4 ms·

Gmail filters more likely to weed out GOP emails

fullstop 5y ago
> "Mail classifications in Gmail automatically adjust to match Gmail users' preferences and actions," the spokesperson said. "Gmail users can move messages to spam, or to any other category. Gmail automatically adjusts the classifications of particular emails according to these user actions.” Seems like a non-issue to me.
PaulHoule 5y ago
... I gave money to some Democrats a few years ago and I regret it now because I started getting 15 spams a day for Beto O'Rourke, some with headlines about "Why we send so many emails" and "Our fundraising isn't working..."
- atlasunshrugged 5y ago
  I know, I've done it for a few campaigns and hate it. They all share email lists so people I've never heard of hit me up for money. I remember when I started in the Bay Area one of my colleagues who did email marketing told me to sign up for a few campaign lists if I wanted to see email marketing done well--I think it's probably true if you're optimizing for squeezing blood from stones (aka small dollar donations from hyperengaged people who have already been squeezed every which way) but I'm skeptical anymore that using any method a political campaign uses for email marketing is good for a company that has a long term vision or doesn't want insanely high churn.
manuelabeledo 5y ago
Anecdotally, I used to receive texts and emails from both main US parties, and the differences are stark. From my experience, Democrat pamphlets usually focus on public policy improvements, e.g. healthcare, transportation, or economy, whereas Republican ones read more like a list of complaints or more politically charged issues, on e.g. border protection and immigration, religion, moral values. The latter also have a bigger chance of being more hyperbolic. So I guess that, at least in my case, a spam filter configured around my preferences would be more likely to discard content regarding Christianity, traditional family values, stuff like that, and I would expect users in academia, likely on the liberal side of the political spectrum, to observe a similar effect.
- phillipseamore 5y ago
  They also tend to phrase asking for donations in ways that are more similar to scams.

> "Mail classifications in Gmail automatically adjust to match Gmail users' preferences and actions," the spokesperson said. "Gmail users can move messages to spam, or to any other category. Gmail automatically adjusts the classifications of particular emails according to these user actions.” Seems like a non-issue to me.

PaulHoule 5y ago

... I gave money to some Democrats a few years ago and I regret it now because I started getting 15 spams a day for Beto O'Rourke, some with headlines about "Why we send so many emails" and "Our fundraising isn't working..."

atlasunshrugged 5y ago
I know, I've done it for a few campaigns and hate it. They all share email lists so people I've never heard of hit me up for money. I remember when I started in the Bay Area one of my colleagues who did email marketing told me to sign up for a few campaign lists if I wanted to see email marketing done well--I think it's probably true if you're optimizing for squeezing blood from stones (aka small dollar donations from hyperengaged people who have already been squeezed every which way) but I'm skeptical anymore that using any method a political campaign uses for email marketing is good for a company that has a long term vision or doesn't want insanely high churn.

manuelabeledo 5y ago

Anecdotally, I used to receive texts and emails from both main US parties, and the differences are stark. From my experience, Democrat pamphlets usually focus on public policy improvements, e.g. healthcare, transportation, or economy, whereas Republican ones read more like a list of complaints or more politically charged issues, on e.g. border protection and immigration, religion, moral values. The latter also have a bigger chance of being more hyperbolic. So I guess that, at least in my case, a spam filter configured around my preferences would be more likely to discard content regarding Christianity, traditional family values, stuff like that, and I would expect users in academia, likely on the liberal side of the political spectrum, to observe a similar effect.

phillipseamore 5y ago
They also tend to phrase asking for donations in ways that are more similar to scams.