When I set this blog up, I had the choice to choose a language for maintenance. Naturally, I chose Latvian - being the language I am trying to learn (and, I may add, am learning quicker than I imagined).
Part of the setup involved questions about whether or not I wanted Google to display ads. I decided that it could be a good idea, because if people are reading my blog and are so bored to tears they need to get away - clicking on a Google ad may be just what they need.
However, since the setup language was Latvian, the ads were appearing in Latvian, for Latvian sites. Now, this wasn't technically a problem, because I never look at ads anyway.
So... let's move along a short period of time. Having gone through the setup of the site in a language I am still learning (however, I may add, learning quicker than I imagined) I think I mis-interpreted a few questions regarding the comment security and other items. As it was brought to my attention, I decided I would switch languages just to see what I had missed. I have hence sorted it all out, and removed all the security of comments - anyone can comment. Seriously - if someone takes the time to read my words and still has the energy to want to leave a comment, why should I make it more difficult for them?
Where am I going with this? Well, when I opened up my blog to double-check that everything worked properly, I noticed that the Google Ads are now in English, and I noticed something else... they are context dependent. This basically means that Google will trawl through my blog, attempting to make a clever decision about what I am writing about, and they will present an Advert which matches the context.
So... I am quietly wondering if the Google Advertising bot has a sense of humour; is plain stupid; or is fed up with being a bot and has resorted to irony to brighten up its dreary life? Following my entry "Procrastination is a Virtue" these two ads were displayed: "Stop Procrastinating - Discover powerful techniques to overcome procrastination" and "Getting Things Done Tool - Getting things done visually".
It sort of flies in the face of what my post was about, but rather than be upset about it, I am actually quite amused.
03 September, 2007
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2 comments:
There is much I want to comment... but am so tired or worn-out by the intensity of the day... that I doubt i make any sense...
I will be back very likely tomorrow and even if I won't be any smarter at least I hope to be coherent...
I am very glad you decided to do this.. it has already become a source of inspiration, comfort and laughs...
And very happy to have met you even if it is in this rather abstract way...
By the way your Latvian is very good ;)
Now I wish I had chosen to put ads on mine as well
(I suppose I still could, but then it's that privacy thing again)... What ads there ought to have been...
Funeral parlours, pornography and rehab clinics... What a blast...
To me it's still even with those flaws baffling how they can make it work on such a scale... But then I get all wide eyed when I see someone program anything be it a pica chip or some simple java script...
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