How often do you read the side of your facebook profile and find advertisements that are oddly specific to your life?  After logging into my own account a few minutes ago, I was greeted with ads stating “hey, 20 year old!” and “For Cornell sophomores only!”  Although I’ve mostly become accustom to Facebook’s scarily precise advertising system, I’m frequently perplexed after reading content like, “guns 4 sale”, which I assure you, has little application to my life.  Having said this, Facebook users are becoming increasingly concerned with the social networking website’s advertising system, claiming that that information is used in non-sensible ways.

When creating a Facebook ad, the website utilizes a self-service ad creation system, which, as its name implies, allows users to create custom advertisements quickly and easily.  Advertisements are created to target very specific audiences in the larger Facebook network.  Users can specify that the ad be viewed by individuals who comply with characteristics, including relationship status, age, hometown, and desired interests.  The advertisement can even target individuals on their birthdays!  Facebook has transformed social networks from theoretical networks of relationships and acquaintances to a tangible set of connections, which has changed how companies reach their customers.

This method of advertising has become increasingly more common by both small and large business, all of whom are attracted to this ability to target such specific audiences.  The New York Times article sited below captures this idea perfectly, explaining that a wedding photographer’s advertisement was created for individuals in a certain city who recently switched their “relationship status” to “engaged.”  The ability to target an exceptionally specific audience for a relatively cheap price seems like a no-brainer decision!

But for every successful advertisement comes one that largely fails.  Many users are turned off by the specificity of the ads, claiming they’re creepy or that the product has little to do with the information the ad presents.  Another ubiquitous ad includes egg donor requests, which are often visible to teenage/college aged females.  Although an individual may fit the applicable age for this procedure, Facebook users often wonder, “What do I have on my Facebook Page that would lead them to believe I would need that?”

One Facebook executive noted that the site’s ads were “becoming more professional and straightforward,” but as a frequent user, I assure you these changes have yet to be made.  Many are also curious what new additions Facebook will make to fully utilize it’s intricate network of individuals.  But for now, the creation of Facebook type social networks has introduced a new and efficient method of advertising that will forever change the relationship between companies and their customers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/technology/04facebook.html