3 ms·

I guess I should have seen this coming. If Google is concerned enough about their bottom line to have layoffs, then presumably they're also looking for low-han

I guess I should have seen this coming. If Google is concerned enough about their bottom line to have layoffs, then presumably they're also looking for low-hanging fruit to (they hope) increase revenue. This reminds me of Microsoft's increased injection of ads into Windows 11. I'm curious if/when market dynamics will limit the extent to which Microsoft/Google do this.

thesuitonym 3y ago
Never gonna happen. If people get so upset that they start moving to other products, then we'll see MSFT and GOOG do what all belligerent companies do when they start losing eyeballs: Increase advertising on the remaining users until they, too, get fed up and leave, and eventually the companies wither and die away. Will that happen? Probably not, but it's more likely than either company realizing they're alienating their users.
- whywhywhywhy 3y ago
  There are no other platforms though. Even Apple is cramming their apps with ads for their services. They’ve ad-walled me over 20 times in the last 18 months on the way to listen to my music with an Apple Music adwall. Just on my way to listen to MY mp3s.
  - thesuitonym 3y ago
    While it's not an excuse, I guess I'll just say that the Apple Music app is not a necessary part of the OS.
  - ryukafalz 3y ago
    > There are no other platforms though. Sure there are. $5/month gets you email/contacts/calendar hosting at Fastmail (and several other similar alternatives). Linux desktops are healthier than ever and have no ads. (Including plenty of music players for playing your own MP3s!) There are countless Fediverse instances that won't advertise at you... there are plenty of options if you look beyond the big players. Now, for phone OSes, your choices are more limited. GrapheneOS with F-Droid is alright for now, though I'd love to see mobile Linux get more usable again.
    - toastal 3y ago
      I opted for Posteo @ €12/yr
  - soraminazuki 3y ago
    You can turn it off in the Settings app. Go to the Music section and you'll see a toggle labeled "Show Apple Music".
    - whywhywhywhy 3y ago
      Doesn't stop the ads, doesn't stop the searchjacking and something keeps turning it back on.
rchaud 3y ago
> I'm curious if/when market dynamics will limit the extent to which Microsoft/Google do this. Market dynamics in this case is just good ol' market failure. Google can 10x the number of pre-roll ads on Youtube, and lose maybe 1% of their audience. Where's every going to go, Peertube? Vimeo? Dailymotion?
- testHNac 3y ago
  Audience is going to Instagram Reels, TikTok. Many small business find showing Ads there convert better than on Youtube. Also, they are less distracting and more immersive for showing Ads compared to Youtube. Other Social Networks have to bring a better Search Experience and Long Duration video. Then Youtube can easily have a challenger. Also, showing too many pre-roll ads might reduce the ROI on Ads for the advertiser. I believe an Ad won't convert as good if it's part of a series of Ads.
testHNac 3y ago
Their Main Ads product is progressively getting worse. Search Ads are less effective than before. Meta, TikTok etc are way better for many small businesses than Google Search. They might think that adding more places to show Ads is the solution, I believe it will be better if they check how effective their Search Ads are for their customers. They luckily have Youtube Ads, for now.

thesuitonym 3y ago

Never gonna happen. If people get so upset that they start moving to other products, then we'll see MSFT and GOOG do what all belligerent companies do when they start losing eyeballs: Increase advertising on the remaining users until they, too, get fed up and leave, and eventually the companies wither and die away. Will that happen? Probably not, but it's more likely than either company realizing they're alienating their users.

whywhywhywhy 3y ago
There are no other platforms though. Even Apple is cramming their apps with ads for their services. They’ve ad-walled me over 20 times in the last 18 months on the way to listen to my music with an Apple Music adwall. Just on my way to listen to MY mp3s.
- thesuitonym 3y ago
  While it's not an excuse, I guess I'll just say that the Apple Music app is not a necessary part of the OS.
- ryukafalz 3y ago
  > There are no other platforms though. Sure there are. $5/month gets you email/contacts/calendar hosting at Fastmail (and several other similar alternatives). Linux desktops are healthier than ever and have no ads. (Including plenty of music players for playing your own MP3s!) There are countless Fediverse instances that won't advertise at you... there are plenty of options if you look beyond the big players. Now, for phone OSes, your choices are more limited. GrapheneOS with F-Droid is alright for now, though I'd love to see mobile Linux get more usable again.
  - toastal 3y ago
    I opted for Posteo @ €12/yr
- soraminazuki 3y ago
  You can turn it off in the Settings app. Go to the Music section and you'll see a toggle labeled "Show Apple Music".
  - whywhywhywhy 3y ago
    Doesn't stop the ads, doesn't stop the searchjacking and something keeps turning it back on.

rchaud 3y ago

> I'm curious if/when market dynamics will limit the extent to which Microsoft/Google do this. Market dynamics in this case is just good ol' market failure. Google can 10x the number of pre-roll ads on Youtube, and lose maybe 1% of their audience. Where's every going to go, Peertube? Vimeo? Dailymotion?

testHNac 3y ago
Audience is going to Instagram Reels, TikTok. Many small business find showing Ads there convert better than on Youtube. Also, they are less distracting and more immersive for showing Ads compared to Youtube. Other Social Networks have to bring a better Search Experience and Long Duration video. Then Youtube can easily have a challenger. Also, showing too many pre-roll ads might reduce the ROI on Ads for the advertiser. I believe an Ad won't convert as good if it's part of a series of Ads.

testHNac 3y ago

Their Main Ads product is progressively getting worse. Search Ads are less effective than before. Meta, TikTok etc are way better for many small businesses than Google Search. They might think that adding more places to show Ads is the solution, I believe it will be better if they check how effective their Search Ads are for their customers. They luckily have Youtube Ads, for now.