't NYC?
    - alephnan 7y ago
      There’s just so much going on I guess. There are times where I don’t mind FB knowing what my interests are.
  - cm2012 7y ago
    Pop-up events are likely "advertising" according to this site, which includes pretty much every form of communication or display not explicitly asked for.
  - StavrosK 7y ago
    A few years ago, I made a website that used the Facebook API to look up events in my city (I had to manually add all the venues) and show them in a nice interface on a single page, with no ads, etc. It was amazing, I loved being able to see all the week's events in a single view. Then Facebook decided to shut down the public events API, and that was the end of the site. The morals of the story are two: You can be notified of pop up events without being data-mined, and fuck Facebook (I know, it's "their" data, but I hate it anyway).
JoshTriplett 7y ago
> without any advertising at all it would be really hard to know what products or out there or even that there is a restaurant on the other end of the block There's a huge difference between reviews, directories, and advertising. You can seek out information without being pushed advertisements. Another facet: whether payment from the entity being promoted is involved and affects placement.
- cm2012 7y ago
  Most review sites and directories are funded by advertising.
  - JoshTriplett 7y ago
    Reputable ones aren't paid for placement or review results, though.
mdorazio 7y ago
A good portion of advertising is probably a net negative to society in the form of promoting consumption beyond healthy/financially responsible levels. However, anyone who's ever started a product business knows that advertising is often the only effective way to get new customers, even if your product is amazingly helpful to people. It's difficult to draw the line between advertising that is helpful and advertising that is harmful.
gdulli 7y ago
One of the best concerts I ever saw, I only knew about because of a TV commercial. In theory I could have found out about it another way, but I don't follow music news closely. I generally mute/fast-forward commercials. Those are the best kinds of ads we can hope for because they're easy to skip and they're completely distinct from content. I'd rather fast-forward through an anonymous, non-targeted commercial for diapers than have Netflix manipulate me into watching what's profitable for them with their browse interface, based on my viewing and internet history, and then there's Coca-Cola all over the show itself.
philwelch 7y ago
A restaurant on the end of the block can be discovered with even a minimal amount of awareness of one’s surroundings. Products can be displayed in stores or listed in catalogues.
- solidsnack9000 7y ago
  One doesn't have that awareness when one is traveling. Many a time I've been helped by a well designed ad, posted on a wall or in the street, in a language I don't know but with an arrow and clear pictures of food and coffee.
  - philwelch 7y ago
    I’m actually ok with advertising physical businesses with nearby signage.
autoexec 7y ago
Yeah, I've been so effective at cutting out ads from my life that I do regularly find that I'm behind on some stuff I'd be interested in and I wish there was a better way to stay on top of things. I try to follow certain blogs and subreddits to help, but it is something I've noticed. The reality though is that even without ads I'm never lacking for things to spend my money/time on. In fact, without ads my main problem is still more often the finite nature of my time/money than a lack of options.

Maybe some of it...but without any advertising at all it would be really hard to know what products or out there or even that there is a restaurant on the other end of the block.

OrgNet 7y ago

reducing consumption would be a benefit if you think about it from a climate change angle... For restaurants, I usually search for them in a directory and not in ads...

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
nrb 7y ago
That directory is almost invariably funded with money from advertisements
- OrgNet 7y ago
  well, I guess they can be considered ads, but at least I don't get bombarded with them on every site I visit (like google ads)... I have to voluntarily go search for them on a specific site...
spullara 7y ago
How do you think that directory makes the money necessary to produce and maintain it? Generally, ads.
alephnan 7y ago
In NYC, there are many pop up events including food events, which wouldn’t show up in a food directory site, but they do show up on Instagram ads.
- buckminster 7y ago
  My town has a couple of stuff-happening-today directories. (Or this week or this month.) Doesn't NYC?
  - alephnan 7y ago
    There’s just so much going on I guess. There are times where I don’t mind FB knowing what my interests are.
- cm2012 7y ago
  Pop-up events are likely "advertising" according to this site, which includes pretty much every form of communication or display not explicitly asked for.
- StavrosK 7y ago
  A few years ago, I made a website that used the Facebook API to look up events in my city (I had to manually add all the venues) and show them in a nice interface on a single page, with no ads, etc. It was amazing, I loved being able to see all the week's events in a single view. Then Facebook decided to shut down the public events API, and that was the end of the site. The morals of the story are two: You can be notified of pop up events without being data-mined, and fuck Facebook (I know, it's "their" data, but I hate it anyway).

JoshTriplett 7y ago

> without any advertising at all it would be really hard to know what products or out there or even that there is a restaurant on the other end of the block There's a huge difference between reviews, directories, and advertising. You can seek out information without being pushed advertisements. Another facet: whether payment from the entity being promoted is involved and affects placement.

cm2012 7y ago
Most review sites and directories are funded by advertising.
- JoshTriplett 7y ago
  Reputable ones aren't paid for placement or review results, though.

mdorazio 7y ago

A good portion of advertising is probably a net negative to society in the form of promoting consumption beyond healthy/financially responsible levels. However, anyone who's ever started a product business knows that advertising is often the only effective way to get new customers, even if your product is amazingly helpful to people. It's difficult to draw the line between advertising that is helpful and advertising that is harmful.

gdulli 7y ago

One of the best concerts I ever saw, I only knew about because of a TV commercial. In theory I could have found out about it another way, but I don't follow music news closely. I generally mute/fast-forward commercials. Those are the best kinds of ads we can hope for because they're easy to skip and they're completely distinct from content. I'd rather fast-forward through an anonymous, non-targeted commercial for diapers than have Netflix manipulate me into watching what's profitable for them with their browse interface, based on my viewing and internet history, and then there's Coca-Cola all over the show itself.

philwelch 7y ago

A restaurant on the end of the block can be discovered with even a minimal amount of awareness of one’s surroundings. Products can be displayed in stores or listed in catalogues.

solidsnack9000 7y ago
One doesn't have that awareness when one is traveling. Many a time I've been helped by a well designed ad, posted on a wall or in the street, in a language I don't know but with an arrow and clear pictures of food and coffee.
- philwelch 7y ago
  I’m actually ok with advertising physical businesses with nearby signage.

autoexec 7y ago

Yeah, I've been so effective at cutting out ads from my life that I do regularly find that I'm behind on some stuff I'd be interested in and I wish there was a better way to stay on top of things. I try to follow certain blogs and subreddits to help, but it is something I've noticed. The reality though is that even without ads I'm never lacking for things to spend my money/time on. In fact, without ads my main problem is still more often the finite nature of my time/money than a lack of options.