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Facebook Businesses The Almighty Buck

Facebook Messenger Globally Tests Injecting Display Ads Into Inbox (techcrunch.com) 71

Posted by msmash from the oh-no dept.
From a TechCrunch report: Messaging is the center of mobile, and Facebook wants ads in front of all those eyes. After seeing "promising results from Australia and Thailand," Facebook Messenger is expanding its display ad beta test that lets businesses buy space between your chat threads. Later this month, a small percentage of users will start seeing ads in the Messenger app's home tab. Facebook tells TechCrunch that where these ads appear in the inbox "depends on how many threads a user has, the size of their phone's physical screen and the pixel density of the display." Over the next month, Facebook will gradually roll out Messenger ads to all advertisers globally. They'll have the ability to buy through the Ads Manager or Power Editor, with Messenger becoming one of the automatic placements for Facebook ads alongside the main Facebook app, Instagram and the Audience Network of other apps and sites. Ads aren't targeted by what people write in messages, and instead use the same Facebook targeting, measurement tools and minimum 50 percent pixels in view standard for viewability.
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Facebook Messenger Globally Tests Injecting Display Ads Into Inbox More

Facebook Messenger Globally Tests Injecting Display Ads Into Inbox

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  • Mind to computer linkage to take off. "This link brought to you by PharmaCor."

  • Great. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by BenJeremy ( 181303 ) on Tuesday July 11, 2017 @02:02PM (#54788403)

    I just don't get enough of those co-dependent, needy messages from Facebook already. I rarely get on to Facebook, because while I consider it somewhat useful, there is also a lot of noise. I don't care that my second cousin Betty just posted a picture. I do care that my uncle Albert has a birthday today. I scan it once a week or so to keep up to date.

    Unfortunately, Facebook seems to be "all or nothing" in the way it feeds news.

    I get that they have to make money, but filling my inbox with spam, and texting me as if something meaningful has been sent is pretty damn disgusting as a tactic.

    • Facebook Blocker [mozilla.org] Firefox add-on.

      Google, Apple, and Facebook and their customers will keep increasing the abuse, apparently. Abusing other people is personally damaging, but the managers of those companies apparently don't have the social understanding to realize that.

      • You don't need a facebook blocker...that only solved part of the facebook issue. You need Privacy Badger (blocks facebook, twitter and the rest of them) + uBlock Origin.

        It does not hurt to always brows in private mode in Firefox. Sure Chrome might be a better browser but it also tells google everything you go and that displays custom ads and shopping results tailored to you...

        If you value your privacy do not stop just at the application level. Get to the OS AND hardware level if possible. An OS that res
    • so this is something one would have to use Facebook to be effected by?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by sycodon ( 149926 )

      Anyone still on Facebook is a loser.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by thomn8r ( 635504 )
      http://www.fbpurity.com/ [fbpurity.com]

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mjwx ( 966435 )

      I just don't get enough of those co-dependent, needy messages from Facebook already. I rarely get on to Facebook, because while I consider it somewhat useful, there is also a lot of noise. I don't care that my second cousin Betty just posted a picture. I do care that my uncle Albert has a birthday today. I scan it once a week or so to keep up to date.

      I use facebook daily... but it's never to communicate with people. It's almost always to look at meme's or car pictures or whatever I find funny. When they uncoupled messenger and made it a separate app, that's when I stopped using it.

      If porn sites advertise themselves as the "facebook of sex", then Facebook must be the "1 cup and 2 girls of personal communication".

  • Tell me again why I need to install a dedicated Facebook app to send messages?

    If I want to text someone, I'll send a text. If they insist on using FB messages, I'll use the desktop web site (on my phone) to read it.

    This was a bad idea for users from day 1, and I will not be a part of it. Bring on the good technology in its place.

    • Re:Messenger- why? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by swb ( 14022 ) on Tuesday July 11, 2017 @02:15PM (#54788493)

      They've made it increasingly hard on mobile to read messenger messages without the dumb app. I don't get very many and I usually just delete them and contact the person in another medium. The people who insist on using it, I just delete their messages and when they get annoyed about why I'm not responding them I tell them I don't use it.

      I don't actually understand why it has to be a separate app, probably just another part of the global domination game I guess.

      • Who are you? (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        I don't actually understand why it has to be a separate app, probably just another part of the global domination game I guess.

        From the attacker's point of view, it's best to specify "use this app" because you can have the app do whatever you want (such as show ads to your adversary).

        From the defender's point of view, it's best of specify "use this open protocol" because then the user is in control of what the app does (such as abstain from showing ads to you).

        Are you Facebook? Then you should be telling p

    • Re:Messenger- why? (Score:5, Funny)

      by sycodon ( 149926 ) on Tuesday July 11, 2017 @02:49PM (#54788737)

      Facebook is desperately trying to become the next AOL.

      I am hoping they succeed by skipping straight to the end of AOL's life.

    • ITs so bad, even the Google email app DEMANDS access to pretty much everything, mic, storage, contacts, camera....its become EXACTLY what gmail was supposed to kill, the bloated email client. IT doesnt jsut ask once, it continually asks, I had to dismiss the permission prompt FIVE TIMES to send one text email through the app. It complains, at every stage, even if you are simply sending text. I uninstalled it and use Firefox to access WEBmail now. Bascially we have come to the place where EVERY interface wil

    • Tell me again why I need to install a dedicated Facebook app to send messages?

      That's pretty simple: to lock you into Facebook's platform, and allow Facebook to log all your messages. That's not so easy if you use SMS. Why are you trying to keep secrets from Facebook? What do you have to hide?

      This was a bad idea for users from day 1

      Since when are the users' needs and desires important? This is good for Facebook, and that's all that matters.

      and I will not be a part of it.

      Then you're going to be relegated

  • I can quit Facebook anytime I want (Score:3)

    by OrangeTide ( 124937 ) on Tuesday July 11, 2017 @02:08PM (#54788439) Homepage Journal

    Drug addicts say this all the time, so it must be true.

    • Drug addicts say this all the time, so it must be true.

      Drug addicts can change which dealer they get the drugs from if they feel like they are being ripped off.

      There are SO many options for chat and messaging, facebook is just one. And the others don't tend to do ads like this.

      • I'll stick to MMORPGs, I prefer to pay for my addictions the old-fashioned way.

      • It's starting to occur to me that Facebook might not always be the dominant social media platform, even though it certainly seems like that today. Usually when companies do things like this - squeezing/monetizing existing users - it means they think new users won't be coming in great numbers.
        Of course, it may just mean Facebook has already locked in the whole planet and so things like this are their only option for further revenue growth.
  • If I skip the ads, will I lose my merits? I pedal hard for them!
  • The Solution is to not use Facebook Messenger, second only to Don't trust Facebook as a company.

  • Like, in the middle of while you were talking to somebody, you suddenly needed to listen to 15 to 30 second advertisement trying to sell you on getting new auto insurance or buying coca-cola?

    This poses no less of a problem.

  • First I tried tweaking the fb app and Messager app to tweak down tracking and auto-play videos etc. And each time there was some sort of fb privacy tracking story I would get a bit more paranoid. I deleted the Messages app. Later a deleted the regular Facebook app. My general feeling is that I am tracked less and have more privacy although I don't specifically know what. I do slightly miss more active notifications of Facebook activity.

    Facebook is like one of those people at a party who greets you with

  • Premium service (Score:5, Insightful)

    by captaindomon ( 870655 ) on Tuesday July 11, 2017 @03:57PM (#54789181)
    Why doesn't Facebook offer a premium service to users? I like Facebook, it lets me keep in touch with family and friends in a semi-organized way. They have 2 billion active monthly users. They make approx. 2.3 billion per month in revenue. Can I just pay them two dollars a month for an ad-free service? They would be making money. I don't have to see ads. Win-win for everyone.

  • Exceeds Your Mobile Plan Data Cap? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by AnalogDiehard ( 199128 ) on Tuesday July 11, 2017 @04:07PM (#54789237)
    Not a fan of this idea. FB Messenger spams could exceed the data caps on mobile plans ($$$) and create a backlash from angry customers.

    When Apple launched the iCloud, customers found their data caps exceeded because iOS was shoving high density data (photos, movies, etc) between other iOS and OSX devices WITHOUT TELLING THE USER.

    Not that I'm worried - I refuse to install any social media app on my mobile device. They gobble up battery juice and data bandwidth. WOMBAT (Waste Of Money, Brains, And Talent).

  • It's that or I just delete Messenger.

  • Even before this, they have basically killed Messenger for me. I can no longer find an option to archive a conversation on the mobile app and it's filled with useless shit that automatically reappears some time after you close it. Apparently there is an official "Messenger Lite", but thats only officially available to budget Android users, not flagship Android or iOS. It's reached the point where I've basically given up on Messenger because it's just frustrating. Hope they won't "improve" Whatsapp in a simi

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