Don't read my email, just ask politely!

Give me the ads I may want

[helleborine]

If GMail scans the content of my emails to target advertising, I'll get a lot of nonsense I don't care about.

A few of the emails I send are work-related (Google ads about HPLC? Cloning tools? Apoptosis? Gimme a break), and the rest is idle chit chat (Google ads on "when and where we're going to meet next", jokes).

How many emails do I send that are related to my hobbies or potential purchases? Practically none! GMail will never guess, and be way-off-the-mark 99% of the time.

Why couldn't GMail ask, upon signup, what my interests are, and be transparent as usual as to their intentions of giving me relevant advertising? Not just a few vague boxes or broad categories to click. Let me key in some serious keywords, and give me plenty of flexibility. Let me add as few or as many as I want.

I know what topics might incite some productive clicking on my part. Topics that continue to interest me and for which I have made online purchases in the past. Give me birdwatching, gardening, orchids, stained glass, hummingbirds, bats, Southwest travel, etc

I'd actually be interested, and welcome it rather than view it as an intrusion.

That sure would be a step up over hotmail's popups for online matchmakers.

[bufferzone]

Maybe you could use Gmail just for this. Instead og using Gmail for sending and receiving e-mail one could use it to tell G what you want to receiving advertising about. Create an Gmail account, send an e-mail to your proper e-mail account containing the words “birdwatching, gardening, orchids, stained glass, hummingbirds, bats, Southwest travel” in the subject and in the text.

This way you use Gmail to tell Google what you want to receiving. Don’t use it for mail.

Not quit the way Google indented it to work, but you cant get it all, ;-))

[dragonlady7]

I think the original poster was indicating that they'd much prefer the open dialogue with Google about it. It's not that helleborine doesn't know where to go to find ads about these things, it's just that he (she? sorry) would rather Google asked nicely instead of reading personal correspondence.

[freeflight2]

instead of ads they should display links on the right (e.g. if a user reads a friends email about their new Lexus Sports Car):
"The following websearches might be useful for you: Lexus, Auto Dealers, Lexus New York, NY, ..." - then GMail would be starting to make sense and it would ensure legitimiate clicks on ads instead of clicks of bored users.

[Yidaki]

>it would ensure legitimiate clicks on ads instead of clicks of bored users

Hm ... this made me thinking. Has it already been mentioned how google tracks the clicks on gmail ads? I guess, they would be able to know WHO actually clicked on an ad ... not what ip or what user agent but WHO personally. Would this be something new or something other personalized services already do?

[freeflight2]

that's the whole issue here: Google will know about your whole life: 4 years ago you were researching student loans, last year you bought a house => G will tend/default to show 'refinance your house / get a better student loan now!' ads. Google doesn't need to collect age data from its' users since it will know their background and their important steps in life already.

[Yidaki]

>Google will know about your whole life

Well, this sounds a bit pathetic, don't you think!?

Everybody would know about my whole life if i'd tell em about my whole life.

But would Google actually track the account for each click? Will there be an id or something in the AdSenseForGMail links that identifies the clicker?

[freeflight2]

there already is a google-cookie for each user which now might get linked to your GMail and from there to your Lastname/Firstname. With 'whole life' I was referring to the commercial aspects of it... especially in which part of your life you are currently.