Much has been made over Sergey Brin’s comments about the monetization problems Google has been having with social networking. Many pundits have used Brin’s comments as a sign that social network advertising doesn’t work. But it’s not social network advertising that doesn’t work. It’s Google’s search advertising on social networks that’s at fault.
Eric Savitz (who worked with me at The Industry Standard back in the day) discusses this problem, citing research by Pali’s Richard Greenfield. The conclusion that Greenfield and Savitz come to: Google’s algorithms are out of whack. A people search for “Dan” returns a search link for DNA test kits. A search for “Beth” returns Pottery Barn bath products.
I have my own example: recently my MySpace home page carried a Google ad for moving trailers in Chicago IL. I haven’t lived there for more than 10 years.
And if you search for “Sergey Brin” on MySpace, you get ads for Brink’s Home Security, ADT (also home security) and Brain Health from RevolutionHealth.com. Do the same search for Sergey Brin on Google’s home page and no ads appear at all. A search for “Dan” on Google turns up an inexplicable sponsored link for “Brushes for Sweepers” from http://www.Sajas-Group.com.
So is Google’s philosophy on MySpace that an out-of-whack ad is better than no ad at all? Or does it just want us to laugh?
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