Why is there a link to a Republican Senate candidate's homepage on DU?

Ken Burch

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Thu Jun-01-06 06:15 AM
Original message

Why is there a link to a Republican Senate candidate's homepage on DU?

On the search page, there's a link to the Mark Kennedy for Senate website. Mark Kennedy is a REPUBLICAN U.S. Senate candidate in Minnesota.

Maybe it's just me, but I thought we were campaigning AGAINST the Republicans. What the hell is going on here?

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durrrty libby

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Thu Jun-01-06 06:20 AM
Response to Original message

1. I see that on top of the page. All Kennedys are not

created equal.

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greyl

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Thu Jun-01-06 06:21 AM
Response to Original message

2. It's a thoroughly impersonal and meaningless occurence.

Innapropriate ads will be blocked as the admins become aware of them.

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Warren Stupidity

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Thu Jun-01-06 06:21 AM
Response to Original message

3. Because the damn addbot is indifferent

to our political slant. Last night I could buy a Kerry Sucks bumper sticker right here on DU.

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sandnsea

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Thu Jun-01-06 06:24 AM
Response to Reply #3

4. Gosh, how in the world could that have happened!!!

I'm shocked shocked shocked!! How in the world could the adbot have gotten the idea DUers would want to buy a Kerry Sucks bumper sticker, it's a real conundrum.

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greyl

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Thu Jun-01-06 06:29 AM
Response to Reply #4

5. Well, compared to Al Gore

Kerry does suck. ;)

(yes, I'm well aware that you hate it when democratic canditates get criticism from democrats.)

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sandnsea

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Thu Jun-01-06 06:39 AM
Response to Reply #5

11. Gosh, and to think

Just two years ago, compared to Kerry, Al Gore sucked. And just 6 years ago, Kerry was touted as the one to breathe life into the Gore ticket and add charisma. Suckiness seems to depend on who the media darlings are hailing at any given moment, no matter how much the left claims it can't be swayed by the media.

Yes I do hate character assassinations of Democrats by Democrats; criticism of policy is the useful way to go.

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greyl

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Thu Jun-01-06 06:58 AM
Response to Reply #11

14. Gosh.

You were blaming us democrats for the impersonal algorithims of Google AdSense.

You were implying that if no DUers criticized Kerry, there would be no anti-Kerry Google ads.

I'll go ahead and maintain a higher standard for our politicians.

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sandnsea

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Thu Jun-01-06 07:18 AM
Response to Reply #14

18. I was saying what I said day one

When one wonders why weird shit, like Ann Coulter ads, appear in the google ads, consider that it's only responding to whatever is being posted at DU. That's all, and it doesn't just apply to Kerry. Of course I know people can't stop themselves from shitting all over Democrats, I've been around here long enough to know that. Doesn't mean I can't continue to point out the futility of the strategy.

Actually though, it probably can't tell the difference between positive and negative posts, so I'd imagine it was just responding to the names Kerry or Kennedy, good or bad.

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greyl

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Thu Jun-01-06 07:29 AM
Response to Reply #18

20. right, it's impersonal.

You shouldn't try to blame DUers for the ads.

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sandnsea

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Thu Jun-01-06 07:39 AM
Response to Reply #20

21. No, it's very personal

It's based on what it reads on the pages, which is what is personally typed by individual DUers. Until a particular name or key phrase is edited out, the ads absolutely do reflect what DUers are focused on. So if it's a bunch of Ann Coulter or Michelle Malkin ads, then that's because DUers are paying more attention to them than to progressive causes and that is very much a personal choice.

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sweetheart

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Thu Jun-01-06 08:01 AM
Response to Reply #21

23. maybe the ads will help tag vichy-dems

Imagine if the ad-software was really good, and kept track of
word frequencies between DU posters, and reference-links used,
every word and phrase. Surely over time, those posters would start
to accumulate adverts for Raytheon, Pee testing, and CIA recruiting.

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sandnsea

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Thu Jun-01-06 08:04 AM
Response to Reply #23

25. Oh it could

There are google ads for urine testing and cia jobs. The place would go wild the first time "cia jobs secrets" popped up, don't you think??

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charlie

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Thu Jun-01-06 08:02 AM
Response to Reply #21

24. No, it's not that simple

The ads you see are also fetched according to keywords and phrases advertisers bid on. If some rightwing vendor has managed to secure high positions for phrases like "mainstream media" or "liberal blogosphere", you don't have to use Malkin, O'Reilly, or Coulter on a page for those chumps to show up.

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sandnsea

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Thu Jun-01-06 08:07 AM
Response to Reply #24

26. That is true too

Yes, a right winger might well bid on liberal keywords or blogosphere in general. I'm not entirely sure why, because the truth is highly targeted ads work best online, that or bidding high to knock out all competition and brand yourself in a particular market.

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charlie

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Thu Jun-01-06 08:11 AM
Response to Reply #26

28. Yeah, but you know

the rightwing approach has always been to use a blunderbuss instead of a rifle. Works pretty good too, since there's no end of ideological sugar daddies who are happy to blow millions to advance the cause another inch. They have the luxury to be mostly ineffective and yet, still win.

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sandnsea

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Thu Jun-01-06 08:18 AM
Response to Reply #28

29. Yep, they do

And I suppose bidding on keywords that you know nobody is going to click on is pretty effective in getting a message out. I'll have to remember that.

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charlie

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Thu Jun-01-06 08:23 AM
Response to Reply #29

30. It can squeeze your opponent's message out

Bulk buying Coulter to put her on the lists gives her front-of-the-store shelf space others won't get.

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sandnsea

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Thu Jun-01-06 08:33 AM
Response to Reply #30

31. Well sure

If you're advertising to a receptive audience, squeezing competition out makes sense. But to advertise to an audience that hates you just to squeeze out a message, that's really rough and tumble politics. I don't know that Democrats do that, although we should.

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greyl

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Thu Jun-01-06 08:34 AM
Response to Reply #21

32. You are absolutely incorrect.

There's nothing personal about the algorithm.
It's an algorithm.

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sandnsea

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Thu Jun-01-06 09:20 AM
Response to Reply #32

35. So people don't matter at all, hmm?

Then what the fucking hell is the point of even having an ad display algorithm???

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Ken Burch

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Thu Jun-01-06 07:00 AM
Response to Reply #11

15. As Forrest Gump would put it:

"suckiness is as suckiness does".

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sandnsea

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Thu Jun-01-06 07:20 AM
Response to Reply #15

19. Great, the Forrest Gump strategy for success

That'll really get 'em on the run. :eyes:

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Rockholm

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Thu Jun-01-06 06:30 AM
Response to Original message

6. Click away on it and those clicks cost him MONEY!

Edited on Thu Jun-01-06 06:31 AM by Rockholm

edit: bad spelling error.

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greyl

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Thu Jun-01-06 06:32 AM
Response to Reply #6

7. Practical point. :) nt

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sabbat hunter

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Thu Jun-01-06 06:39 AM
Response to Reply #6

12. not really

if google decides that the clicks are false clicks, DU actually will be the one hurt by it not the ad placer.

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greyl

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Thu Jun-01-06 07:01 AM
Response to Reply #12

16. In this case, our clicks are to Google's benefit.

They can claim that the ads are "working", and retain a new client.
Meanwhile DU gets a cut. (until the advertiser is blocked by the DU admin)

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Rockholm

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Thu Jun-01-06 08:07 AM
Response to Reply #16

27. Very innnnteresting.

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Ken Burch

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Thu Jun-01-06 06:36 AM
Response to Original message

8. duplicate post of thread header

Edited on Thu Jun-01-06 07:03 AM by Ken Burch

self-delete.

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Dogmudgeon

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Thu Jun-01-06 06:36 AM
Response to Reply #8

9. It's the Google Adsense system

Relax. Elad, EarlG, and Skinner are hammering the kinks out even as we speak.

--p!

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Ken Burch

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Thu Jun-01-06 06:36 AM
Response to Reply #9

10. OK. Just thought I should point it out.

nt.

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rock

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Thu Jun-01-06 06:40 AM
Response to Original message

13. It's ironic, see?

DU makes money off of the Repukes. Also, it give us chance to mock him.

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BR_Parkway

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Thu Jun-01-06 07:02 AM
Response to Original message

17. If you click thru - DU makes some money and his campaign spends some

not that I'm suggesting everyone click on it or anything...

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BlackVelvet04

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Thu Jun-01-06 07:55 AM
Response to Original message

22. As has been explained before

and maybe you missed it, the ads that are inappropriate for DU will be weeded out after they show up. No way to do it before.

Why not save yourself and everyone else the grief....download Firefox and the adblock extension. It blocks the ads and you won't have to experience ad angst. If you decide you want to see ads all you have to do is turn off adblock. It's really simple.

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sybylla

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Thu Jun-01-06 08:43 AM
Response to Reply #22

34. You'd save yourself and everyone else a boat-load of grief

if you'd just tell us where to report the bad ads rather than getting snippy about it. Try a proactive approach instead.

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BlackVelvet04

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Thu Jun-01-06 05:04 PM
Response to Reply #34

36. Maybe you should try reporting the ads to the

admins or moderators. Only they can do anything about it or maybe we can just have 500 more threads about the ads.

Using a browser that blocks the ads is a lot more proactive than whining about all the bad ads.

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Ken Burch

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Thu Jun-01-06 06:16 PM
Response to Reply #36

37. I did report this.

I just wonderered if anyone here knew what the deal was.

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sybylla

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Thu Jun-01-06 08:17 PM
Response to Reply #36

38. Thank you

Now wasn't that much more constructive than all the whining about the 500 threads about the ads.

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BlackVelvet04

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Thu Jun-01-06 10:26 PM
Response to Reply #38

39. Well just WHO did you think you should report it to..........

NSA?

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sybylla

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Thu Jun-01-06 08:40 AM
Response to Original message

33. The "Liberals Fear Him" ad also takes you to a puke candidate's site

He's running for Wisconsin Attorney General. We surely don't need that at DU either.

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