[Note: Published date updated to reflect date this was originally written.]

11 February 2003

I’m willing to surrender a little privacy to gain a little convenience and eliminate much of the unwanted advertising I have to put with now. With the technology available, why do I still get calls wanting me to call an 800 number to find out about a vacation that is priced too low to disclose on my answering machine?

I would really like to eliminate most of the advertising I’m exposed to but I know that will never happen. Given that fact, then why not tailor the information to me. I have certain tastes and preferences. I like many different types of music but have never cared for country; why try to sell me a country CD? I like coffee and prefer the really dark and strong kind, a Folgers ad is a waste of time and money for me.

One of my favorite stores is Amazon.com. The reason is really quite simple, I like books and Amazon is pretty good at letting me know when there is a book available that might interest me. The system is not perfect but it is pretty good and seems to be getting a little better. I can rate the books and music I purchased and that is used to determine if I might like a newly released book. The system is not perfect and it has missed some books that I would love to buy but it beats being bombarded with all kinds of notices that do not interest me.

The movie Minority Report shows advertising at its best. Walking down the street the billboards change to show you the ads that interest you. When you enter a store you are greeted by name and some items could be suggested to you.