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I think the issue is a little different than I suggested (though the small business ads are a part of it). I think this is a worthwhile read: https://strateche

I think the issue is a little different than I suggested (though the small business ads are a part of it). I think this is a worthwhile read: https://stratechery.com/2020/privacy-labels-and-lookalike-audiences/ https://stratechery.com/2020/privacy-labels-and-lookalike-au... > "Small businesses did just fine before FB." You can't really compare the old pre-internet, pre-amazon world with our current one and assume things that were 'just fine' then still apply. A local restaurant is a bad example, better examples are small companies making a niche product or independent platforms in a niche. This affects companies buying ads on FB, but also those trying to understand their own customers to compete with Amazon and the other large companies. I don't work in ads, but I've talked to Googlers that do and the ads really do have a big impact for small businesses. I'd believe this is true. From that Stratechery article: "Amazon, meanwhile, is increasingly where shopping searches start, particularly for Prime customers, and the company’s ad business is exploding. Needless to say, Amazon doesn’t need to request special permission for IDFAs or to share emails with 3rd parties to finely target its ads: everything is self-contained, and to the extent the company advertises on platforms like Google, it can still keep information about customer interests and conversions to itself. That means that in the long run, independent merchants who wish to actually find their customers will have no choice but to be an Amazon third-party merchant instead of setting up an independent shop on a platform like Shopify. This decision, to be clear, will not be because Amazon was acting anticompetitively; the biggest driver — which, by the way, will also benefit Facebook’s on-platform commerce efforts — will be Apple, which, in the pursuit of privacy, is systematically destroying the ability of platform-driven small businesses to compete with the Internet giants."

ogre_codes 6y ago
> A local restaurant is a bad example, better examples are small companies making a niche product or independent platforms in a niche. This affects companies buying ads on FB, but also those trying to understand their own customers to compete with Amazon and the other large companies. I don't work in ads, but I've talked to Googlers that do and the ads really do have a big impact for small businesses. I'd believe this is true. This is kind of my point. People keep echoing this phrase "Harming Small Business", the implication is it's an issue which affects all small businesses. It doesn't. It's not even clear based on your post what type of business is impacted, or how many. Just some niche products... what does that even mean? Sellers on Etsy?
- fossuser 6y ago
  If it doesn't affect small businesses then who is buying all of the FB ads? If you look through your ad feed what do you see? When I had FB, most of the ads were for products (or services) from small businesses. Maybe you can dispute small, but that was the majority. > "Sellers on Etsy?" I think that'd be included yeah, also anyone with a shopify store, etc. I'm not the right person to ask but I'd believe there's large volume here, I'd also be happy to be proven wrong.
  - ogre_codes 6y ago
    > When I had FB, most of the ads were for products (or services) from small businesses. What makes you think the quantity of quality of advertising on Facebook is going to change? They still have: - Your location - A list of what you post about, what you link, what photos you've shared, what activities you've attended, what groups you are in, etc etc. - All of the above about many of you friends and family members just in case there are interests you don't talk about on Facebook. So how exactly is whether Facebooking that I checked the weather on the corner of 3rd and Center at 7pm going to help those small businesses advertising on Facebook? Is there going to be some flash umbrella store around the corner if rain is in the forecast?
    - fossuser 6y ago
      We don't really disagree, FB, Google, and Amazon will be less affected by this change than everyone else that can't do all of the things you're suggesting. That's the harm Stratechery is talking about. The affect on FB ads specifically I don't know, I'd suspect it being harder for FB to be as effective with targeting which could make the ads less useful (and that could harm small businesses that use them). The ability for other non-megacorp companies to understand their customers is more the issue. I think you're focusing on a narrow thing and ignoring the rest.
      - ogre_codes 6y ago
        I think the emphasis on small businesses is a distraction from the main point. (See it's working!) Fundamentally, whether this is going to favor the mega-corps or not, I don't want people tracking me. I don't want companies having the sort of information Facebook and Google have, they've demonstrated they are poor stewards of our data. At the same time, I don't want additional companies to gain access to a stream of information about me, regardless of whether that helps FB and GOOG or not. If helping FB and GOOG is the cost of keeping more information about myself (My family, etc) private, then I guess I'm Ok with that. It's the lesser of 2 evils.

ogre_codes 6y ago

> A local restaurant is a bad example, better examples are small companies making a niche product or independent platforms in a niche. This affects companies buying ads on FB, but also those trying to understand their own customers to compete with Amazon and the other large companies. I don't work in ads, but I've talked to Googlers that do and the ads really do have a big impact for small businesses. I'd believe this is true. This is kind of my point. People keep echoing this phrase "Harming Small Business", the implication is it's an issue which affects all small businesses. It doesn't. It's not even clear based on your post what type of business is impacted, or how many. Just some niche products... what does that even mean? Sellers on Etsy?

fossuser 6y ago
If it doesn't affect small businesses then who is buying all of the FB ads? If you look through your ad feed what do you see? When I had FB, most of the ads were for products (or services) from small businesses. Maybe you can dispute small, but that was the majority. > "Sellers on Etsy?" I think that'd be included yeah, also anyone with a shopify store, etc. I'm not the right person to ask but I'd believe there's large volume here, I'd also be happy to be proven wrong.
- ogre_codes 6y ago
  > When I had FB, most of the ads were for products (or services) from small businesses. What makes you think the quantity of quality of advertising on Facebook is going to change? They still have: - Your location - A list of what you post about, what you link, what photos you've shared, what activities you've attended, what groups you are in, etc etc. - All of the above about many of you friends and family members just in case there are interests you don't talk about on Facebook. So how exactly is whether Facebooking that I checked the weather on the corner of 3rd and Center at 7pm going to help those small businesses advertising on Facebook? Is there going to be some flash umbrella store around the corner if rain is in the forecast?
  - fossuser 6y ago
    We don't really disagree, FB, Google, and Amazon will be less affected by this change than everyone else that can't do all of the things you're suggesting. That's the harm Stratechery is talking about. The affect on FB ads specifically I don't know, I'd suspect it being harder for FB to be as effective with targeting which could make the ads less useful (and that could harm small businesses that use them). The ability for other non-megacorp companies to understand their customers is more the issue. I think you're focusing on a narrow thing and ignoring the rest.
    - ogre_codes 6y ago
      I think the emphasis on small businesses is a distraction from the main point. (See it's working!) Fundamentally, whether this is going to favor the mega-corps or not, I don't want people tracking me. I don't want companies having the sort of information Facebook and Google have, they've demonstrated they are poor stewards of our data. At the same time, I don't want additional companies to gain access to a stream of information about me, regardless of whether that helps FB and GOOG or not. If helping FB and GOOG is the cost of keeping more information about myself (My family, etc) private, then I guess I'm Ok with that. It's the lesser of 2 evils.