Scroogled: Google places ads directly in GMail


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Google has begun including advertisements as e-mail messages in some Gmail users' inboxes, a new step in the company's effort to turn its free services into revenue sources.

 

The company has shown ads alongside Gmail messages for years, but these ads appear as messages that can be opened like e-mails and forwarded to others, according to Gmail users who started seeing them last week.

 

 

More: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57594819-93/google-starts-placing-ads-directly-in-gmail-inboxes/

 

 

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Wow, just wow

 

The company has shown ads alongside Gmail messages for years, but these ads appear as messages that can be opened like e-mails and forwarded to others, according to Gmail users who started seeing them last week.

Sorry, at first glance that read as an email virus to me

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Just another reason why I only use webmail accounts to register for forums and such, never look at them otherwise.. even bigger spam magnet now.  Although I am thankful for them, they do help keep my real mail account spam free.

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I just checked and I haven't received anything like this yet. Would there not be a way to flag such messages as spam so that they don't appear in the Inbox? Or are they not really emails at all?

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I just checked and I haven't received anything like this yet. Would there not be a way to flag such messages as spam so that they don't appear in the Inbox? Or are they not really emails at all?

 

They aren't actually emails you receive, they're just spliced into the Gmail web UI disguised as emails.

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They aren't actually emails you receive, they're just spliced into the Gmail web UI disguised as emails.

Ah right, cheers. (Y)

And I notice in the screenshot that there is a link to Ad Settings. Can that not be accessed to say, "I don't want to receive adverts like emails"?

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I hope this only applies when you have the tabs enabled (I don't), see how that tab is labeled "Promotions"? ;) But bad move Google, there are enough people who don't understand the basics of email already!

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I hope this only applies when you have the tabs enabled (I don't), see how that tab is labeled "Promotions"? ;) But bad move Google, there are enough people who don't understand the basics of email already!

Was curious about that too, I don't really use GMail aside from the occasional forum signup but I did disable the promotions and social tab, got it back to the older layout.. wonder if it'll hide them or just show these ads in the main mail window.

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I hope this only applies when you have the tabs enabled (I don't), see how that tab is labeled "Promotions"? ;) But bad move Google, there are enough people who don't understand the basics of email already!

 

 

I checked mine and while I don't have direct ads, all the people who keep sending me advertising spam that I haven't blocked have been filtered to there.

 

Not seeing a problem unless people don't know how to tell a difference...

 

In which case, tehy would have clicked on it whether there was multiple tabs or not.

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The problem is that ads now look like emails ;)

Yeah but if they can't tell the difference, they would have clicked on it regardless of the UI change IMO.

 

Plus the tooltip links you to ad settings to opt out of interest based ads, which I am pretty sure are the ones you see there (from Google anyway).

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Ah right, cheers. (Y)

And I notice in the screenshot that there is a link to Ad Settings. Can that not be accessed to say, "I don't want to receive adverts like emails"?

 

Yes, opt out of Interested Based Ads in Ad Settings.

 

Just something for more people to wine and complain about.  If Google didnt give you a way to OPT out, I would be bitching along with everyone else.

 

Not to mention if you dont use the new stupid promotions tab....non issue.

And nice topic change from the source link.  /s..... :rolleyes:

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I don't have any ads like that.  I dropped hotmail as soon as I got my GMail Invite back when you got 3 invites per account. I don't see myself switching from GMail any time in the near.. or distant future.

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this is why I don't use gmail. Im using IE11 on W8.1. I log in, it redirects me to the HTML version,then tells me to upgrade my browser to a modern browser, Chrome. **** off

Agreed. Really don't appreciate being told what to use.

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Nothing is free in life. Someone has to pay for things. I honestly never look at ads.

Sure but ads as email is ridiculous. We have that, its called spam, and nobody likes it.

But it is a free service, so you either deal with it or move on I guess. Not much different than all the ads I see as news feed posts on facebook.

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Sure but ads as email is ridiculous. We have that, its called spam, and nobody likes it.

But it is a free service, so you either deal with it or move on I guess. Not much different than all the ads I see as news feed posts on facebook.

Yes you are right, it's also not much different when MS spams me repeatedly about their offers, products,  failure surface and Office 365 software! Its totally not the same "spam" concept you speak of. Google is t he devil; first they give us an amazing Gmail experience, now they subtly advertise with options and in settings to opt out, oh the torture of a good service /s  :rolleyes:

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