Dear Readers List folks,
You’ve been hearing about the Facebook mess with data, right? (If not, Google “Facebook” and “Cambridge Analytica” and prepare for a good time. Or here’s a brief run-down from The Washington Post.)
This news is causing me to make a change. More on that after a bit of background.
UP UNTIL NOW
When you give me your email to join my Readers List, I use it to send you news and updates. A couple times I have parsed it to find people who live in the three states around me to let them know about a local event. Maybe once a year, I’ll get a data bug and get it to tell me how many people are from different areas of the world … and then I say “Oh, cool!” and don’t do more. I don’t swap my list with other authors or promo organizations, nor do I sell it.
What I have done – twice in four years – is use my overall list to build what are called Lookalike Audiences to advertise and boost posts on Facebook. To do this, the advertiser (me) uploads a file of current newsletter subscribers. Facebook looks at the characteristics of the people on the list who also are on Facebook, then looks for more people with those characteristics in the general Facebook universe, under the theory that since you folks are interested in my books, people similar to you might be, too.
This is a standard practice among most advertisers on Facebook and widely recommended for authors. I would guess that most of the lists you have signed up for have used your email (and possibly more) to create Lookalike audiences.
Before I did it the first time, I contacted Facebook. They assured me that they do not store or otherwise keep or reuse in any way the list I would upload. They also said they “hash” the upload so the entries are not individually identifiable.
I don’t trust that that’s true anymore.
FIRST RESPONSE
Facebook, many fellow authors, and Facebook advertising gurus told me I was being paranoid in even asking those questions. I strongly regret not heeding my paranoia.
I’ve deleted those uploaded lists from Facebook. But I can’t know if that’s done any good.
I can tell you that the two times I uploaded the list, Facebook asked for more info, such as names and locations, plus a lot more details. I declined. I uploaded email addresses alone.
I can’t do anything about the past. But going forward, I am making a change.
GOING FORWARD
I don’t know that I’ll advertise on Facebook again, but I’m not currently committing to “never.” So, I’m giving you the option to say that you never want me to share your email with Facebook – to build a Lookalike audience or any other way.
Just click on the button below and a “No FB” tag will be added to your record in my system. Should I, for some reason, decide I want to go that FB route in the future, I will exclude everyone with that tag, so you won’t be included. New folks will get the option as they sign up.
(Please, please don’t click it if you’re not a newsletter subscriber or if you use a different email for my Readers List. It confuses the system.)
Note: If you’re on Facebook, and you see ads that you think might be the result of a Lookalike audience, it can come through any of a thousand other routes.
I can’t do anything about that. I can only plug this one route I have control over.
ONE LAST THING: TWO RECS
If you haven’t already checked your privacy settings on Facebook and everywhere else, I highly recommend that you do. Click on the words “Facebook” and “everywhere else” for some how-to info.
My other recommendation when apps and sites demand info and you feel it’s none of their business, is to make things up. On at least one site, I’m an 87-year-old woman who can’t drive, yet owns a Mercedes-Benz, loves Brussel sprouts, and smokes cigars. 😉
I’ve read that each person’s data is worth $7 to these sites and apps. That’s our data they’re monetizing. My new motto is Mess With The Data!
Dear Readers List folks,
You’ve been hearing about the Facebook mess with data, right? (If not, Google “Facebook” and “Cambridge Analytica” and prepare for a good time. Or here’s a brief run-down from The Washington Post.)
This news is causing me to make a change. More on that after a bit of background.
UP UNTIL NOW
When you give me your email to join my Readers List, I use it to send you news and updates. A couple times I have parsed it to find people who live in the three states around me to let them know about a local event. Maybe once a year, I’ll get a data bug and get it to tell me how many people are from different areas of the world … and then I say “Oh, cool!” and don’t do more. I don’t swap my list with other authors or promo organizations, nor do I sell it.
What I have done – twice in four years – is use my overall list to build what are called Lookalike Audiences to advertise and boost posts on Facebook. To do this, the advertiser (me) uploads a file of current newsletter subscribers. Facebook looks at the characteristics of the people on the list who also are on Facebook, then looks for more people with those characteristics in the general Facebook universe, under the theory that since you folks are interested in my books, people similar to you might be, too.
This is a standard practice among most advertisers on Facebook and widely recommended for authors. I would guess that most of the lists you have signed up for have used your email (and possibly more) to create Lookalike audiences.
Before I did it the first time, I contacted Facebook. They assured me that they do not store or otherwise keep or reuse in any way the list I would upload. They also said they “hash” the upload so the entries are not individually identifiable.
I don’t trust that that’s true anymore.
FIRST RESPONSE
Facebook, many fellow authors, and Facebook advertising gurus told me I was being paranoid in even asking those questions. I strongly regret not heeding my paranoia.
I’ve deleted those uploaded lists from Facebook. But I can’t know if that’s done any good.
I can tell you that the two times I uploaded the list, Facebook asked for more info, such as names and locations, plus a lot more details. I declined. I uploaded email addresses alone.
I can’t do anything about the past. But going forward, I am making a change.
GOING FORWARD
I don’t know that I’ll advertise on Facebook again, but I’m not currently committing to “never.” So, I’m giving you the option to say that you never want me to share your email with Facebook – to build a Lookalike audience or any other way.
Just click on the button below and a “No FB” tag will be added to your record in my system. Should I, for some reason, decide I want to go that FB route in the future, I will exclude everyone with that tag, so you won’t be included. New folks will get the option as they sign up.
(Please, please don’t click it if you’re not a newsletter subscriber or if you use a different email for my Readers List. It confuses the system.)
Note: If you’re on Facebook, and you see ads that you think might be the result of a Lookalike audience, it can come through any of a thousand other routes.
I can’t do anything about that. I can only plug this one route I have control over.
ONE LAST THING: TWO RECS
If you haven’t already checked your privacy settings on Facebook and everywhere else, I highly recommend that you do. Click on the words “Facebook” and “everywhere else” for some how-to info.
My other recommendation when apps and sites demand info and you feel it’s none of their business, is to make things up. On at least one site, I’m an 87-year-old woman who can’t drive, yet owns a Mercedes-Benz, loves Brussel sprouts, and smokes cigars. 😉
I’ve read that each person’s data is worth $7 to these sites and apps. That’s our data they’re monetizing. My new motto is Mess With The Data!
Dear Readers List folks,
You’ve been hearing about the Facebook mess with data, right? (If not, Google “Facebook” and “Cambridge Analytica” and prepare for a good time. Or here’s a brief run-down from The Washington Post.)
This news is causing me to make a change. More on that after a bit of background.
UP UNTIL NOW
When you give me your email to join my Readers List, I use it to send you news and updates. A couple times I have parsed it to find people who live in the three states around me to let them know about a local event. Maybe once a year, I’ll get a data bug and get it to tell me how many people are from different areas of the world … and then I say “Oh, cool!” and don’t do more. I don’t swap my list with other authors or promo organizations, nor do I sell it.
What I have done – twice in four years – is use my overall list to build what are called Lookalike Audiences to advertise and boost posts on Facebook. To do this, the advertiser (me) uploads a file of current newsletter subscribers. Facebook looks at the characteristics of the people on the list who also are on Facebook, then looks for more people with those characteristics in the general Facebook universe, under the theory that since you folks are interested in my books, people similar to you might be, too.
This is a standard practice among most advertisers on Facebook and widely recommended for authors. I would guess that most of the lists you have signed up for have used your email (and possibly more) to create Lookalike audiences.
Before I did it the first time, I contacted Facebook. They assured me that they do not store or otherwise keep or reuse in any way the list I would upload. They also said they “hash” the upload so the entries are not individually identifiable.
I don’t trust that that’s true anymore.
FIRST RESPONSE
Facebook, many fellow authors, and Facebook advertising gurus told me I was being paranoid in even asking those questions. I strongly regret not heeding my paranoia.
I’ve deleted those uploaded lists from Facebook. But I can’t know if that’s done any good.
I can tell you that the two times I uploaded the list, Facebook asked for more info, such as names and locations, plus a lot more details. I declined. I uploaded email addresses alone.
I can’t do anything about the past. But going forward, I am making a change.
GOING FORWARD
I don’t know that I’ll advertise on Facebook again, but I’m not currently committing to “never.” So, I’m giving you the option to say that you never want me to share your email with Facebook – to build a Lookalike audience or any other way.
Just click on the button below and a “No FB” tag will be added to your record in my system. Should I, for some reason, decide I want to go that FB route in the future, I will exclude everyone with that tag, so you won’t be included. New folks will get the option as they sign up.
(Please, please don’t click it if you’re not a newsletter subscriber or if you use a different email for my Readers List. It confuses the system.)
Note: If you’re on Facebook, and you see ads that you think might be the result of a Lookalike audience, it can come through any of a thousand other routes.
I can’t do anything about that. I can only plug this one route I have control over.
ONE LAST THING: TWO RECS
If you haven’t already checked your privacy settings on Facebook and everywhere else, I highly recommend that you do. Click on the words “Facebook” and “everywhere else” for some how-to info.
My other recommendation when apps and sites demand info and you feel it’s none of their business, is to make things up. On at least one site, I’m an 87-year-old woman who can’t drive, yet owns a Mercedes-Benz, loves Brussel sprouts, and smokes cigars. 😉
I’ve read that each person’s data is worth $7 to these sites and apps. That’s our data they’re monetizing. My new motto is Mess With The Data!
The fallout from this mess just keeps getting worse. I’ve enjoyed Facebook for a long time. It was a great way to re-connect with people from high school. Our 40th reunion was a great success because of this. I’ve met new authors this way. You were one of them. I’m just sad.
Thanks for being so paranoid.
It is unfortunate, Pamela. I’m definitely a skeptic. So I tend to be very cautious with info and data — if there’s a way for people to make money off our info and data, I tend to think they will try. Alas.
Thanks for your honesty. I deleted my Facebook account years ago d/t privacy concerns. All the Facebook reader groups and contests that I missed out on were not enough to encourage me to rejoin Facebook. I’m glad to see authors moving away from Facebook. The publishing industry should have its own website and not rely on Facebook traffic to sell books. May Facebook join MySpace in obscurity.
I’d love to see a site that would let authors and readers interact. My concern would be that if it’s a third party — publisher, retailer, or other entity — the third party is going to want to make money from both the authors and readers. Perhaps that’s not unreasonable, yet it also is so open to abuse that we could be right back where we are. … Sigh… I’m hoping the future will bring solutions. Perhaps quantum computing and AI can get together and …
Miss Patricia:
Thank you for the lovely newsletter and for being so honest about Facebook. (AND for not giving up any more than my email to them! Bless you!) I’ll have to say, this Facebook mess has shook me up more than just a bit- I value my privacy and it always gives me the creeps when I have to allow “permissions” to sign up for something. Now I can see good reasons why I was getting the creeps about that, too.
I’ve pushed the big orange button, but am not unsubscribing from your email- I look forward to them, actually, because you put more into them than just trying to sell me something. (though, of course, I know you are- and I’m a shameless consumer where your books are concerned)
Thanks again- have a wonderful day!
-Jenny Kelly
Thank you so much for your comments, Jenny. I heartily approve of you valuing your privacy — you have good “creepy” radar!
Thank you. I wish more authors and others that I have a email relationship with will do the same as far as protecting my privacy.
You are so welcome, Jo-Anne! I wish I could do more for my privacy and yours out there in the cyber world.
Thank you for all of this. As a senior citizen, sometimes all the info out there can be confusing but you have explained it in plain English and told me where to find it. Now I know why I like you so much, aside from your books. You take care of your fans! Thank you again.
My absolute pleasure, Caryn. I really appreciate your message. Thank you.
I have been off of Facebook for about 10 years. Recently I have been receiving emails from then on a daily basis. And they are telling me that I have missed pictures, and notices from family members, some of them are people I never connected to on Facebook. My family is huge and these are people I do not know. They are related to me distantly, but I do not know them. So, Facebook has connected the dots…from me to this relative and then that relative is connected to that relative. One notice was for a woman I worked with 15 years ago. And the only connection is where we both worked. Yeah, they are not ever going to stop….because there is money for Zuckerberg and other executives.
I’m afraid you’re right, Annette, that as long as there is money, there will be mining — by fair means and foul — of our personal information. We do what we can … and mess with the data!
Thanks very much for caring about us and trying to protect us. More reason I delight in you and your books!
You are so welcome, and thank ~you~ for that great comment!
Hi,
I share your penchant for messing with the data. I often use an address that is totally fictional. (1234 Main St. Anytown, AS.) That works well for sites that don’t use any checking. For those sites, 503.555.1212 works for a phone number. If they check such things, I use 4506 SW Kelly, Portland, OR, an address that was wiped out by I5 and I use the phone number that was associated with that address. For and email on sites that don’t check I use notacustomer@notanISP.com
If they do check I have an old MSN account that I give. Works well if I nee to “confirm” my email address. I only use that email for that purpose.
It’s really none of there business. For my Facebook account I use a Gmail account that I got just for that purpose.
I love these ideas! I also keep an old cell phone number that I use strictly for places where they insist on a phone number. How odd that when I give the number out, the volume of spam calls go up. Hmmm. But it’s not a big deal because I don’t answer that phone. 😉
Patricia thank you so much for giving me this option and I can’t wait till your website is up and running. And I to have been struggling with weather or not to leave Facebook the only reason I a married woman with one child was even on Facebook was to keep track of extended family and there happenings also I have enjoyed my book clubs that I have found three them but I will have to wait and see if I make the choice to leave. So thank you and have a lovely day.
Hi Kristy, thank you so much for your message. I’m staying on Facebook as long as it’s a way to connect with folks like you and other readers. So I absolutely understand your staying — just check your privacy settings! I’m pretty careful and yet, they had connected my account to other stuff. Grrr.
I’m disappointed that your lawyers thought this should be buried in your blog instead of deserving it’s own newsletter edition. I think you should honor your readers by giving each of us the highest standards and putting us under the EU rules immediately. Especially since you made/saved $7 US on each of us.
Since your lost control of our data the moment you shared/used it, please make further inquiries on what was done with it- don’t just flail your arms in the air and say “Oh well..(sigh)”.
The big orange dot looks like you are now giving us an option to protect ourselves- why don’t YOU protect your readers.
If we’re important to you.
No lawyers involved, Leslie. I put it on the blog so I could continue to send folks to it in the future as well as having it be public and on record.
I’m sorry that you consider that burying the information.
Don’t we all wish everything could be done instantaneously. I already apply most of the standards, as it happens. A couple smaller elements will be instituted as soon as humanly possible after my new website goes live.
I’m afraid you misunderstood. I did not make or save money on your data in any way. As I wrote, it allowed me to create Lookalike Audiences that FB delivered ads to, which I paid them for. So, again, I have not and do now make or save money from anyone unless he or she buys one of my books.
This article might help clarify:
http://www.visualcapitalist.com/much-personal-data-worth/
Don’t moderate this. Post it. It’s not rude or abusive, just direct. What I expect from you, not a moderator.
All comments on this blog are moderated, Leslie, because some people are abusively rude, as well as inaccurate. I try to spare my blog readers most of that.
Patricia, I have never been under the delusion that my “data” on FB was private. It says so on the agreement thing I clicked when I joined. How else is FB going to make money without charging me? I figured out a long time ago that I was being targeted by advertisers “chosen” just for me – I’m a cat person, ergo all of the cat product ads. My friends and I have laughed many times over the years about how, when searching for a product on google, an ad for it would suddenly appear on my home page (and on the top of my email account – so FB isn’t the only one that shares – hello Yahoo?). Yes, Google shares too. You did what other advertisers did, no worries on my part.
Thank you so much for your note, Eve. Yes, a lot of online services and entities do collect our information and make money off it. There’s a saying that free online is never free, that we’re paying with our data.
I know all this. I still think it stinks.
I applaud you for getting this info out there. While I value my privacy, I also know that info is used for a multitude of reasons. Honestly I don’t even mind the ads-where can you go where you can actually avoid ads? Because of the rampant amount of hacks that have been happening with Facebook I have recently decided to delete my account until they get that under control. My husband has been hacked and whoever did it was sending porn to his friends list. When we started getting angry phone calls and figured out what happened (and apologizing profusely to so many friends) we contacted Facebook. Frankly their attitude sucked and we were told if we wanted to stop it or or make sure it didn’t happen again we would have to pay Facebook for added security. We even did our own checking-thank god for computer/IT people in the family. We sent tons of info to Facebook even giving them the actual IP address where the hacked occurred so they could stop it. We were basically told too bad so sad we aren’t going to do anything. We have now had multiple friends who have also been hacked. It’s a shame really because it was a great place to interact with so many people. Thank you again for the additional information.
I appreciate your paranoia.