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Why does HC need trackers?


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The update on my security software came with tracing blocking software.

 

Here at HC it seems SkimLinks and Google Adsense are tracking the users of the forum. My security software is now blocking them.

 

To be honest, I find this almost everywhere on the Internet, and I do know that if it is free, I am not the customer but the product. I know you have to pay the bills and I do click on interesting ads. However I don't think tracking without telling you that you are being tracked is the right thing to do.

 

Just my $0.02

 

Notes

 

 

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"To be honest, I find this almost everywhere on the Internet

 

 

You answered your own question.

 

We have been using Google AdSense to serve up ads for years. It is the nature of the internet. No one is trying to hide anything from you. The only way I know these days to be free from tracking is to have no phone, no computer and no address.

 

D

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What I hate about the trackers is the inevitable rise in your costs. I have several blockers going. The thing is many sites have complicated media scripting often with multiple layers of internet addressing and often the only way to get content is to allow the whole thing, traffic trackers and all. SuperAntiSpyware finds the simple tracking cookies in a few seconds; close to 200 sometimes but by that time they've got a sketch of the products you're interested in. Search results are suspect, bargains get shuffled out, you get ripped again...

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Ads, in part, support the operation of the web site. It's the price you pay for all that "free" information.

 

I, at least not knowingly, don't have ads on my web site. I also don't make any money from it. I wish I did. Then I wouldn't complain about the cost of attending trade shows.

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Maybe off topic but I constantly have script errors on web pages I go to usually thru Yahoo home page...is what you are describing tracking and getting an ad just about every time I click on a story.

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Facebook is the worst. About two years ago, they completely recalibrate the FB experience and it is now all about analytics and reporting as well as data mining. And the lost leader stories that once you get to them, it is hard to determine what is story and what is ads are infuriating.

 

With HC we are committed to only serving the community with ads that are relevant and useful. No golf clubs, swiss escort services, or viagra.

 

D

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Doesn't bother me the they track me. I'd rather be seeing ads for music and recording related items than feminine hygiene products. Probably saves me money in the long run by making their marketing more efficient. Hopefully that may show up as reduced cost for goods someday. I use Facebook and Google ads to promote my new business as they are very efficient at getting my messages directly in front of people that have expressed an interest in what I'm offering.

 

btw ... if you would like to see just what Facebook has gathered about you, the next ad you see in your newsfeed has a little button "why am I seeing this ad". Click on it and it will tell you why you are in the group seeing the ad. You can also add or eliminate categories from there.

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To be honest, I find this almost everywhere on the Internet, and I do know that if it is free, I am not the customer but the product.

 

Yep sorta, but more like we are both the costumer and the product. See discussion in the youtube thread here:

 

http://www.harmonycentral.com/forum/...hers-of-piracy

 

I know you have to pay the bills and I do click on interesting ads. However I don't think tracking without telling you that you are being tracked is the right thing to do.

 

I think websites assume we know that is the nature of the web and we should already know that's how things run, but it is creepy sometimes. I make it a point never to log into more than one site at a time. For instance I won't be logged into facebook and this site or any other site at the same time, and I'm constantly clearing history.

 

The one time I got lazy and didn't clear my history after being on eBay, an advert popped up on the side of my facebook home page. It featured an item I had been looking at on eBay, with the message, "Only 20 hours left. Don't let it get away." That's too creepy for me, and yet I know we have to allow some level of tracking for the web to work at all for us. It's how it's knit together in this Web of "Free stuff." I don't mind it to a reasonable degree.

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I make it a point never to log into more than one site at a time. For instance I won't be logged into facebook and this site or any other site at the same time, and I'm constantly clearing history.

 

 

my people was discussing this at the meeting about yous this morning cuz my guys on the ofshore boat complained how hard to do your file. we all of us desided that u go ahed and log off as many as yyou want. We almost got google car camera sincranised to go to yer stret when yous is looking out the window while waitin for history to delete. Just need the cirkit bords. All your history are belong to us so no matter how much it can bet garage will be soon enough after. your clotes are not fashion from stretcams we see so maybe know what junk ads that mean for your geocities ways ha ha ho.

 

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Facebook is the worst. About two years ago, they completely recalibrate the FB experience and it is now all about analytics and reporting as well as data mining. And the lost leader stories that once you get to them, it is hard to determine what is story and what is ads are infuriating.

 

With HC we are committed to only serving the community with ads that are relevant and useful. No golf clubs, swiss escort services, or viagra.

 

D

 

yeah but, the first thread I saw when I came to the forums todaywas an ad for Online Surgery Dick Enlargement

next thread I see is for testosterone supplement

next thread I see is for bodybuilding supplement

some more of those

and then you have the usual load of Fast Weight Loss solutions and Revitalizing Skin ads

and this gem

 

With the new corporations that make the merchandise you see on the market, there's an item that your body along with you will love. And of course you partner will love too! When buying just remember to get you time, and also to don't bounce according to your desires. Operating thru my very own, particular wish to have the feature of sexual satisfaction...yes I said that, I performed numerous research and have attempted several things. The problem using a large amount of of the material you'll acquire or learn about is that it's all nonsense. Hug breasts, her throat and other.

 

who needs trackers ?

 

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Doesn't bother me the they track me. I'd rather be seeing ads for music and recording related items than feminine hygiene products<...snip...>.

 

Try shopping for women's swimsuits ;)

 

I have a pair of active Etymotic Music Pro ear filters. They use a hearing aid battery. I found a good deal on Amazon and for weeks my web pages displayed ads for hearing aid and other "senior citizen assist" products.

 

I tried to counter this by just looking at guitars, saxophones, and other musical things on Amazon, but I guess because I didn't buy a new guitar, I didn't set the hook. I buy all I can from my local Mom and Pop shop.

 

I know Facebook is voluntary spyware, as is twitter, linkedin and others. I do minimal Facebook, I don't play their games, I don't click "like", and I didn't even fill out my profile. Since I have my own domain, I set up another e-mail address that I use exclusively for FB. A combination of characters that don't spell anything, so it's unlikely that spammers would guess it. A week after signing up, I got spam.

 

BTW, Facebook has no trackers on their site. People do buy the information they collect about you.

 

Now I have nothing against people selling my information, but it's my information, and I think I should at least get a 20% agent's cut ;)

 

Actually, i try to limit what people collect about me, because of identity theft. But I know I can't hide it, just minimize it to become a less-easy target. Not that anyone would get a lot from stealing me - I exist on musician's wages.

 

I have two websites. One has free information for MIDI musicians, Band-in-a-Box users, and wind synth players. Some of the BiaB pages have links to Amazon for books that work with the BiaB products. I used my own anchor links instead of having Amazon host them. The result is no trackers on my site.

 

For the search page on my website I use ixquick - they use European privacy standards and prove that you don't need trackers and you don't need to collect personal information to have a free site. StartPage and Duck Duck Go are two more that I know of.

 

Ads are everywhere, and I appreciate the fact that they bring in revenue for the 'free' sites I visit, like HC. Ads have been in newspapers and magazines longer than I've been on the planet.

 

Trackers just seem sneaky.

 

Not that knowing that I usually frequent Sax On The Web and HC one after another is bad. But say I googled something because I was curious on how those terrorists hide those deadly devices. And say I did this to try to protect myself. All of a sudden am I on the NSA watch list?

 

No I'm not paranoid, nor carefree. Just somewhere in between.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

 

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Notes - There are very limited options for ad serves that give matrix reporting on the back end (amount of impressions and clicks) so we can report back to those who use HC to help support our overhead.

 

However, please know - we never sell any data we have collected on members. We could. We've been asked if we would, but we don't and we won't. Our mission is to grow the industry, but not at the cost of pawning the community.

 

So, while there is built in tracking by Google, we do not gather data other than impressions and clicks.

 

Hope that clarifies or helps ease your worries.

 

The other thing to know. We have a TON of search traffic (known as SEO). We could probably make a significant amount of revenue off of the type of targeted ads you mention (hearing aide batteries and the like), but we decided two years ago that the best way to grow the industry is to limit our media partnerships to people who are also trying to grow the music instrument and overall music industry.

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