Category: Advertising

Dangerous Data

I once worked on the data management team for a large healthcare provider. There is an incredible amount of power and possibility in using data to empower and enact dramatic changes – especially in large traditionally slow-moving organizations. That said, there is an inherent risk for our own individual and group biases to seep into the algorithm and output from such systems.

In this episode of TED Radio hour, “Can We Trust The Numbers?” computer and data scientists share some of the overlooked aspects of where data science can fail our good intentions.

“It’s more than you think. It’s about power because they get to decide what experiment. It’s about power because they get to math-splain. It’s also about power because they get to decide what success looks like.”

Bonus points for Kathy O’Neil coining the phrase, “Math-splain”.  😀

(via Jackie)

 

Disqusting

A Sponsored Comment can use all types of media to get the point across, just like any other Disqus comment. But they’re not part of the discussion happening on that page. Comments to the ad are driven to a separate landing page just for that ad. This keeps the core commenting experience uninterrupted and publisher communities just as they were. That’s the best of both worlds.

So Disqus, one of the larger comment plugins used on many sites, just added sponsored comments to their product. Yuck. Not only that, but the replies to said comments – which I bet are going to be a cruel and negative cesspool – will live in their own little bubble.

How quaint. from their website, “Everything you need to build a community, turn down the noise and turn up new revenue.” You had me at community, and lost me immediately after.

I have to agree with Matt,

“I was just reading some comments the other day and thinking how it’d be great to see some sponsored brand content there instead of users, like there already was on the rest of the page. Glad there’s a solution for that on a global basis now.”

This is probably a good time to highlight other, non creepy, solutions for comments on your site. Say Jetpack or Discourse?

Good Work Doesn’t Always Get Good Coverage

Gina Trapani is someone who I’ve admired for a long time. Not only for her professional success and acumen, but her strong sense of ethics and fairness in all that she shares. I enjoyed her thoughts on paying for promotion and the state of visibility online.

“My feelings about advertising are fraught. I’ve worked for advertising-supported web businesses my entire career, so I mostly hate ads, even while they paid my salary.

Ads can compromise the user experience by splitting product makers’ loyalties. Is the advertiser or the user the customer? Ads are a way for monied brands to buy exposure for a product that’s often not as good as an alternative. Ads give companies a reason to collect data about you and sell it to advertisers for targeting purposes.”

We need more people like her in all industries – especially technology. We should be more reflective. Thinking about your work and the perception therein can be very rewarding.

P.S. You should try ThinkUp. It’s a lot of fun and makes you think about what you’re putting out there.