Gmail fail

[brianvds]

You know how Gmail displays advertisements based on the content of your page? E.g. if you're reading a message about music, it may display ads for online CD shops, or sheet music, or that sort of thing.

Well, I was reading a message from the James Randi Foundation, and Gmail's software customized its advertisements accordingly:

[Mefiante]

It’s actually Google supplying the ads.  Attached is what I got when I pulled up this page.

'Luthon64

[st0nes]

You can't really regard these as 'fail'.  Google matches the ads to the subject matter of the mail you are reading, not which side of the subject you are on.  If Google had advertisers for anti-psychic spray you would have been shown that one as well.  Unfortunately, such things don't exist.

[cyghost]

he he 

on this page on this website above right

I see google adds: UFO Alien; UFO Aliens; Alien and Aliens UFOs

 

[BoogieMonster]

A good case for telepathy not existing: If it did, google would patent it, read my thoughts, and advertise exactly what I'm interested in.

[brianvds]

A good case for telepathy not existing: If it did, google would patent it, read my thoughts, and advertise exactly what I'm interested in.

Perhaps they already know you won't be buying anything anyway. :-)

As St0nes pointed out, it is in a sense not really a fail, since Google correctly picked up on the subject matter. Perhaps the software will soon be sophisticated enough not to fail at perceiving which side of the debate the recipient is on.

Anyway, I found the whole thing amusing rather than annoying.