You're
considering buying a new pair of tube socks. A quick Google search pulls up
some sock ads and below one of them you see your pal Kimberly's face next to a
four-star review she's left for Sal's Sock Emporium. "Great deals on super
soft socks, and so many fun colors!"
Google
is betting that this type of personal recommendation from a friend will make
people more likely to click on an ad.
Starting
November 11, Google will be able to include Google+ users' faces, names and
comments in ads. The content will be pulled from reviews they've made on
Google+ or other tied-in Google services like YouTube or Google Play. The
company updated its terms of service on Friday to include the new language
allowing these "shared endorsements."
The
adver-dorsements won't just appear on regular Google searches. Google ads are a
sprawling business and a person's face could show up on any of the 2 million
sites that are part of the Google ad network.
It's
difficult to avoid Google+, the social network and user identity hub Google has
been steadily grafting onto all of its popular services. Even if you don't
think you have a Google+ profile, there's a good chance that one exists if you
use the company's other services.
Google+
reviews are already used in many of the company's products. Look for a
restaurant on Google Maps, for instance, and you'll see a star rating based on
public reviews by Google+ users. Leave a review for an album you bought in the
Google Play store and that is a usable Google+ endorsement.
If
you don't want your face popping up in ads, it's easy to opt out. There is a
settings page for Google+ accounts called Shared Endorsements. It explains
exactly how the program works. Read through and if you're still uncomfortable
with the idea, uncheck the box next to "Based upon my activity, Google may
show my name and profile photo in shared endorsements that appear in ads."
You
will still see familiar faces in ads, but your mug should no longer appear in
other peoples' searches. If you hit +1 for a site, people in your network will
still be able to see that you've liked it, which is not a new feature.
If
you are really determined not to show up anywhere, just don't hit +1 or leave
reviews on Google products or in the Google Play store.
Other
social media companies have toyed with featuring their users' photos in ads. If
you Like a company on Facebook or post a positive review on its page, that can
be used in that company's Facebook ads.
You
may have noticed a sponsored post in your News Feed that shows which of your
friends have liked a particular brand. As with Google+ reviews, the key to not
appearing in these types of ads is not endorsing brands. (Unlike Google,
there's no opt-out option for sponsored stories on Facebook.)
The
idea of promoting a brand and sharing positive opinions could appeal to many
Google+ users who are already actively leaving reviews. Some people just really
love brands, whether they're sports drinks, smartphone makers, movies or video
games. They want to broadcast that love to the world, sharing their positive
opinions wide and far.
Negative
opinions can be equally useful information for their friends and families, but
those bad reviews are not usable by advertisers. And for now, there's no -1
button on Google+ or Dislike button for Facebook.
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