Clickbait

I came across a site today that really resonates with me. The title is Clickbait. This lady is telling it like it is.

I think most of us have been ‘teased’ at one time or another by a clickbait site. Those titles like ’15 reasons you shouldn’t eat sushi’ or ’20 Lies You Probably Believe’ that entice you to keep clicking because there is only one item per page and that page is covered with ads!

There is a certain website ad on Facebook that posts those enticing titles that started me thinking about this. (Facebook is full of links that we shouldn’t click) I clicked the link and then it was click, click, click, over and over. Teasers galore, click, click, click. Just an effort to show you more ads. I was curious about this site so I copied the URL and removed everything that appeared after the site URL.

There was no click, click, click. All those teasers were on one page.

What’s going on here? I have wondered how much time these folks devote to creating all those pages. And I think I know. Not much time at all. They just create their normal pages which are probably ok and then they use a clickbait generator!

I did some searching and found lots of site for clickbait.

Here are some of them.

https://thestack.com/world/2015/10/15/machine-learning-generates-clickbait-headlines-that-will-shock-you/

http://www.adweek.com/creativity/create-your-own-overly-emotional-click-baiting-headline-upworthy-generator-153984/

The dirty secrets of clickbait. This post will blow your mind!

https://econsultancy.com/blog/64399-the-dirty-secrets-of-clickbait-this-post-will-blow-your-mind/

The Dead Simple Headline Formula You Can Use To Generate Millions of Pageviews

https://skillcrush.com/2014/01/23/click-bait-tips/

I will certainly avoid those teaser sites if I possibly can. I don’t have a problem with folks trying to make a few dollars, but I hate being teased!

This is what got me started on the quest for clickbait:

I clicked this link from Facebook.

http://honesttopaws.com/trailer-park-cats/2/?bdk=b702aol&as=702aol&pas=1

Looks like clickbait for sure. But when I removed all the extra stuff and got this:

http://honesttopaws.com/trailer-park-cats/

It looked like a normal site, not clickbait.

I never cease to be amazed at what goes on with the Internet!

Facebook, Adios for Now

At least until the election is over!

I like Facebook for the most part, but lately it is too depressing.

Babies being raped, dogs being abused or killed and other depressing stuff.

Politics getting too ugly. Today just one more post put me over the edge, so this tells me ‘bye for now, Facebook!'

Not closing my account just yet, but I have thought about it.

Maybe I will get some productive work done by staying off Facebook for awhile. And maybe, just maybe, I can figure out why Facebook always take me back to the beginning if I click a link that goes to another Facebook page!

The Internet

Ah the Internet! Full of the most interesting things. Educational things, documentaries, funny stuff, sad stuff and of course all those cat videos.

But there is a dark side to the Internet as well. Hackers and scammers just to name a few.

One of the biggest problems on the Internet are the folks with agendas. Some of them are so clever you really don’t realize what is happening.

There is software available that can edit any video to make it seem something entirely different from the original.

There is software that can edit any photo to make it look different than the original by adding or subtracting objects or people.

When you see one of these edited videos or photos you probably won’t be able to tell if it has been altered in any way.

So how can you know what to believe?  Just be skeptical. If it seems really out of character for someone, check it out. Don’t let your personal beliefs persuade you it must be true, just because you think it is, or would like it to be true.

Agendas can be in places where you would least suspect them. They can be in schools, churches, social gatherings and even families. They can be extremely subtle or outright blatant, but agendas are every where.

Then there are the conspiracy theories. Some are really bizarre, but others are rather believable, especially if they fit what you want to believe.. Usually these conspiracy  theories are started by someone with a not so hidden agenda, Some may have a bit of truth but are so exaggerated it’s hard to see how people can believe them. The sad truth is the Internet has made folks gullible!

If you find that hard to believe,  just look at all the hoaxes out there! First they came in in our email and now on social networking sites like Facebook. Some hoaxes were so outlandish it’s hard to believe that anyone fell for them, but they did by the thousands and passed them on to everyone in their contact list or on Facebook.

Still I would not want to be without the Internet. If it weren’t for the Internet I wouldn’t be able to stream TV and I would still be paying outrageous cable bills. I wouldn’t be able to shop online (that might be good, though).

Good or bad, agenda, conspiracy theories, jokes and cat videos, I still love the Internet!

Block Those Scamming Robo Calls

Yesterday morning  I received one of those fake IRS scam calls. I didn’t answer the phone but the scumbag left a threatening message on my answer machine. Guess this might be a new tactic, but then again I’ve been told my voicemail message sounds like me and not a canned message. (Sometimes I get a message ‘Press one or Press two’. These from my health insurer, no idea what that is about!)

I was pretty irked to say the least.

Previously I had tried to setup Nomorobo, but at that time it wasn’t available for Charter.

Since it is generally easier to delete voicemail messages while logged into my Charter account, I logged in to delete the message.

Wonderful! Nomorobo is now available! I set it up last night and this morning it has already blocked one of those ‘Toll Free Calls’.

I am delighted!

If you are interested in blocking robocalls, check to see if you can get Nomorobo for your phone.

It’s about time we can fight back!

Ah, Facebook!

What I want to read on Facebook.

I want to see my family and friends and how they are doing.

I like funny stuff like cat and doggy videos.

What I don't want to read on Facebook.

Anything about politics or religion ( I have my opinion about both and anything I see on Facebook will not change my mind)

I don't want to 'copy and paste' someone else's post. (I have to admit to being guilty of this, but I am trying to be selective and only share funny stuff.)

I don't want to click links to quizzes that just are there to capture your stuff. This 'Place of birth' could be another way for scammers to add to profiles for ID theft.

I see no reason to re-post, share or otherwise comment on whether I love my kids, or other family members.

I know most of the weird stuff could be hoaxes, photo-shopped or unsubstantiated rumors, so I just wish folks would check it out before posting.  I know it’s all too easy to just click share and go on, but think!

And remember the majority of those posts denigrating someone or someone, are probably by someone somewhere with a *hidden agenda!

Think before you share!

*http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hidden%20agenda

Got a call today from a scammer.

The Caller ID showed 212-777-3461. I wasn't going to answer, but my younger son answered it. The caller asked for my older son by name.

My son said  "He isn't here". The caller said our computers were sending out virus.

My son  told the caller "We don't have any computers because the police took them all when he was arrested."

The caller immediately hung up.

I am still laughing.

Names are not listed to protect the innocent and the guilty.

Those Tacky Cookie Warnings

A lot of folks really don’t like cookies from websites.Nearly every browser has a way to delete cookies and a lot of utilities have an option to delete cookies.

Personally I have never worried about cookies as for the most part they are harmless, but they are a method to track users. I just assume I am being tracked anywhere I go on the web.

But recently I keep seeing something like this on a number of sites:

(Click to enlarge)

Okay I know you are placing a cookie on my computer. I already knew this before you started with this obnoxious banner! So being the ornery old lady I am, I now do this:



The folks who put this on their sites are getting it from Google. If you click the ‘More info’ link you get taken to Google’s Privacy & Terms page.  At the top of the side menu is Technology and then Advertising. And the truth is revealed. Read it for your self!

Privacy and Terms/Advertising

Then there is ‘UClick’.



According to this banner they use a cookie to ‘get you the best experience on our website’. I fail to see how collecting information about a view to one of their sites is going to make the experience any better, all I see is they are collecting information to share with other sites, basically to do with your details as they see fit.

Universal Uclick Privacy Policy

This page is a bit long and I suspect they count on folks not bothering to read it all, but again, nothing they say here is really going to benefit the user, just the site owner and/or affiliates.

I know we are being tracked everywhere we go on the web. I don’t knowingly go to sites that are not what I would choose. But my information can be shared, sold or given to any number of other sites.

Keep in mind, nothing is or almost nothing is really free any more. We the consumers are the product, not the websites, free utilities or most advertised free stuff.

Don't Believe Everything You See, Hear or Read On The Internet!

I have gotten to the point where I don’t believe hardly anything I read on the Internet, including Facebook. I don't always believe what I read in print either. There are just too many trolls, mischief makers and downright liars out there.

I suppose I can still believe most of what I see in real life, but with technology evolving so much I am beginning to wonder about that as well. (And if I go shopping I sometimes have a problem believing what some folks are willing to wear in public!)

Some folks take a grain of truth (maybe truth) and blow it all out of proportion to reality.

Some folks may not like a politician, a political party, a situation and want to make the world believe something is true when it isn't. (Think Birthers) The fact is you just can't believe any third party accounts any more as there is no telling if what they say is true or not. This can include almost anyone, including friends and/or family members. They are most likely well meaning and they may believe what they are saying is true, but in fact, they may just want to believe it and want you to believe it as well.

I don't answer the phone much any more either. You can't trust Caller ID anymore either as the scammers know how to spoof who they are including names AND numbers. They frequently use spoofed names such as ‘Toll Free Call’, ‘Support Center’, or even an important sounding name such as US Government.

The scammers masquerade as someone calling from Microsoft (Microsoft doesn't call anyone unless the person has an ongoing problem ticket initiated by them.) The scammers could be a collection agency using illegal tactics to make folks think they have to pay up whether they owe anything or not. The list goes on and on. I wish I could block these scammers, but they would just change the number and keep calling. Once your number is added to a list, it is in the wild and anyone can buy those lists.

Martha

MyPhone

We have an unlisted phone number and we signed up for the 'Do not call Registry', but it doesn't make any difference. We still get calls from scammers, unethical marketers, dubious charities and the list goes on. The phone rings all day from these calls.
We have considered just cancelling the phone service, but that really isn't a viable option for now. (Maybe later)

We have caller ID, but with all the folks that know how to spoof phone numbers and names, it doesn't always let us know who is really calling.

If only we could afford one of those automated answering systems!
It could go something like this:

"Hello, thank you for calling our unlisted number!"
"Press one if you are a scammer!"
"Press two if you are trying to sell us something we don't want!"
"Press three if you want us to donate some money to your CEO and maybe a little bit to a real charity!"
"Press four if you are from Microsoft and my computer is sending out a virus!"

Which ever number they press would automatically hang up.

For folks we want to talk to, there is this option:
"If you are one of our family members or friends, dial the secret extension you were given by us and leave a message or just wait for someone to answer"

However, we don't have one of those systems so we will just have to look at the caller ID and if it is a number we recognize, answer it or let it ring.

Breaking News

Something is seriously wrong with 'Breaking News'!

Maybe it's just me, but I foolishly thought 'Breaking News' should be something of some magnitude of importance such as floods, earthquakes, national events that affect us, etc.

I get 'Breaking News' notices from USA Today. I am seriously considering canceling this service.

The reason?

Kim Kardashian announced she is pregnant.  This is important? How? Millions of women are finding out they are pregnant and it isn't important to anyone except their families and friends.

If this is 'Breaking News', then I guess I don't need to know about these news flashes.

Good grief!

 

Martha

Less is More and More is Too Much!

Why do I think I need so much stuff?

The last time I moved house was in 2005. I cleaned out stuff galore.  I donated loads and loads of stuff to Goodwill.  I sold over $200 worth of paperback books to Half Price Books.  (That was a LOT of paperbacks, they don’t pay too much for old books!)

I took a lot of stuff to a consignment shop. I tossed out gobs of old stuff. (Why I had kept it all, who knows?)

When I finally got moved and everything put away,  I thought I had finally purged all the un-needed stuff from my life.  I was wrong.

I still have too much stuff. Yesterday I decided I should take my cell phone with me when I go out into the back yard. (Just in case the door gets stuck, I can call for help to get back in the house. That happened once before, but I was IN the house, luckily!)

Now I don’t want to just lay my phone down somewhere, I want it in reach (I might fall down!) So I remembered I have a small pocket on a chain that would work just great. So I went looking for it. What in the world is all this stuff hiding in dresser drawers!

Time to get rid of more stuff.

I found things that I thought I had thrown away, donated, or just forgot I had ever had!  (Why do I have 40 pairs of socks?)

I did find that pocket, but now I have to go through all those drawers where stuff is hiding out of sight.  The closet too, and get rid of more stuff.

I know why I have so many clothes I don’t wear any more. What if I gain back all the weight I lost and need them?

That kind of thinking is why I have so much stuff! I might need it!  So I need a new mind set, ‘That stuff is old.  If I need it I’ll get new stuff!’

Less stuff will give me more room. (To get more stuff!)

 

Martha

It Seemed Like a Good Deal

I was offered a really good deal with Verizon. Get a tablet for $100 and get a $100 rebate and  1GB of Data Free for Life! (For the tablet)



Except it wasn’t.

Today when I checked on it, I found out the rebate form was lost.  The customer service rep told me I was more than welcome to resubmit if I had a copy, which I didn’t as it was filled out at the store and mailed before I came home.

This just reinforces my opinion of rebates.

They suck.

It has yet to be determined if I get that 1GB of Data, it sure doesn’t show on my online plan!

Martha

Trapped!

A garage door opener is such a handy thing.  That is until it doesn’t work.

We didn’t know there was a problem until my son came home from work and the remote opener didn’t work. Our garage door is extremely heavy and he was afraid it would fall before he could get it completely raised. He certainly didn’t want it to fall on his car.

My car was in the garage and I really didn’t want that door to fall on my  new car!

So here we were, one car in the driveway and one trapped in the garage.

I am a bit paranoid about all sorts of stuff and I kept thinking, ‘What if the house caught fire? I couldn’t get my new car out!

I made a rather frantic call to a overhead door repair and the next morning all was well. The door was fixed toot sweet and now I am no longer ‘trapped’.

Martha

A Dangerous Day?

Supposedly daylight savings time save energy. I guess maybe there is a small savings, but on the whole, is it really worth it?

Think about it. The Friday before this silly thing started, people were driving to work in daylight. The Monday after, they are driving to work in the dark, and they haven’t had quite enough sleep. So more accidents are likely to happen. No savings there.

When those sleepy heads do get to work, they are just a tad sleepier than normal and as a general rule, sleepy people are not at their most productive. No savings there either.

I am not the only one thinking about this. So I Googled it. Look what I found.

USA Today  In fact this dumb practice is actually costing MORE energy! And it is dangerous to our health!

Daylight Saving Time is Bad for Your Health I knew it!

There is a lot more,  just Google it for yourself.

Two states seem to be smarter than the rest, Arizona and Hawaii do not observe DST (Daylight Saving Time). maybe I should move.

So how did all this silliness start?  If you really want to know, this article on  WebExhibits is pretty thorough and very interesting.

Rant over.

Martha

Doldrums

Doldrums defined:

: a state or period of sadness or depression

: a state or period in which there is no activity or improvement

That certainly fits the description of me for the past month. I guess it's the weather.  Or maybe it's just a state of mind due to my advancing age. Whatever it is, I am trying to overcome this 'state', but it isn't easy.

Whatever the cause/reason, I have discovered I am not alone. A lot of folks around me are having the same problem.

It Has to be the weather. I can hardly wait for Spring!

 

Martha

Product Feedbacks

Almost every time I buy something online, I get that email from the seller:

“Please rate product”

I used to do it, but not anymore. The first time or two, the format I submitted was not satisfactory.  Please edit to include ‘yada yada’

First of all, they sent me a request.  When I responded, they acted like I was the one who wanted the feedback and wanted me to edit my response.

So guess what? I just said to hell with it and now I don’t ever ever respond to requests for feedback.

In all fairness, I suppose other retailers might not make the same error in judgment as that first one did. However, my time is worth something to me and I choose not to respond to something that doesn’t meet their requirements.

I read a letter published in my newspaper.  This letter just said what I believe to be true. Don’t annoy customers, it’s bad business. When I get those requests for feedback, I am annoyed. I delete them unopened as I consider them SPAM.

Annoyed,

Martha

Facebook, Do I Need It?

I keep thinking about leaving Facebook, but so far I haven’t. I just wish I could hide some posts, especially all those posts about politics.

Some folks on my Facebook are die hard political fanatics. I really don’t want to read the lies that are put out by both parties, the GOP and Dems alike.  They both have too many absurdities to be believed, but that doesn’t seem to make much differences to folks. Those political posts just keep coming.

Then there are the sappy posts. Like ‘If you love your son  share” or other goofy crap.

Ah the hoaxes! So many and so few to dispute them.

And don’t forget the religious posts. Lots and lots of them. I have nothing against religion, but is it really something for Facebook? Especially since there are so many different religions and not everyone feels the same way about others beliefs.

I mistakenly thought Facebook was for family members and real friends to connect with one another about real things like what’s going on in your lives.  Some folks seem to ‘friend’ anyone and everyone whether the know them or not. I guess that’s ok, but this is how the scammers get in and who knows what damage they will do?

I know Facebook has to make revenue in order to keep this monster going. I don’t have a problem with that. But the latest thing that Facebook wants to impose on us is just about the limit.

Oh, Brother: Here Come Facebook’s New Video Ads… That Autoplay In Your Feed

I have no doubt the marketers will jump on it. I will then leave Facebook for sure. (Maybe)

I just wish we could have rules for Facebook like the ones in my Yahoo Groups. (No political and religious posts allowed)

Tale of a Prescription Part Two

The conspiracy seems alive and well.

I did go back later that day and guess what, the prescription still wasn’t ready.  The reason this time, they didn’t have the required amount and it had to be ordered.

Sigh! I have never ever had this much trouble getting a prescription filled. It isn’t as though it had a narcotic involved, not a pain killer of any kind! Just a antibiotic to kill an infection.

I finally got that prescription. Was it a massive amount? No, just an tiny tube. I just hope it does the job after all that hassle. It has an option for refills, so if I need to refill it, I will put in the request at least two weeks before I actually need it!

 

Martha

Tale of a Prescription

If I was even a little bit paranoid, I would have been sure this was a conspiracy out to get me.

Last week I went to the eye doctor for my annual exam. Everything was as well as can be expected after having eye surgery on the right eye to repair a macula hole. However I do have an infection on the eye lids, so the doctor said he was giving me a prescription. The assistant said it wouldn’t be ready until after 5 PM, so since I turn into a pumpkin about that time I waited until the following day to pick it up

The pharmacy had no record of this prescription, so I called the eye doctor’s office to see what was up. After checking they were most apologetic and said they were sending it ‘right now’.

Now I went to pick it up, but no it still wasn’t ready as the prescription did not have the required specified amount. The pharmacy had faxed the doctor’s office, but there had been no reply. So I went back the next day and yet again the prescription was not ready as there still had been no reply from the doctor’s office.

Fast forward to today. I went to pick up the prescription and it wasn’t ready  and won’t be until 5 PM. So again, I will wait.  Since there is a major temperature drop expected tonight, I guess I will try to hold off on the reversion to the pumpkin stage and pick it up after 5 PM, assuming it will finally be ready.

If it isn’t ready, I am going to assume there really is a conspiracy concerning this prescription!

Hoaxes Abound, Especially on Facebook

I have to wonder, why are there so many hoaxes on the Internet? I suspect there is a small number of folks that just take delight in fooling people.

They used to come mainly in emails sent by worried friends who want to protect us. They warned us about all of the bad things just waiting to happen to us if we don’t watch out, so ‘forward this to everyone you know’.

They also told us about the really great things that Microsoft or other big companies would give us if we just forward the email to ‘everyone we know’.

And let’s not forget about all of the evil things that will happen to our computers, including total destruction. All of this silliness just kept coming and coming, with supposed references to the news, Snopes or other sources. However, if anyone took the time to investigate,  the hoax would be quickly determined to be just that, a hoax.

Now the hoaxers have a great big wonderful venue to perpetrate their false missives. Facebook can reach so many more folks so much faster!  I discovered that Snopes (Snopes is a site to help dispel hoaxes) now has 344 Facebook hoaxes as of this writing and by the time you read this there will probably be more.  Truth or Fiction is another site to research to ‘get the truth’. Another site is Facecrooks. (I like this one!)

I wish there was a way to convince my gullible friends to think about these things before they perpetrate the hoax. There are almost always clues to indicate it is a hoax. These warnings always seemed to include ‘send this to everyone you know’, or ‘post it to all your friends’.

If you think it’s better to be safe than sorry and go ahead and post or email that hoax, you really need to think again. That’s how these hoaxes spread, by well meaning folks who ‘don’t want to take a chance’ and don’t bother to research.

To check it out, go to Google or your favorite search engine. You will probably find out very quickly if it’s true or not. You can check with Snopes, Truth or Fiction and even the website of that TV station that supposedly reported it.

Just don’t make the hoaxers happy by posing hoaxes!