Google has recently announced that they will begin using information from their Google+ social network to give social weight to their advertisements. They updated their terms of service to state that beginning November 11th, “your friends, family and others may see your (Google+) Profile name and photo, and content like the reviews you share or the ads you +1’d.” Your photo will only be used in advertisements which are displayed to people you already share content with on Google+.
Those in your Google+ circles, however, will likely be seeing you in the ads displayed on Google+ and other locations in the near future. You are able to opt out of this program, if you choose.
Google is undoubtedly hoping that using the images and content from friends and family will help encourage people to click or make a purchase. When people see someone they know, they will be more likely to trust the product or service. Social advertising has been used by Facebook in similar ways for quite some time with fairly little push back from privacy advocates.
This new system can be used on virtually any product or service, but it will likely be most popular when promoting things like music albums, movies, restaurants and other similar products. Ads may show your picture next to a movie which you recently rated 4 stars, for example, so people know that you liked it and may be more likely to go see it, or purchase it at home.
What do you think about this type of advertising? Is it effective? Is it an invasion of your privacy? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
