Not about gaming but anyway, how on earth does their ad algorithm work.
I thought the idea would be to use my viewing habits to target me with
relevant ad's. What I seem to get is being targetted with things I have
zero interest in. Then repeating the same ad over and over again. If
every time I can skip it I do, take the hint - I'm not interested.

On Tue, 16 Aug 2022 10:31:02 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

>Not about gaming but anyway, how on earth does their ad algorithm work.
>I thought the idea would be to use my viewing habits to target me with
>relevant ad's. What I seem to get is being targetted with things I have
>zero interest in. Then repeating the same ad over and over again. If
>every time I can skip it I do, take the hint - I'm not interested.

Download adblock. I have not seen a single ad since I did.

On 16/08/2022 12:45, Mike S. wrote:
> On Tue, 16 Aug 2022 10:31:02 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
>
>> Not about gaming but anyway, how on earth does their ad algorithm work.
>> I thought the idea would be to use my viewing habits to target me with
>> relevant ad's. What I seem to get is being targetted with things I have
>> zero interest in. Then repeating the same ad over and over again. If
>> every time I can skip it I do, take the hint - I'm not interested.
>
> Download adblock. I have not seen a single ad since I did.

Can that actually block the ad's that are embedded in the stream you're
watching as I presumed that was just server side especially as YT offer
and ad-free money option?

On Tue, 16 Aug 2022 10:31:02 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

>Not about gaming but anyway, how on earth does their ad algorithm work.
>I thought the idea would be to use my viewing habits to target me with
>relevant ad's. What I seem to get is being targetted with things I have
>zero interest in. Then repeating the same ad over and over again. If
>every time I can skip it I do, take the hint - I'm not interested.

There are adverts on YouTube? ;-)

Oh, right... adblockers to the rescue (I personally like 'UBlock
Origin' but I'm sure many here will have their own recommendations). I
never see adverts on YouTube... well, except for the 'sponsored' bits
added in by the creators. No annoying and spontanteous interruptions;
just content. It's bliss.

Well, almost never. Every now and then - maybe twice a year - YouTube
tweaks their code and the advertising slips in. It takes the
adblock-developers about three or four hours to adjust their own code
and then I'm advert-free again.

I can't imagine surfing the web without adblockers. (Well, I can,
since every now and again I have to use somebody else's PC and the
experience is dreadful). I think if I had to endure the Internet
without an ad-blocker, I'd just give up on the Internet altogether.

On Tue, 16 Aug 2022 13:15:53 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
>On 16/08/2022 12:45, Mike S. wrote:

>> Download adblock. I have not seen a single ad since I did.

>Can that actually block the ad's that are embedded in the stream you're
>watching as I presumed that was just server side especially as YT offer
>and ad-free money option?

Yes, it can.

The only thing it can't block is if the content-creator embeds an
advert into his own video.* But those little interstitial adverts
(complete with "click to skip ad" buttons in the bottom corner? They
never show up. There's not even a gap where the advert should have
been.

After alll, YouTube's adverts actually aren't embedded into the
content-stream of the original video; they can't be, since the video
that plays is (laughably) tailored for each viewer (that way Dad gets
an advert for a lawnmower, Mom for gets one for shoes, and little
Billy gets an advert for a toy).

Instead, it's just a bit of javascript code that stops the current
stream (and temporarily disables the users controls), starts a second
video played over the top, then returns control to the viewer after
the advert has stopped playing.

AdBlockers just disable the code and prevent the second video from
getting loaded. The original content just continues to play
uninterrupted.

--------------------------
* "This video is sponsored by Nord VPN! Have you ever wanted to
pirat^h^h^h^h watch porn^h^h^h^h^ surf the internet securely? Use Nord
VPN! That way we're the only ones who know what you're doing... and
we'd never tell anyone... except if we're hacked or legally obligated
to do so." ;-)

On Tue, 16 Aug 2022 16:04:17 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>Oh, right... adblockers to the rescue (I personally like 'UBlock
>Origin' but I'm sure many here will have their own recommendations). I
>never see adverts on YouTube... well, except for the 'sponsored' bits
>added in by the creators. No annoying and spontanteous interruptions;
>just content. It's bliss.

Exactly. The only ads I see are the in-video sponsored crap the
youtube creator does him or herself.

JAB, just use an ad blocker. I do not think you will be disappointed.

I use uBlock Origin to block their ads in web browsers. :D

JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
> Not about gaming but anyway, how on earth does their ad algorithm work.
> I thought the idea would be to use my viewing habits to target me with
> relevant ad's. What I seem to get is being targetted with things I have
> zero interest in. Then repeating the same ad over and over again. If
> every time I can skip it I do, take the hint - I'm not interested.

--
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Thanks all I just had assumed that ad-blockers wouldn't work with YT. A
slight caveat this is for a Tv as I very use YT on other devices. Doing
a bit of google foo it does seem there's a solution but it's not as
simple as use this add-on.

There are a couple of apps you can load but I'm not sure I'm that happy
doing that as I know very little about them and they have to be side
loaded. The option I'm probably going for is to block a small list of
addresses on the router as that seems the easier option and I know
exactly what it will do.

On Wed, 17 Aug 2022 08:29:25 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

>Thanks all I just had assumed that ad-blockers wouldn't work with YT. A
>slight caveat this is for a Tv as I very use YT on other devices. Doing
>a bit of google foo it does seem there's a solution but it's not as
>simple as use this add-on.

>There are a couple of apps you can load but I'm not sure I'm that happy
>doing that as I know very little about them and they have to be side
>loaded. The option I'm probably going for is to block a small list of
>addresses on the router as that seems the easier option and I know
>exactly what it will do.

Yeah, AdBlockers work best on PCs. On mobile devices, it's more
hit-or-miss. They tend to more aggressively sandbox apps, so App A
can't interfere with the running of App B. Watching video in a YouTube
app means its almost impossible to interfere with the code that
injects the advert.

(It's not impossible, but it usually involves either inserting a shim
into the OS itself - which almost always requires rooting the device -
or having the stream pass through an outside service first before they
then forward it to your device. Both methods have serious security and
privacy issues).

In fact, I mostly avoid watching videos on mobile devices because of
these limitations. It's not /just/ the adverts - video uses a lot of
bandwidth, battery, and time, and anyway who wants to watch a video on
a tiny 25cm screen when you have a big-screen at home - but it is a
major consideration.

I /really/ hate advertising.

On Tue, 16 Aug 2022 10:31:02 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

>Not about gaming but anyway, how on earth does their ad algorithm work.
>I thought the idea would be to use my viewing habits to target me with
>relevant ad's. What I seem to get is being targetted with things I have
>zero interest in. Then repeating the same ad over and over again. If
>every time I can skip it I do, take the hint - I'm not interested.

*--

What is "YT"?

-pw

PW <iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:
> On Tue, 16 Aug 2022 10:31:02 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

> >Not about gaming but anyway, how on earth does their ad algorithm work.
> >I thought the idea would be to use my viewing habits to target me with
> >relevant ad's. What I seem to get is being targetted with things I have
> >zero interest in. Then repeating the same ad over and over again. If
> >every time I can skip it I do, take the hint - I'm not interested.

> *--

> What is "YT"?

YouTube.
--
Dang bug/mosquito bites, itches, old bodies, water, etc. Quiet time again?
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
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On Wed, 17 Aug 2022 12:22:53 -0600, PW
<iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:
>On Tue, 16 Aug 2022 10:31:02 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

>>Not about gaming but anyway, how on earth does their ad algorithm work.
>>I thought the idea would be to use my viewing habits to target me with
>>relevant ad's. What I seem to get is being targetted with things I have
>>zero interest in. Then repeating the same ad over and over again. If
>>every time I can skip it I do, take the hint - I'm not interested.

>What is "YT"?

Yttrium. It's a rare-earth element frequently ingested by marketing
drones, causing the sort of brain damage that makes them think that
rudely interrupting people with unwanted messages is the best way to
make them interested in your product. Marketing messages created by
these madmen are often referred to as "YT-ads".

Yorkshire Terriers. The breed has seen a decline in popularity
recently and so the International Council of Dogs has agreed - after
much butt-sniffing and whizzing on trees - to do something about this.
This consisted of a worldwide advertising blitz promoting the breed's
best features. However, many consider the advertising campaign too
intrusive, and the breed's popularity continues to drop. Bad dog!

Mayotte. (no, really, it's international abbreviation is YT). Its a
small island near Madagascar. Although it's a French territory,
consumer protection laws are lax there and advertisements are
slathered everywhere: on billboards, TV, newspapers, radio, movies,
walls, people, plants... even the lowly sloth has been co-opted to
carry adverts. It's seen as the next step in capitalism's evolution,
and it's starting to spread to other countries.

Whitey. It's always whitey's fault. Brothas, we gotta rise up!

Yukon Territory. And if Whitey is at fault, the Yukon Territory must
be doubly so. After all, what's more white than northern Canadians,
(ignore all the Inuit and native tribes, of course. Don't worry about
it; everyone does).

Youth Theatre. Nobody wants to go see a play put on by kids. So to get
butts in seats, massive advertising campaigns have overrun the
Internet, over-promising on the acting skills these kids possess.

Yours Truly. It's true; I'm behind all the advertisements. I'm sorry,
it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Alternately...

YouTube. Although that doesn't make in sense. So it's probably not
that one ;-P

On Wed, 17 Aug 2022 19:59:06 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

>PW <iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, 16 Aug 2022 10:31:02 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
>
>> >Not about gaming but anyway, how on earth does their ad algorithm work.
>> >I thought the idea would be to use my viewing habits to target me with
>> >relevant ad's. What I seem to get is being targetted with things I have
>> >zero interest in. Then repeating the same ad over and over again. If
>> >every time I can skip it I do, take the hint - I'm not interested.
>
>> *--
>
>> What is "YT"?
>
>YouTube.

Okay - thanks Ant!!

-pw

PW <iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:
> On Wed, 17 Aug 2022 19:59:06 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

> >PW <iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:
> >> On Tue, 16 Aug 2022 10:31:02 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
> >
> >> >Not about gaming but anyway, how on earth does their ad algorithm work.
> >> >I thought the idea would be to use my viewing habits to target me with
> >> >relevant ad's. What I seem to get is being targetted with things I have
> >> >zero interest in. Then repeating the same ad over and over again. If
> >> >every time I can skip it I do, take the hint - I'm not interested.
> >
> >> *--
> >
> >> What is "YT"?
> >
> >YouTube.

> Okay - thanks Ant!!

You're welcome. Yeah, we're lazy to type the whole thing out. Heheh.
--
Dang bug/mosquito bites, itches, old bodies, water, etc. Quiet time again?
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
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On 17/08/2022 16:40, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Wed, 17 Aug 2022 08:29:25 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
>
>> Thanks all I just had assumed that ad-blockers wouldn't work with YT. A
>> slight caveat this is for a Tv as I very use YT on other devices. Doing
>> a bit of google foo it does seem there's a solution but it's not as
>> simple as use this add-on.
>
>> There are a couple of apps you can load but I'm not sure I'm that happy
>> doing that as I know very little about them and they have to be side
>> loaded. The option I'm probably going for is to block a small list of
>> addresses on the router as that seems the easier option and I know
>> exactly what it will do.
>
> Yeah, AdBlockers work best on PCs. On mobile devices, it's more
> hit-or-miss. They tend to more aggressively sandbox apps, so App A
> can't interfere with the running of App B. Watching video in a YouTube
> app means its almost impossible to interfere with the code that
> injects the advert.
>
> (It's not impossible, but it usually involves either inserting a shim
> into the OS itself - which almost always requires rooting the device -
> or having the stream pass through an outside service first before they
> then forward it to your device. Both methods have serious security and
> privacy issues).
>
> In fact, I mostly avoid watching videos on mobile devices because of
> these limitations. It's not /just/ the adverts - video uses a lot of
> bandwidth, battery, and time, and anyway who wants to watch a video on
> a tiny 25cm screen when you have a big-screen at home - but it is a
> major consideration.
>
> I /really/ hate advertising.
>

Basically yes, the time it will take me to look into whether these two
apps have problems is going to be far more than just updating the router
settings. Saying that I did do it once on the second TV which is a smart
one but does have an Amazon Fire. The reason, it was a way of getting YT
(YouTube for PW :-) ) when the two companies weren't getting along.

On 17/08/2022 19:22, PW wrote:
> On Tue, 16 Aug 2022 10:31:02 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
>
>> Not about gaming but anyway, how on earth does their ad algorithm work.
>> I thought the idea would be to use my viewing habits to target me with
>> relevant ad's. What I seem to get is being targetted with things I have
>> zero interest in. Then repeating the same ad over and over again. If
>> every time I can skip it I do, take the hint - I'm not interested.
>
> *--
>
> What is "YT"?
>

Get with the times grandad :-)

JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
> On 17/08/2022 19:22, PW wrote:
> > On Tue, 16 Aug 2022 10:31:02 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Not about gaming but anyway, how on earth does their ad algorithm work.
> >> I thought the idea would be to use my viewing habits to target me with
> >> relevant ad's. What I seem to get is being targetted with things I have
> >> zero interest in. Then repeating the same ad over and over again. If
> >> every time I can skip it I do, take the hint - I'm not interested.
> >
> > *--
> >
> > What is "YT"?
> >

> Get with the times grandad :-)

Yeah, boomer. Or DOOMer? :)
--
Slammy Thursday? Dang bug/mosquito bites, itches, old bodies, water, etc.
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
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On Thu, 18 Aug 2022 10:42:52 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

>On 17/08/2022 19:22, PW wrote:
>> On Tue, 16 Aug 2022 10:31:02 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Not about gaming but anyway, how on earth does their ad algorithm work.
>>> I thought the idea would be to use my viewing habits to target me with
>>> relevant ad's. What I seem to get is being targetted with things I have
>>> zero interest in. Then repeating the same ad over and over again. If
>>> every time I can skip it I do, take the hint - I'm not interested.
>>
>> *--
>>
>> What is "YT"?
>>
>
>Get with the times grandad :-)

*--

Far out!!