Dear Facebook- Please Attempt to be Tasteful

What in the world is in your profile that is attracting those ads? *grin* I've never seen either of them.

But, also I'd give them both thumbs downs and say why from the drop down. One of them is "offensive". I've never chosen that option on anything I've seen ,but I sure hope someone on the other side is paying attention because I do click on those quite often for both good and bad.

i usually get photography ads. i would think my wife would get the same cheating ad, so that might keep her in check knowing that i have access to keep track of her. &:~)

That IS pretty tasteless. Not as bad as MySpace ads were, mind you, but tasteless nonetheless. I guess the real question is, does Facebook physically monitor content or did one of these just slip by the ad QC algorithm?

In search of the elusive dollar ....

You better stop looking at al that porn Chris ;-)

Pretty pathetic. I agree with you.

You would think Facebook could afford to be a little more discerning in considering it's advertisements. I'm not sure there are a great deal of people who would appreciate those two, particular the second one. I get some doozies too.

I haven't seen those either. I'm assuming it's not something in your profile. Maybe from your 4500 friends? Just one bad apple you know.

Chris - I couldn't agree with you more. I've also noticed some very distasteful ads on Facebook lately. It makes it increasingly difficult for me to be a proponent of using Facebook as part of a company’s online marketing and positioning strategy.

Not cool. Especially as businesses still explore whether advertising on Facebook is for them. Does a company really want their ad listed next to the p*ssy fairy?

wtf is right. Its just flat out stupid. Who are they talking to? Are we all just a bunch of tee-heeing high schoolers? Not charming not clever just dumb.

I have not seen anything like this either and wouldn't be pleased if I did. Maybe a new version of Facebook for those tasteless types,.. something like Facebook Jr. High :)

What the heck do you have listed as hobbies?

Haven't seen those myself... but then again, you definitely fit the demo of Married man, "travels" a lot. LOL.

What! no links to where the ads resolve to, so now how am I going to find out this all so important information..? I knew it, you're going to make me loginto (never know if it's "log into" or "login to" or "login into") Facebook.

Where do you draw the line - I find them tasteless. My wife finds this offensive. Who knows what the kids down the block think.

The point is who gets to draw the line and how is set??

I agree, Christ. Facebook seems to be tossing their ad space at any and everyone who will give them money. It's my opinion they are diluting their brand. If they keep going in this direction, will there really be any difference between Facebook and MySpace?

These are horrible ads. I cannot imagine that any amount of money would make any sort of gatekeeper think that these were okay. This is why we need REAL PEOPLE to review things--for reputation sake!

Holy EWWWW, batman. Now, THOSE, are bad, bad ads...Yikes...I'm with you on this one!

Hmmmm? it is an ad. So?

I get ads like that all the time, along with the dating ads, and I've got in my profile that I'm married, and have tried to set my profile up more for business than personal. I have no idea why I get those ads, but I'm thinking about shutting down all ads through GreaseMonkey, since I'm on Firefox.

google will carve them a new "insert word here"

Okay, now that's a typo. Some people may think you to be the "Christ" of social media, but I don't plan to start calling you by that name. That has to be my best typo ever. Sorry!

What's a Pissy Fairy?

Geeeeze! :) Somebody's not listening very well to their clients.

I have to agree. It seems like Facebook ads have gone the route of MySpace ads. It is the one reason many of us opted for a Facebook to begin with...its NOT MySpace. I tend to get the "Over 40 Women Looking for Fun" types. Guess they know my age because I told them so, but hey... who says I want someone over 40? What about all those lovely 20s and 30s....who supposedly "know how to still have fun". I guess the "dating" game on the Internet is alive and well. I can't fault Facebook in trying raise revenue using ads, but come on..there have to be others who buy that space. Then again, the old adage of "sex sells" is still rather viable.

The first one doesn't bother me at all actually. But the second one is quite ridiculous. Is facebook beginning to stoop to the cleavage-showing, pornographic level of myspace now? The second ad really is a shame.

While the ads you saw do seem ridiculous, I recall doing some ads on Facebook and, I felt like they were the most stringent as far as rules for the ads. When I was posting my first ad every word had to be spelled out properly and sentences were required to be complete. Though I have not posted an ad on there in a while, so who knows maybe they have loosened the reigns? Either way 1. I never saw and ROI from a Facebook ad. 2. I don't ever pay attention to the ads while I am logged in, so I guess that leads me to the question. Has anyone had any success with PPC ads on Facebook? @babaloo21

I get a lot of dating and weight loss ads. So apparently I'm fat but I could date a millionaire!

I mark each one as offensive. and I don't see them again. The ad manager is still persistent - this morning I got Christian dating and African-American dating. I'm not Christian and I'm pasty white.

I'm with you! The social nets are taking whatever money they can get, but they need limitations. Also - the ads look like widgets someone has added to their profile, and, as you have pointed out, they're not always flattering!

Advertisers, in general, simply do not want to be on unsafe content, which is what most buyers perceive almost all social networks are. I've been to countless events where it's plainly stated by advertisers from major brands that they want nothing to do with social networks. So, their inventory has junk like what you and I run into since Facebook probably can't attract better ads, at any price, because the buyers perceive it'll hurt their brands.

Facebook, et all are going to have monetize in another way if this continues to be the perception. I personally don't see a bright financial future for social networks unless they get really creative in this age where capital is getting tighter and tighter, and you've gotta actually do something people are willing to pay for.

For instance, they should partner with an EventBrite or something and make it so people can pay for events when they sign up for them through Facebook and get a cut.

Wow. Just wow. I am exceeding grateful that I have not been subjected to those. I usually get "diet" ads or animal rights, with the occasional "colon cleanse" thrown in.

I am a bit befuzzled that you actually used p*ssyfairy as a tag.

Chris,
Have you seen this New York Times article: http://bit.ly/afEm Ads on blogs trusted more than those on social networks...
Facebook needs to change something - question here is whether the problem lies with them or Microsoft (who serves their ads).
Stewart

This is kind of funny. I think I am so used to ignoring ads on websites and blogs that I miss a lot of this stuff. I'm very active on my Facebook account, but I honestly don't pay attention to those ads. While I must admit these particular ads shown here in your blog post are truly ridiculous and they could certainly do a better job at filtering these ads, but at the end of the day they don't really affect my Facebook experience; it wouldn't be enough for me to totally ditch Facebook. That is the place where I communicate and share with all of my family and friends from middle, high school and college - it's a very personal place for me unlike Twitter. It would take a whole lot more for me to give up Facebook than just some absurd ads...

I understand the need for ads, but those are pushing it a little. I assume they target ads based on profile and age. I have a few FB Friends who are under 18 and hope those ads would never show up for them. And I would be pissed if my kid got those ads, or anything similar.

Someone asked me the context. I was in my inbox talking to Mike Lowe from Footjoy about customized shoes. I'm not sure how shoes would make one think about cheating wives. Sure sign of cheating is that I'd buy shoes?

I am always saying this, facebook has got big problems with their advertising model. They are too amateurish, they must find a good way to convert this traffic much more money with organized, structured advertising model.

Wow, Facebook must be getting desperate! That is very offensive. But then again, I find the song wang-dang sweet P*tang offensive. I must be getting old.

Hi Chris,
I checked out Facebook and saw ads for dating, colon cleansing, interacial dating, but I didn't see anything quite like you mentioned in your letter. I don't know Chris, but maybe they are exploiting your following and good name. If that is the case I would write the president of Facebook a serious letter to have them clean up their ads or their industry may face a boycott. Just a thought. Peace and love in this holiday season is a good thing.
Judith

I deleted my Facebook account after putting up with Mob Wars invites (and the likes) for too long. After seeing several of my real-life friends get some dumb virus last week, I deleted my account.

Agreed, tasteless....the bigger questions is how is this going to effect employers and how they may be using FB to recruit. Some are already gun shy due to new technology let alone have them see one of these ads and then their legal groups will go crazy. Interesting to ponder......

Wow.. It's hard to believe that they don't have better control of their ads.

And some people wonder why governent agencies can be hesitant to dip their toes in the social waters... I realize that this type of thing comes with the territory but I can also understand why others may be apprehensive about having their content sharing space with this (or worse) and having no control over the situation.

One of the many reasons I'm on FB less and less these days...way too much tasteless ads and stupid apps - I'm not really conversing or learning. That I get with Twitter...

Um, yeah, totally inappropriate. I've never personally seen ads like those on FB. Just logged into mine... esurance and Zappos. Logged into the hubby's... he had Best Buy and "scholarships available." My NPO has a facebook page - I would absolutely hate for those ads to appear there!

Isn't the second ad really an oxymoron? Think about it...

;^)

Nice...Not!

All the ads I seem to attract have headlines like: 'Male 35 - 45' 'Great gadgets for men' 'Reach males 35+'.

Weird. Very weird. It's as if I have become an entire demographic unto myself.

At least Facebook thinks it's possible the p*ssy fairy will visit you. Per http://eggheadmarketing.wordpress.com/2008/07/1..., they think the p*ssy fairy is not likely to visit me unless I lose some serious weight. Which depresses me so much I reach straight for the Krispy Kremes...

OMG! My FB page is plain jane when it comes to ads, but I have gotten similar feedback from friends about inappropriate ads. Let me know if you get feedback from FB.

Boost for Facebook add-on for Firefox blocks the ads, as well as provides one-click poking. XD

That really is awful! Ugh...

Hence why I use AdBlock and don't see any of that garbage on Facebook. Or any other site for that matter.

I think this is just more internet noise now entering Facebook. What I don't like is this kind of noise showing up on my work computer. I have tons of people looking over my shoulder and I am so eager to show them the p'ssy pages. not.

Weird.

Like Rick Heil, I also use AdBlock Plus which runs on my Firefox browser. I sometimes see FB ads, but I don't see anything that would be located on an adult page.

See adblockplus.org.

You should join my Face Book group to Stop Internet Censorship
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=42058481946

Obviously this is the best they can do ! I am still under the assumption Facebook will never be a vehicle for the Serious Advertiser and won't make any money , but the kids will have a another playground. We don't like to see anyone fail but they obviously have no skiiled managers ! The site in it's entirety has no order and is not very navigable !

I am sure Face Book will mature when Google buys it. But do we really want Face Book to mature or we like it to be the Western Town like Twittervile?

Strange ... I thought all Facebook ads had to be vetted and approved first?

Depending on my mood the FB ads are entertaining or they drive me crazy, but I mostly just ignore them. I suppose I'll have to start trying the thumbs down feature and see if the ads get better. If FB wants to be a real ad platform it has to figure out the targeting, the random assortment of ads I see does not build confidence in its ability to serve ads effectively.

Wow, Chris - this is really laughable. Yep, I've had to click on the thumbs down several times on the Facebook ads. Many of them are downright awful. I must say, however, with the social ad component, I do tend to keep my eye out on what I can interact with... especially on the sponsored ads on the home page.

Well, maybe it shows Facebook is finally trying to target with their ads, as opposed to spamming you with their usual random items. Possibly, the P'ssy Fairy is cheating, or perhaps she can tell you the signs.

Facenook's just getting so goddamned MySpacey. i've preemptively opted out of Facenook Friend Connect all together because after disasters like Beacon and Social Ads, there is just NO way i trust them to "not be evil" with something as potentially pervertable as my "social graph" data on other sites.

I constantly get things about single girls. I wonder if facebook thinks I'm more desperate than I think my profile is saying.

Chris -- I agree with you; the Facebook ads you're getting a really tasteless.
I'm not the biggest fan of Facebook either.

I have a bit of a different view on all of this. I love Facebook and I have been a member since it's start. They used to not have any ads at all, but they have to make money right? Their advertising platform is actually quite ingenious on their end. My company does market on the site quite often for our clients. They do a few things that make them much better then your average site with banners. #1 is that they allow you to choose the demographic that you would like to market to and #2 is that they charge you per click and not per view and this can constantly be re-evaluated. Ads on Facebook are placed using a bidding system. So, if I want to advertise to people in their 40s in Chicago it will show me how many people are in that category. From there I am asked how much I am willing to pay per click and how much I want to spend total. Now if someone else is trying to put out ads to the same group and has placed a hirer bid than I have their ads will be first priority. Unfortunately this is good and bad. While mostly good...you happen to be seeing the bad end. My guess is because there aren't as many people using Facebook that are your age demographic yet (although that is quickly changing) and so what happens is that people aren't bothering to advertise things here that would be more to your liking. So these tasteless ads that are probably bidding $.01 per click are getting priority on your page. My advice is to stick it out. Facebook is one of the best social media platforms out there in my eyes and they will only continue to grow. They are already ten steps ahead of any other social marketing site out there and twenty steps ahead with how they handle this type of media. But, like I said...for your demographic it might not be there yet.

That's pretty foul. I agree with CC. Facebook incorrectly riffed off of something on your page. Facebook's nosey like that with their "targeted advertising".

I did a post about overweight women and posted the link to my blog on my Facebook page. All of a sudden, they started sending me ads for dating sites that cater specifically to the overweight female fetish.

I guess it's the same way that google ads try to figure out what your page is about and serve text and images that are in-line with the content on your page, but that's out of hand. They need to start putting ratings on those ads so you can choose which ones you're willing to accept. You don't need your kids looking at your Facebook page and seeing EITHER of those. :/

This is a big problem when it comes to convincing a client to use FB as a marketing tool. I am also wondering how many users actually pay attention to the ads in FB, as you can see in this thread there are a few that don't. Time to look for a Case Study.

Sadly, that is how all marketing works. It is a targeted ad that is placed somewhere where it may or may not get seen, have some sort of effect on someone, or even offend someone. In my eyes, online banners of this sort are pretty old school anyway. No one really looks at them, clicks on them, etc. They are just a waste of money basically.

You can't get upset about banners on your page or even when Facebook looks at your information. If you look at it from Facebooks side of things, they believe they are helping the situation I'm sure by attaching ads to your interests because you are more likely not to get ads that do not apply to you or aren't to your liking. Their system is not fool proof yet being that it is a new thing they are doing.

I guess you just have to either not advertise there until they work out their kinks or, if their banners are really bothering you either delete your profile or ignore them. Talking about them and not looking at things from all angles is like beating a dead horse. Nothing in advertising is perfect and innocent and if you are in marketing/advertising you should have figured that out by now.

Sadly, it's up to the person paying for the ad to be on FB to decide who they target. For example, my Prospere Magazine ads target pretty much ALL WOMEN in their 20s and 30s who have a university education. This means that Jane Facebook User, age 29 and a graduate of Big City U will likely have seen my ad at one point. Maybe someone needs to create some sort of app which can be used to turn off certain ads...

I have seen some pretty bad ads on FB too and this example is right up there in the “bad” category. Larger companies with solid products/services will think twice about advertising on FB because they won't want to be associated with this type of stuff.

And I was upset because I was getting every celebrity diet ad! What is Facebook trying to tell me, Chris?! :)

Since an actual human being reviews FB ads before they go live, adding "tasteful" to the list of requirements is simple. It's also courteous and more socially acceptable -- important criterion for a social media site that wants to maintain an aura of respectability.

How disgusting.

Krissy :)
my main blog: Sometimes I Think
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/iamkrissy

I've seen a lot of junk ads on face book lately too. A lot of those scam diet offers mostly. Not sure if FaceBook is trying to tell me I'm too fat or something.