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See the original image at washingtonpost.com —

Facebook Ads Target You Where It Hurts

washingtonpost.com — Facebook takes advantage of its users' insecurities to sell advertising. With the knowledge that I was engaged to be married, the site splashed an ad across the left side of the screen playing into a presumed vulnerability. "Do you want to be a fat bride?"

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  • diggleague, on 09/03/2008, -2/+102One of the greatest preview pictures ever.
  • 1jaxstate1, on 09/03/2008, -3/+170LOL, facebook called you fat. +1
    • DrDragun, on 09/04/2008, -0/+29Attack her emotionally weak points for massive damage!
    • jasz, on 09/04/2008, -7/+4"My Facebook page called me fat."

      ***** you... if a guy already asked you to marry him is because he loves you. Then ***** learn to love your body and stop being all wussy about a stupid ad.

      Ladies, grow a pair, this kind of psychological weakness is what drives a lot of consumers to become that: consumers. You're just giving them (marketers) exactly what they want.

      "Oh, will I be a fat bride?" "Thanks facebook for calling me a barrel"
      • Memitim, on 09/04/2008, -3/+2Or realize that the ad hit a little close to home so resolve your guilt and do your fiancee a solid by cutting back on the ***** Haagen-Daaz. Yeah, we still love you when your back fat has formed into layers but it'd be a damn sight more pleasant to see you if they weren't there.
    • DreKor, on 09/04/2008, -0/+7People really don't understand the Internet. She was upset about the ads, which are generated based on page content, so she started filling up her status with the very key words that were working against her. God, I love technology.
  • ScrewedThePooch, on 09/03/2008, -20/+15I never click Internet ads ever (and I block most of them). If I need something, I Google it or find a store. Congrats to Facebook on wasting time and money.
    • Doktag, on 09/04/2008, -0/+18Err... how does Facebook waste time (apart from my own) and money by displaying ads?
    • Memnochxx, on 09/04/2008, -0/+21...you mean making money?
    • AndrewJC, on 09/04/2008, -3/+19Facebook has ads? :)
    • ronaldinho, on 09/04/2008, -0/+2To clarify, it's not Facebook who comes out with the ads. Rather, Facebook is making money from the ADVERTISERS who are the ones wasting money. Good luck to them.
    • Hangingtree, on 11/04/2008, -0/+1yeah those idiots wasting money by displaying ads that uh.... I mean that uhh.... PAY THEM MONEY

      ***** idiot.
    • nagual678, on 09/05/2008, -0/+2do you really think that companies would invest billions in marketing if it didn't work
  • dead777, on 09/03/2008, -1/+99Muffin top sounds better than, chick with roll of fat pouring out of her too tight pants.
  • benjaminbr, on 09/03/2008, -7/+87Ad block is your friend. Not only will it block the increasingly idiotic ads, you're actually saving the environment by preventing your computer from running power hungry flash.
    • mediahaze, on 09/04/2008, -30/+5Your CPU/Memory has a constant drain power and so...your really not saving power by not running flash...unless the flash program is so big that its causing your OS to swap memory with the HD(Generally not the case).
    • natecope, on 09/04/2008, -0/+12You can't be serious...
      • SoupsMan, on 09/04/2008, -1/+2"I am serious, and don't call me Shirley."
      • mrjhmm, on 09/05/2008, -0/+1"Surely, you can't be serious."

        "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley."

        - Naked Gun movie
      • higgib, on 09/05/2008, -0/+0Wasn't that flying high?
    • gdrawlinson, on 09/04/2008, -3/+6Facebook has ads? (go Ad Block Plus!)
    • fartcloud, on 09/04/2008, -1/+5I can't tell if the environment comment is satire or not.
      • Lythium, on 09/04/2008, -0/+8I'm just gonna go with "yes" because the alternative is to curl up in the corner with a bottle of cheap whiskey and cry over the collective brain-death of humanity.
      • DreKor, on 09/04/2008, -0/+6Even if humanity is smart, could i still do the whiskey thing?
    • seraph582, on 09/04/2008, -1/+2You can block ads on any browser without any plugins - google "ad block hosts file"
    • Anator, on 09/04/2008, -1/+1Am I missing something? I haven't noticed adblock blocking flash. I use flashblock for that.
    • tuxracer, on 09/04/2008, -1/+1Adblock interferes with the new facebook interface
  • frontaxle, on 09/04/2008, -6/+4Ads will be the downfall of our modern era
    • jzuska, on 09/04/2008, -0/+1Adblock what?
    • kawaiirobo, on 09/04/2008, -0/+1There's nothing wrong with advertising in general, it's what keeps your TV, radio, and most internet sites *ahem, digg ahem* free. Granted, there are some retarded commercials on the internet, and if you don't like em, you can get adblock, just like how on tv you can change the channel or get up, but advertising is a necessary evil in the media industry.
    • radioactivekt81, on 09/09/2008, -0/+1Yes frontaxle that is correct - not global warming, or terrorism or even nuclear hungry dictators, but advertising is our greatest fear...
  • ductions, on 09/04/2008, -1/+11720 and still single?
    yes thank you facebook for making me feel even better about my situation
    • Coffeedemon, on 09/04/2008, -0/+15Yeah... I get them since the dreaded status change. Mine are worse - they say 34 in front of them. It'd be fine if they were planning on shipping over the 18 yr old in the pic (since they likely know my address too).
      • lisaawesome, on 09/04/2008, -0/+5The ads I get like to ask me what I am doing wrong that causes men to run away. It kinda makes me want to throw up.
    • farfromperfectx, on 09/04/2008, -0/+33"20 and single!? CLICK HERE TO FIND A GIRLFRIEND YOU LOSER"

      :(
    • daeus, on 09/04/2008, -0/+22Yup, I've even started getting Gay website ads now I've been single for a few months...(I put straight on my profile).
      • Lythium, on 09/04/2008, -1/+16Facebook knows best.
      • TRScheel, on 09/04/2008, -0/+13Your looking for says straight but your favorite music says gay
    • wrillo, on 09/04/2008, -0/+12at least you weren't getting gay singles ads
      • malechite, on 09/04/2008, -0/+7"How to win his heart", and "Why he leaves" ...i've seen them, and i'm a guy whose facebook profile says hes straight and single
    • vocalyouth, on 09/04/2008, -0/+7It's better than the "24 and still single?" I get.
  • Praelior, on 09/04/2008, -1/+77Facebook ads are VERY annoying. If you put "single" as your relationship status, you will be FLOODED with "Are you XX years old and single?" ads on every page.

    The most absurd one I constantly get is "Looking for a girl who plays WOW?"

    Cmon Facebook... seriously.

    • sgtbutterscotch, on 09/04/2008, -0/+20And if you say you're interested in women, you still get ads for gay men.
      • Ryan2845, on 09/04/2008, -1/+49Maybe facebook knows something you don't? Otherwise you probably need to take coldplay out of your music interests
      • slayersotaku, on 09/04/2008, -0/+17/removes coldplay from music interests
    • Lythium, on 09/04/2008, -0/+6'The most absurd one I constantly get is "Looking for a girl who plays WOW?" '
      So what happens if you click on it? Do you get a "ha-ha!" or a "dream on"? ;)
      • kawaiirobo, on 09/04/2008, -0/+2my girlfriend plays WoW, so they do exist, you just have to be really lucky.
      • Lythium, on 09/04/2008, -0/+2Go peek at my profile ;)
    • Verdanic, on 09/05/2008, -0/+2.. I may try Facebook for a day with ads, just because I want to know what it thinks of me.
  • micro23, on 09/04/2008, -13/+30If face-book hadn't called you fat I'm sure we would be hearing a blog about "the box of cereal that called you fat"

    If you have a muffin top, you have a muffin top. You dont need face-book to tell you. Do something about it and stop complaining, we already knew you had some extra dough in the pants.


    • Soniti, on 09/04/2008, -9/+10Say it with me now: Facebook.

      Not Face-book.
      Not Face book.

      Class dismissed.
    • Navicerts, on 09/04/2008, -2/+7The writer didn't seem to deny her "muffin top" in any way nor complain about it, as you clearly stated she simply said she didn't need (or want) facebook to tell her that (or whatever else they data mine). You are so quick to make an attack, did you even read the article or did you just go straight to comments with the prospect of calling someone fat.
    • digggggggggg, on 09/04/2008, -4/+1Good point. The author should just suck it up and either stop being so sensitive, or do something about it. Why bother writing a thousand word article about it?
    • yurishoujo, on 09/04/2008, -0/+5I find it interesting that it's okay in many of these comments views' for Facebook to demean a person on the basis of how they look, but heaven forbid they demean someone for being single. One could just as easily say "HEY, stop being a loser, shop at douchebag stores and make yourself more desirable in the eyes of the general populace!"

      The point is their advertising tactics are offensive, whether they're saying you're a fatty, or a unlovable loser.
  • Bigcolby, on 09/04/2008, -2/+38good to see the Washing Post is focusing on real news for a change
  • duckyinc, on 09/04/2008, -2/+7Listen to the ads! They are all true!!
  • AchaIemoipas, on 09/04/2008, -3/+94Omg, hotmail keeps telling me I'm impotent and have a small penis!

    Not everything is about you.

    • MrSteamTank, on 09/04/2008, -0/+10Man, I feel sorry for you. Hotmail tells me my penis is huge on a daily basis.
      • DreKor, on 09/04/2008, -0/+4Hotmail must have gotten the impression, somehow, that you were trying to shrink it.
  • crownedgriffin, on 09/04/2008, -2/+11I wouldn't know what ads are trying to be sent to me. I block the stupid things.
  • springboks, on 09/04/2008, -3/+15Despite using ABP (Ad Block Plus) on FireFox. Facebook ads somehow manage to sneak through. How is that?
    Facebook ads are not only targetted ads, but they also have a one click thumbs up, thumbs down rating system. Clever, they're really surveying their audience to keep up with trends.
    • sooner314, on 09/04/2008, -0/+16I had the exact same problem. I use the EasyList filter on ABP and the "text ads" on Facebook were getting through. I subscribed to a second list from the same person called EasyElement and I no longer see those ads. Hope this helps!
    • Testiculese, on 09/04/2008, -0/+3Really? A thumbs up/down? I would re-enable internet ads just to thumb them all down...

      Seriously though, I like that idea, if the votes were taken into consideration to not show the ad at all, not just not to show it to me.

      These marketing pigs need some sort of feedback from the people, because they sure as ***** don't have a clue.
    • donkevin, on 09/04/2008, -3/+1Their ads are not blocked because they are from the site itself. I think there's some law or something against blocking ads from the same site, or maybe it's just how ABP works, I never took the time to find out why it's done that way, but ABP doesn't block ads originating from the current site (Facebook, in this case).
    • sunnydayz, on 09/04/2008, -0/+1Use No Script as well, that should take care of that
    • sremick, on 09/04/2008, -0/+1Get the Element Hiding Helper add-on for Adblock+. I use that and put in a few custom filters to kill Facebook ads. I don't see a single ad on Facebook and haven't for a long time.
  • derekmas10, on 09/04/2008, -5/+3Like d. boon said:
    "Let the products sell themselves. ***** advertising, commercials, psychology - psychological methods to sell should be destroyed. Because of their own blind involvement in their own conditioned minds. The unit bonded together. Morals, Ideas, awareness, progress. LET YOURSELF BE HEARD."
    • donkevin, on 09/04/2008, -0/+2I don't know who d. boon is, but without advertising, how would you know half the crap that exists, exists?
      • DreKor, on 09/04/2008, -0/+5A better question: If you didn't know about it, would you actually miss it?
      • Kyan, on 09/04/2008, -0/+1There was an ad on Craigslist a while back for a tree in a forest with nobody around.
  • egemenbor, on 09/04/2008, -3/+7mmm muffin
  • abarysh2, on 09/04/2008, -1/+20I liked it when I kept getting Victoria Secret ads. At least I had hot models to look at instead of someone's fat ass.
    • jcharak58, on 09/04/2008, -0/+8But that's because one of your interests are 'Victoria Secret models'
  • forgottenhope, on 09/04/2008, -10/+7wow facebook told you, you were fat, maybe if you didnt feel so guilty about being heavy, the ad wouldnt matter. You can either boycott facebook or use another provider to do whatever it is facebook does.

    There is an obesity problem in this country. instead of charging smokers taxes to pay for healthcare, why dont we put taxes on the unhealthy foods fat or obest people are eating so much of?

    Why do smokers have to pay for children's health care? Because the system is a ***** joke just like people who give a ***** if an advertisement tells them they were fat.

    here is a tip, stop putting in your weight and age and maybe facebook wont assume you need to drop a couple hundred pounds.
    • OrangeTide, on 09/04/2008, -0/+4You apparently missed that episode of *****.
    • secrity, on 09/04/2008, -1/+4Would have dugg for first and fourth paragraph, instead buried for second and third paragraph.
  • derkles, on 09/04/2008, -4/+10Muffin Top, youll always be
    Home sweet home to me.
    Good ole Muffin Top,
    Muffin Top Tennessee, Muffin Top Tennessee.
  • OfNumbers, on 09/04/2008, -3/+25Yeah? And porno pages push ***** pumps and extension pills. It's called suggestive marketing. For example, Digg believes its user base to be, say, 75% 13-20 year olds. So there's a lot of army, videogame and sexually suggestive marketing here. Don't be mad because you're insecure and a website somehow is at fault for it.
    • ghostfaceDX, on 09/04/2008, -0/+3Stop. Stare. Flirt. Go Now!

      Apparently they think were all single/gullable/desperate also.

      :(
  • abran1984, on 09/04/2008, -2/+1If Facebook can start doing some image analysis and posting ads matching those I'm going to start seeing a lot of ads encouraging me to seek help.
    • forgottenhope, on 09/04/2008, -0/+5they dont have to, most of the morons using facebook give there dimensions out. when you tell facebook your height is 4'6 and you way 240 pounds, its in a database. Im sure they can target advertise your fat ass.
      • abran1984, on 09/04/2008, -1/+4You don't even know me and you called me a fat moron!! I love the Internet!
  • SneakyNinja, on 09/04/2008, -5/+39Adblock FTW.
    • drunkinbda, on 09/04/2008, -0/+2amen
    • brettg102, on 09/04/2008, -0/+8Why is Firefox not distributed with it pre-installed? I cannot stand using a non-Adblock browser.
  • Oztog, on 09/04/2008, -2/+15That would suck for her if she was anorexic/bulimic
    • Memitim, on 09/04/2008, -1/+1Or incredibly helpful. Maybe they'll offer a way to address the weight control obsession without starvation or vomiting. I may be on to a new business idea...
  • mcdougan, on 09/04/2008, -4/+14Man this girl has some serious issues if facebook ads upset her so much. I cant wait to deal with people like this on a daily basis paying off grad school bills with their depression
  • HolmesSPH, on 09/04/2008, -1/+5haha good marketing idea though.. I bet it works
  • jehan60188, on 09/04/2008, -1/+6facebook tries to link me to gay dating websites =0
    • freeridstylee, on 09/04/2008, -0/+1Do you like men?
      • jehan60188, on 09/04/2008, -0/+5only in a platonic way

        actually i don't really like people in general. but i hate men and women equally...
  • CarnivalOfDust, on 09/04/2008, -2/+4All I got was: "Join Now for Free Access"
    Erm... Buried. Why do newspapers still do this?
  • GVR90, on 09/04/2008, -4/+9If an ad like this offends you, then lose some damn weight.
    • tenderbutton, on 09/08/2008, -0/+0if you don't find Facebook using technology to pillage your personality offensive, then I guess they've got you in their pockets already. read 1984 and grow up.
  • jk_baller23, on 09/04/2008, -4/+3poor muffin top :(
  • cestlavie17, on 09/04/2008, -4/+0why are you letting a facebook ad get you down? lol it's facebook for Christ's sake. Its just an ad. Its marketing. Thats what happens. If you are overweight or are slightly overweight, do something about it instead of complaining to people who dont really care. Stop putting personal information on a website that everyone can access if you're not comfortable with it. Fix it on your own terms and stop letting every little thing you see on the internet get you down.
  • Rudegar, on 09/04/2008, -1/+4my religion in facebook is Pastafarianism
    but haven't gotten any adds related
    facebook are not with it it seems
  • bizzywho, on 09/04/2008, -2/+1Erm...aren't Facebook ads targeted to the information in your profile and according to demographics (age, gender, location, etc.)? Or am I just wrong?

    It's just that I feel this writer is saying that Facebook somehow knows your appearance and through that it was able to generate ads about muffin tops.

    Wouldn't it be probable that she wrote somewhere in her profile that she needed to lose weight? Or that her age range, sex, and location is to what the ads are targeted to?
  • Dhile337, on 09/04/2008, -1/+0I was thinking the same thing just recently regarding the facebook ad's, especially the '20 and still single?' one .. cause that one makes me feel good.
  • Ceaser57, on 09/04/2008, -0/+56Vote up if you can't remember the last time you saw an ad

    https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/186 ...
  • omar199, on 09/04/2008, -1/+8It's so much easier for digg. 95% of the ads are for dating services, telling me to "flirt"
  • jefflombardo, on 09/04/2008, -2/+2I'm so glad someone else said it. I thought it was me. I guess it's only right that the internet makes you feel insecure since the media already does right? America is so f*cked up man.
  • Cabose, on 09/04/2008, -4/+6Facebook has ads?
  • SYSDmg, on 09/04/2008, -3/+4Well do you want to be a fat bride or not? I think it's what we are all asking in our heads.
    • OrangeTide, on 09/04/2008, -1/+1Yea. I would like to know if the ad was justified and well targeted or not. Because if Facebook advertisers are insulting the hot skinny girls, I'm going to be really mad.
    • shauncorleone, on 09/04/2008, -1/+1Fat bride? No. Fat wife by 2nd anniversary? Maybe.
      • MrSteamTank, on 09/04/2008, -0/+1Hahaha. And an obese wife by the 4th anniversery? Most likely. 8P
      • SYSDmg, on 09/11/2008, -0/+1and as the fat rises the bitchy factor rises as well
  • Guitarist970, on 09/04/2008, -1/+6They actually time how long you've been in a relationship too. I was with my last girlfriend for almost 3 years, and it was "facebook official" since we were both in college. About year 2 it started advertising engagement rings on both of our facebook pages.
  • WiretapStudios, on 09/04/2008, -3/+2What are these ads you speak of? You mean those things nobody ever clicked on that people used to see before they got wise and used Adblock?
  • kidlinux, on 09/04/2008, -1/+1I'm sure someone can explain how this is different from advertising elsewhere. That aside, facebook doesn't even design the ads.
  • dersktic, on 09/04/2008, -3/+5Facebook did it for the lulz
  • tomega, on 09/04/2008, -4/+1wow you are fat
  • kayfouroh, on 09/04/2008, -2/+4Everyone knows the most delicious part of the muffin is the top

    My muffin top is all that
    Whole-grain, low-fat
    I know you wanna piece of that
    But I just wanna dance
    Check checkin' out my sweet hips
    My sugar-coated berry lips
    I know you wanna get with this
    But I'm just here to dance

    So back up off of me
    You're weirding me out
    I'm an independent lady
    So do not try to play me
    I run a tidy bakery
    The boys all want my cake for free
    • foltaggio, on 09/29/2008, -0/+1They won't get the cake for free, because it is a lie.
  • eon42, on 09/04/2008, -3/+2i got 2 solutions for this...
    1. get firefox with adblocker...
    2. dont use facebook!
    simple as that
  • ohiohay, on 09/04/2008, -6/+1Muffin Top?
    MUFFIN TOP

    I wanna see
    Jelly Rolls?
    JELLY ROLLS
    NOBODY LOVES YOU
  • ghall, on 09/04/2008, -2/+1Well this explains why I've been getting ads for dating sites recently....
    Talk about targeting where it hurts.
  • duder83, on 09/04/2008, -1/+3muffin tops... or they could be love handles
  • drunkinbda, on 09/04/2008, -1/+1i always thought the top of the muffin was the best part? what went wrong here?
    • jeremyduffy, on 09/04/2008, -0/+4I love cottage cheese, but not cottage cheese butts.
  • jeremyduffy, on 09/04/2008, -1/+3As if this were a surprise. Why do you think all those companies spend so much time trying to figure things out about you and selling your data to each other? The more they know about you, the easier it is to manipulate you for money. It's called data-brokering though I just call it what it is: data rape
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