Advertise All The Things

 Today, you may have noticed an interesting banner in your browser, received an email from them, or (if you're on Google Plus) got a notification.

  Well, it seems Google is taking advertising to another level. As they put it, in simple terms, they might start including your picture and name.

From the Terms of Service update page -

• First, clarifying how your Profile name and photo might appear in Google products (including in reviews, advertising and other commercial contexts).
• You can control whether your image and name appear in ads via the Shared Endorsements setting.

  I've already seen some negative feedback about this. It seems to me that, in today's NSA paranoid society, anything that may even give the hint of personal information possibly shared without one's consent has many ready to call foul. However, as I tell people all the time - you're logged in right now, reading this blog, you've probably checked Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, or what have you...guess what? You've already given consent. YOU have already made the personal choice to share "yourself" with the world. Of course you have, and deserve, an expectation of privacy when it comes to personal emails and messages, but the things you do out in the open (especially on social media sites), are pretty much fair game.

 The fact is, it's not like Google is simply doing this, or forcing you to participate. You have the option to choose not to participate. As for me, it simply doesn't bother me. In fact, I welcome it. I would love to research an item or device and see a picture or review from someone I actually know giving their review or rating of it, as opposed to someone I don't know giving the same run-of-the-mill review as every other web site. This, I feel, is a welcomed attempt by Google to make what we may be considering to purchase an even more personal experience. 

 Others may argue that, if I were included in an actual commercial from Google, I would be getting paid so Google is basically "pimping" free advertisement. But to me, this is like arguing against being a background extra in a movie - people volunteer for that sort of thing all the time, the movie makes millions, and the background extras get $0. Again folks, you don't have to participate in this and Google has made it very simple to tell them "no".