Smart ads are a worthy tool — if safeguards are built in
This column appeared in the April 1999 issue of The American Journalism Review.
The worst-kept secret of online advertising is this: Nobody clicks on banner ads. And that’s bad news for a Web publication’s bottom line.
At least one online newspaper is taking steps to turn that around through a technique called targeted advertising — essentially, tailoring ads right down to the individual user.
It’s a gambit worth exploring, as other Internet companies have done. But online publishers considering such a move should not minimize the importance of posting clear policies to reassure users worried about their privacy rights. [Read more…] about Protecting the privacy of Internet users