Advertising is not the problem. The current ad system is to blame. A different ad model is needed. One that is built using privacy, choice and rewards. User data and activity is not collected. Users have the choice to engage or ignore. And, if they choose to engage, they are compensated. Money flows directly from the seller to the buyer. We built this solution and call it Sellff Offers. It’s an alternative model that works the opposite of AdTech. Although just launched, we think Sellff Offers is the future of digital advertising. https://sellff.com/offers
I disagree. I abhor advertising primarily because it non-consensually and obnoxiously competes for my attention. (the privacy thing is also bad of course)
Blocking ads in your browser is responsible behavior. It is the same as putting a lock on the door to your house. There are people in the world who will think nothing of taking advantage of you if it means they can put money in their pocket. That said, the OP is referencing malicious ads, which are not designed to sell a product or service. Instead, they are designed to infect your device. From which they can collect/extract data about you.
The current ad-tech model needs to change and is due for disruption. Advertising is everywhere and it’s out of control. There seem to be more ads than ever, in every medium and in every square inch of surface area. In most cases, the ads are unwanted and not even relevant.
Our attention is being stolen and massive amounts of money are being wasted by companies with a legitimate interest to make sales. The bottom-line is that consumers are being victimized by the constant bombardment of advertising. And the companies that sell products/services, who need to build awareness and grow sales, are being taken advantage of by the ad-tech giants.
A new model is needed and we are actively working on a solution called Sellff Offers. This solution allows sellers and buyers to connect directly, without the middleman. Sellff Offers inverts the current ad-tech model in three significant ways: [1] Opt-in, [2] Privacy friendly, and [3] Pays cash rewards.
Here is an example Offer [ https://sellff.com/$/ron.michel/offer/ewVkr ]. You choose whether to view the Offer. Your data and activity is not collected/shared/sold if you view the Offer. And, you are compensated for your time if you decide to participate in the Offer.
Complaining about the current broken ad-tech model does not help to fix it. You need to take action to bring about the change you want to see. If you have an interest in building a new digital marketing/promotions solution, we would like to speak with you. Regardless, we are very excited to see the growing consumer awareness of the dangers of ad-tech and the interest in alternatives ways to connect buyers and sellers.
> malicious ads, which are not designed to sell a product or service. Instead, they are designed to infect your device. From which they can collect/extract data about you.
At this point we can only assume that every ad is malicious. It doesn't matter if they are designed to sell a product or service. They'll still collect/extract data about you at every opportunity.
At best, they're attempts to manipulate us. That might mean making us feel insecure about ourselves or our lifestyle so that they can trick is into giving them money. It might mean outright lying to us and feeding our fears to push us to support a certain politician or law. It might be promoting outright scams.
Surveillance advertising needs to die. Paying people to view ads alone won't remove the harms advertising can cause, but at least it's a "pull" vs "push" model which I approve of since it can be safely ignored by anyone unwilling to subject themselves to manipulation and exploitation.
You should consider a strict code of conduct for what types of ads you will/won't allow on your platform to keep the worst of it away. Fact-checking and vetting takes time and money, but it would keep your service from being used to spread disinformation and scams and could help prevent some of the harms.
Looking for collaborators to help build the future of digital advertising. Working on a solution that offers benefits to sellers of products/services, while buyers can choose which ads to view [opt-in], respects user privacy [no tracking or collection/resale of user data] and compensates people for their time and attention [earn cash rewards]. More information here:
Not entirely the right person to answer this question, but we went with a .Net solution using SQL Server and React. We decided on the website first that would work OK on mobile devices. Faster and less cost to get into the market.
Thanks to HN "Who wants to be hired" I was able to connect with 3x amazing devs in Croatia who built the solution. I have learned so much from HN over the last couple of years. Lots of value in this community and grateful to be a small part of it.
Thank you for your comments. We have similar thoughts it seems and both see the larger opportunity to provide value to professionals. Are you interested to discuss offline? Thx.
Valid point and I understand the concern. However [at least in the USA] we are all scored in many different ways. This includes: credit scores, insurance scores, criminal scores, employer/employee scores, education scores, etc. Yes, these examples are private and only visible to certain people [unless hacked]. Whereas the SELLFF TRU Score is public and visible to everyone. We have been transparent about how the value is determined and what it means. It is an indicator of trust and reputation, not an absolute value.
For many of the reasons you stated, we chose a much larger range of values. So, instead of 1-10 or 1-100, we selected 100 - 1,000 with a starting value of 400.
In anything we do, there is the starting point from which you determine if adjustments are needed. If the TRU Score is deemed to be in error or unfair or inaccurate, we will make the needed changes.
It is also worth noting that people who are selling services and trying to reach new customers are looking for new/better ways to connect. It is our belief that SELLFF can become an additional, valuable option for these providers. Instead of having a reliance on the mega platforms that might have already lost out trust.
Thank you for your comment. Would you prefer to be rated by an authoritative source using inputs that are closed and unknown? Or, would you rather have your peers provide a rating in an open and transparent manner?
[I think] Crowdsourced opinions are an excellent way to make informed decisions about products/services. A great example is using Amazon.com for competing products:
Product A: 5.0 star rating | 32 reviews
Product B: 4.5 star rating | 5,264 reviews
Which product would you weigh more heavily when making a buying decision?
Keep in mind that SELLFF is positioned as a Professional Network. Any response or feedback will be relative to you, in a professional capacity. This might include the quality of the service you provide, your communication skills, did you finish the job on time, etc.
Also, any reputation you earn as a seller works in your benefit when you consult with others as a buyer. People want to work with other people who they have confidence in. This is true on Uber,Lyft and AirBnB, where both parties "rate" each other.
I think a digital reputation is a vital part of a healthy marketplace.
