Comments on: What’s really in my cookie cache? http://www.mikeonads.com/2007/02/27/whats-really-in-my-cookie-cache/ Ramblings about online advertising, ad networks & other techie randomness Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:51:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Blargh23 http://www.mikeonads.com/2007/02/27/whats-really-in-my-cookie-cache/comment-page-1/#comment-62390 Blargh23 Sat, 27 Dec 2008 06:55:23 +0000 http://www.mikeonads.com/2007/02/27/whats-really-in-my-cookie-cache/#comment-62390 I find a router blacklist a much more effective way of "opting out." I find a router blacklist a much more effective way of “opting out.”

]]> By: Webmaster Mikey http://www.mikeonads.com/2007/02/27/whats-really-in-my-cookie-cache/comment-page-1/#comment-14171 Webmaster Mikey Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:34:55 +0000 http://www.mikeonads.com/2007/02/27/whats-really-in-my-cookie-cache/#comment-14171 Thanks for the article! People really need to understand that cookies are no big deal. The other day while in the coffee shop, I overheard some woman talking to tech support asking how she could better protect herself because tons of spyware kept infecting her computer. After she got off the phone, I asked her about it. The vast majority of the spyware her checker was finding were harmless browser cookies. Incredible that they would be flagged as such, and really shameful of software development houses to spread such FUD to sell their wares. My recommendation - don't worry about the cookies. Once a month or so simply clean them out if you want to. Reject the domains (ie 2o7.com) that have a habit of sending large numbers of cookies. The real issue is malicious client-side scripts - so run the FireFox NoScript extension, and surf happy. Thanks for the article!
People really need to understand that cookies are no big deal. The other day while in the coffee shop, I overheard some woman talking to tech support asking how she could better protect herself because tons of spyware kept infecting her computer. After she got off the phone, I asked her about it.

The vast majority of the spyware her checker was finding were harmless browser cookies. Incredible that they would be flagged as such, and really shameful of software development houses to spread such FUD to sell their wares.

My recommendation – don’t worry about the cookies. Once a month or so simply clean them out if you want to. Reject the domains (ie 2o7.com) that have a habit of sending large numbers of cookies.

The real issue is malicious client-side scripts – so run the FireFox NoScript extension, and surf happy.

]]> By: Mike On Ads » Blog Archive » Gaining consumer trust for ads http://www.mikeonads.com/2007/02/27/whats-really-in-my-cookie-cache/comment-page-1/#comment-4272 Mike On Ads » Blog Archive » Gaining consumer trust for ads Sun, 19 Aug 2007 21:06:55 +0000 http://www.mikeonads.com/2007/02/27/whats-really-in-my-cookie-cache/#comment-4272 [...] the most interactive form of advertising has the worst reputation of all. Take this comment on my post about cookies: your perspective on the ads seems very strange/scary to me. so a company gathers data about my [...] [...] the most interactive form of advertising has the worst reputation of all. Take this comment on my post about cookies: your perspective on the ads seems very strange/scary to me. so a company gathers data about my [...]

]]> By: dich http://www.mikeonads.com/2007/02/27/whats-really-in-my-cookie-cache/comment-page-1/#comment-4022 dich Sat, 11 Aug 2007 01:00:57 +0000 http://www.mikeonads.com/2007/02/27/whats-really-in-my-cookie-cache/#comment-4022 your perspective on the ads seems very strange/scary to me. so a company gathers data about my surfing habits and whatever actions i do, and what do _I_ get in return? Longer load times, ugly flash clips, and bloody kilobytes of useless javascripts in every page. So i take a proactive approach to this, every time i see an ad, and its not too often, i see where it comes from and add a an entry to my hosts file, effectively routing that adress to localhost. I also enjoy editing my cookies, and changing number variables to letter variables in them and vice versa :) The so called ad business is only a good thing for all the people making money off it, and consumers, not people who actually use internet to get information they need. As i see it, if you want to advertise useless consumerist garbage in hope someone with more money then braincells buys it, make a website exclusively for that. Oh, noone would visit such a website, so we put ads on every other page... get a clue! your perspective on the ads seems very strange/scary to me. so a company gathers data about my surfing habits and whatever actions i do, and what do _I_ get in return? Longer load times, ugly flash clips, and bloody kilobytes of useless javascripts in every page. So i take a proactive approach to this, every time i see an ad, and its not too often, i see where it comes from and add a an entry to my hosts file, effectively routing that adress to localhost. I also enjoy editing my cookies, and changing number variables to letter variables in them and vice versa :)

The so called ad business is only a good thing for all the people making money off it, and consumers, not people who actually use internet to get information they need. As i see it, if you want to advertise useless consumerist garbage in hope someone with more money then braincells buys it, make a website exclusively for that. Oh, noone would visit such a website, so we put ads on every other page… get a clue!

]]> By: PCdoctors provide on-site spyware removal. » Blog Archive » What’s really in my cookie cache? http://www.mikeonads.com/2007/02/27/whats-really-in-my-cookie-cache/comment-page-1/#comment-14 PCdoctors provide on-site spyware removal. » Blog Archive » What’s really in my cookie cache? Sat, 03 Mar 2007 13:30:45 +0000 http://www.mikeonads.com/2007/02/27/whats-really-in-my-cookie-cache/#comment-14 [...] click here for article [...] [...] click here for article [...]

]]> By: Mike http://www.mikeonads.com/2007/02/27/whats-really-in-my-cookie-cache/comment-page-1/#comment-6 Mike Wed, 28 Feb 2007 16:08:18 +0000 http://www.mikeonads.com/2007/02/27/whats-really-in-my-cookie-cache/#comment-6 Hamel, Looking forward to that extension! Currently I'm stuck with Tamper Data (great extension btw), but it'd be awesome to have a tool specifically designed towards analyzing & tracking advertisements. Let me know if you need anyone to test it out as I've spent many many hours tracking down ads & making sure things are working correctly! -Mike Hamel,

Looking forward to that extension! Currently I’m stuck with Tamper Data (great extension btw), but it’d be awesome to have a tool specifically designed towards analyzing & tracking advertisements.

Let me know if you need anyone to test it out as I’ve spent many many hours tracking down ads & making sure things are working correctly!

-Mike

]]> By: S.Hamel http://www.mikeonads.com/2007/02/27/whats-really-in-my-cookie-cache/comment-page-1/#comment-5 S.Hamel Wed, 28 Feb 2007 12:39:47 +0000 http://www.mikeonads.com/2007/02/27/whats-really-in-my-cookie-cache/#comment-5 Good post Mike, and it's amazing how people are still uneducated about cookies, ad networks and web analytics. There is no evil (sadly, to be honest, we've seen some companies abuse the technology). If that might be of any help to your readers, I've been working on a Firefox extension called WASP (for Web Analytics Solution Profiler) that shows information about various ad networks and web analytics solution. It shows cookies and information being passed trough the URL in order to track user behavior. I'm making this tool for two primary reasons: 1) help practitioners improve their tagging 2) show the casual surfer that web analytics (or ad networks) isn't doing anything wrong! S.Hamel http://blog.immeria.net Good post Mike, and it’s amazing how people are still uneducated about cookies, ad networks and web analytics. There is no evil (sadly, to be honest, we’ve seen some companies abuse the technology).

If that might be of any help to your readers, I’ve been working on a Firefox extension called WASP (for Web Analytics Solution Profiler) that shows information about various ad networks and web analytics solution. It shows cookies and information being passed trough the URL in order to track user behavior.

I’m making this tool for two primary reasons: 1) help practitioners improve their tagging 2) show the casual surfer that web analytics (or ad networks) isn’t doing anything wrong!

S.Hamel
http://blog.immeria.net

]]> By: Learn About Your Ad Cookies » Conversion Rater - web analytics, online advertising, and website publishing. http://www.mikeonads.com/2007/02/27/whats-really-in-my-cookie-cache/comment-page-1/#comment-3 Learn About Your Ad Cookies » Conversion Rater - web analytics, online advertising, and website publishing. Wed, 28 Feb 2007 07:48:13 +0000 http://www.mikeonads.com/2007/02/27/whats-really-in-my-cookie-cache/#comment-3 [...] It looks like Mike is aiming to uncover mysteries and dispel some of the common myths about things in the ad business, and his first major post is a good one that teaches people about what’s in an advertising cookie. [...] [...] It looks like Mike is aiming to uncover mysteries and dispel some of the common myths about things in the ad business, and his first major post is a good one that teaches people about what’s in an advertising cookie. [...]

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