Facebook Ads Will Spam Your Friends

Hugh MacLeod pretty much sums up how I feel about Facebook’s new “social ad platform“. I have no intention of giving out free product endorsements unless I actually feel like it. Facebook merely railroading my personal choice is not worth fifteen billion dollars. If I really, really want to bet my reputation on a product by telling you to buy it, I’ll take the time to blog it.

If Mark Zuckerberg thinks people will somehow feel “cooler” by spamming their friends, he’s deluded. When product recommendation engines work using aggregate data, they’re helpful. When product recommendations come as unauthorized personal endorsements, they’re exploitative.