Paid healthcare.gov site advertisement (sometimes) when googling obamacare

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werepossum

Elite Member
Jul 10, 2006
29,873
463
126
I wonder if Republicans will still be calling it ObamaCare if it becomes popular.
That's one of those things than man can never know. :D
Thread title fixed again to make you ninnies happy. Regardless of some people seeing the ads, it still doesn't make the original thread title correct. Search results were not altered. Newsflash: the government buys advertising space. Next to lastly, marketing majors are generally among the stupidest people in college. Even THEY know that you would market healthcare.gov during searches for Obamacare. If you can't figure that out, you're not very bright.

And lastly, if you read my opinions in P&N, you'll see that sometimes I'm left, sometimes I'm right; but generally, I don't give a shit. There were no political motivations for editing the thread title - just a desire to set things right when someone uses their thread title to mislead here.
LOL Kudos for accuracy and not giving a shit.
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,089
18,584
146
Thread title fixed again to make you ninnies happy. Regardless of some people seeing the ads, it still doesn't make the original thread title correct. Search results were not altered. Newsflash: the government buys advertising space. Next to lastly, marketing majors are generally among the stupidest people in college. Even THEY know that you would market healthcare.gov during searches for Obamacare. If you can't figure that out, you're not very bright.

And lastly, if you read my opinions in P&N, you'll see that sometimes I'm left, sometimes I'm right; but generally, I don't give a shit. There were no political motivations for editing the thread title - just a desire to set things right when someone uses their thread title to mislead here.

I have to ask, why are mods interested in accuracy anyhow??? I mean, are the mods editors, or mods??? If it's inacurate, that will be shown in the thread itself through responses. Why must OPs be edited at all unless they are callouts and such???


If you have to ask then use the proper forum.

Anandtech Admin
Red Dawn
 
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Fear No Evil

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2008
5,922
0
0
Thread title fixed again to make you ninnies happy. Regardless of some people seeing the ads, it still doesn't make the original thread title correct. Search results were not altered. Newsflash: the government buys advertising space. Next to lastly, marketing majors are generally among the stupidest people in college. Even THEY know that you would market healthcare.gov during searches for Obamacare. If you can't figure that out, you're not very bright.

And lastly, if you read my opinions in P&N, you'll see that sometimes I'm left, sometimes I'm right; but generally, I don't give a shit. There were no political motivations for editing the thread title - just a desire to set things right when someone uses their thread title to mislead here.


The insults seem a bit over the top here. :rolleyes: You can try to make the argument you are in the middle, but I'm sorry when you come in and actually EDIT a topic and claim its false you are showing your true colors. I don't really BLAME you for being biased, but just don't try to justify it under some guise of 'setting things right' because I bet you've never edited a topic in P&N before and certainly never edited one that the 'lie' leans left.

Your history of moderator call outs and general non-compliance has earned you the next step in our graduated vacation plan.

Perknose

Forum Director
 
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Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
LOl so govt has to pay to advertise it's garbage now? Something wrong with that just haven't figured out what yet. Marketing in general is lies and half truths and ommisions is probably why.
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
39,398
19
81
The insults seem a bit over the top here. :rolleyes: You can try to make the argument you are in the middle, but I'm sorry when you come in and actually EDIT a topic and claim its false you are showing your true colors. I don't really BLAME you for being biased, but just don't try to justify it under some guise of 'setting things right' because I bet you've never edited a topic in P&N before and certainly never edited one that the 'lie' leans left.

But, I trust you will be monitoring future topics in P&N for accuracy and editing as needed? Come on man, seriously.. this was really lame on your part..

What insults? That was a statement of fact.
 

werepossum

Elite Member
Jul 10, 2006
29,873
463
126
I don't think Boomerang was trying to deceive and I thought the original title was just fine (I lean towards seeing ads geared to search phrases as part of the search results), but honestly guys, why so hot? The new thread title is undeniably more accurate, regardless of motivation, and is this issue really worth getting all worked up about either way? I'm pretty anti-Obamacare (hell, I'm pretty anti-Obama) and I could make a decent argument for this being a reasonable government activity, assuming the info is reasonably accurate. (I don't care enough to check it out personally, so I'm giving HHS and/or The Messiah the benefit of the doubt.)
 

DesiPower

Lifer
Nov 22, 2008
15,299
740
126
As I said on the 1st page, OP is FAIL. His changing the title again and again and again practically proves my point. OP IS EPIC FAIL. Spineless failure

sign+-+epic+fail.jpg
 

Fear No Evil

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2008
5,922
0
0
What insults? That was a statement of fact.

Read his post. He's calling people who are complaining ninnies, and insulting people who disagree with him as being not very intelligent. And calling marketing majors the stupidest people in college. Its all pretty minor but its a direct result of him knowing he crossed the line. 'Fix' the problem while lashing out at those who pointed it out.
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,089
18,584
146
As I said on the 1st page, OP is FAIL. His changing the title again and again and again practically proves my point. OP IS EPIC FAIL. Spineless failure

The funny part? The failure is all yours. The OP never changed the title. A Mod did.

There is no failure on the OP's part. The Whitehouse IS using government funds to promote the Obamacare crap in an ad that shows up as a first result in Google.
 

IBMer

Golden Member
Jul 7, 2000
1,137
0
76
The funny part? The failure is all yours. The OP never changed the title. A Mod did.

There is no failure on the OP's part. The Whitehouse IS using government funds to promote the Obamacare crap in an ad that shows up as a first result in Google.

You don't think there is failure because you never actually read the article. The article didn't say that the white house bought ad space, it said that the white house paid Google to change SEARCH RESULTS, which it never did.
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
126
As I said on the 1st page, OP is FAIL. His changing the title again and again and again practically proves my point. OP IS EPIC FAIL. Spineless failure

sign+-+epic+fail.jpg
This thread has become so good I'm wondering if I can somehow incorporate it into my resume.

In the meantime, DesiPower, I've got something for you.

boxofrocks.jpg


The dumber than a box of rocks award is yours. But you only get to celebrate it for 24 hours. Enjoy!
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
126
You don't think there is failure because you never actually read the article. The article didn't say that the white house bought ad space, it said that the white house paid Google to change SEARCH RESULTS, which it never did.
Pssst, I want to share something with you. It's for you and you alone, so keep it between us OK?

This thread was never about the Google results - never. It's about keeping vigilant in regards to our government, which likes to control the information the masses see. Here's a quote from my first post - a post which I have never edited. "Controlling information - excellent!" I'll explain it. It's mild sarcasm. Although it may appear to some I'm condoning it, I'm actually condemning it. You have to take it within the context of the article and factor in my persona which I feel is known fairly well here.

Here's another secret between just us. Our government, trying to control the information we get, has been going on for a long, long time. Like, way before you were born. I mean waaaaay before.

This constant argument about ads versus results is ridiculous and frankly quite juvenile. Picking apart sentences and zeroing in on words to try and make a point just diminishes your argument. A sign of intelligence is getting the gist of what someone is saying without picking their words or sentences apart like this.
 
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IBMer

Golden Member
Jul 7, 2000
1,137
0
76
This constant argument about ads versus results is ridiculous and frankly quite juvenile. Picking apart sentences and zeroing in on words to try and make a point just diminishes your argument. A sign of intelligence is getting the gist of what someone is saying without picking their words or sentences apart like this.

Its not ridiculous, nor juvenile, the fact of the matter is, people always click results and they almost never click ads. So to call them the same thing is just feeding into your own bias. To say this is the government is trying to control the information is frankly paranoid, especially in the age of the internet and especially in a Google search result with nearly all of them pointing to the "truth telling" right wing sites.
 

Bowfinger

Lifer
Nov 17, 2002
15,776
392
126
Its not ridiculous, nor juvenile, the fact of the matter is, people always click results and they almost never click ads. So to call them the same thing is just feeding into your own bias. To say this is the government is trying to control the information is frankly paranoid, especially in the age of the internet and especially in a Google search result with nearly all of them pointing to the "truth telling" right wing sites.
Exactly. If the government were somehow censoring search results or in some other way suppressing critics, he might then have a point. As it is, he should hang on to his box of rocks. I think he won it fair and square.
 

Hacp

Lifer
Jun 8, 2005
13,923
2
81
Its not ridiculous, nor juvenile, the fact of the matter is, people always click results and they almost never click ads. So to call them the same thing is just feeding into your own bias. To say this is the government is trying to control the information is frankly paranoid, especially in the age of the internet and especially in a Google search result with nearly all of them pointing to the "truth telling" right wing sites.

Google has something to say about that. Google makes money only on ad clicks. Its making a shitload of money right now.
 

DesiPower

Lifer
Nov 22, 2008
15,299
740
126
*Snip*
In the meantime, DesiPower, I've got something for you.

boxofrocks.jpg


The dumber than a box of rocks award is yours. But you only get to celebrate it for 24 hours. Enjoy!

LOL, I deserve it... I didn't know that the mods were doing it. Pretty odd though... dont the mods have anything better to do? Let me guess... Dr. Pizza?
 

Throckmorton

Lifer
Aug 23, 2007
16,829
3
0
NPR lied about this too. They said it's the first result when you search. It's not a fucking search result!! It's a GOOGLE AD
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
NPR lied about this too. They said it's the first result when you search. It's not a fucking search result!! It's a GOOGLE AD

That makes it first result to a large majority of the population which is why it's so devious and wrong. We simply MUST stay diligent against this administration and expose them for what they are. Stay awake patriots, expose him.
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,089
18,584
146
NPR lied about this too. They said it's the first result when you search. It's not a fucking search result!! It's a GOOGLE AD

It appears as a first result to most people.

And I remember the geek world being royally pissed when Google started putting ads there, as it was fooling them as well. There was even a thread in OT, if I remember correctly. The ads are intentionally made to look like search results.
 

zsdersw

Lifer
Oct 29, 2003
10,505
2
0
At work all of the "sponsored results" are blocked.

That's a result of me having "web advertisements" in the list of blocked categories on our filter. :)
 

IBMer

Golden Member
Jul 7, 2000
1,137
0
76
That makes it first result to a large majority of the population which is why it's so devious and wrong. We simply MUST stay diligent against this administration and expose them for what they are. Stay awake patriots, expose him.

Nobody has ever yet proved it was the first search result. I HAS NEVER BEEN. If its in a freaking blue box with the word "Ads", right freaking next to it, it is not a freaking seach result.
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,089
18,584
146
Nobody has ever yet proved it was the first search result. I HAS NEVER BEEN. If its in a freaking blue box with the word "Ads", right freaking next to it, it is not a freaking seach result.

Look at the fucking picture I posted.

Obamacare.jpg


Now when Google started these Ads, which are made to APPEAR as search results, there was a long thread in OT and a huge uproar in the geek world that Google had sold out and this was shady marketing.

But I guess if your side is using it, it's a-ok? Right?
 
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IBMer

Golden Member
Jul 7, 2000
1,137
0
76
Now when Google started these Ads, which are made to APPEAR as search results, there was a long thread a a huge uproar in the geek world that Google had sold out and this was shady marketing.

But I guess if your side is using it, it's a-ok? Right?

What other search results appear in a big blue box with the word Ads right next to it?
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,089
18,584
146
What other search results appear in a big blue box with the word Ads right next to it?

The box isn't blue. There is a very faint pink background to the ad, and a very tiny "ad" at the far upper right corner, or did you not bother to look at my picture?

The ads that Google puts at the top of search results have resulted in lawsuits, and general outrage over their placement, and intentionally misleading nature.

Here is one of the lawsuits:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goddard_v._Google,_Inc.

Note it only lost because of technical immunity, not because the placement is not intentionally misleading.

What's funny? The entire geek world was just about universally disgusted by this when it started.

Now it seems many have no problem with it.

Funny how that works.