Anyone use this program? What's your opinion of it?
I just tried it, found 354 objects that needed quarantined.
Ad-Aware
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Winnipesaukee
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Anonymous
Winnipesaukee wrote:I really don't care about digging out spyware. I have ZoneAlarm so no data leaves my computer without my permission- thus rendering spyware useless.
I agree here. I have never used these little Spyware/Adware killers; they probably fit the definition of spyware/adware themselves
. If it ain't broke, don't fix it; if you aren't having noticable problems with your system, don't worry about it, as far as I'm concerned.
I also use a firewall -- Sygate Personal Firewall, to be specific. I like it a little better than ZoneAlarm.
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Willh
There's no overdoing it when it comes to your security.
I use zone alarm and it's amazing. I look at the logs and there's literally hundreds of attempts a day to get into my computer. (cable modem)
However a firewall does not stop some things that come from web sites you visit. As an example, the good old Weather Channel web site puts a tracking cookie on your computer called "Avenue A". This spyware tracks your web browsing and reports home, so advertising can be targeted to you. At best, these things run in the background and consume your system resources. At worst, your personal habits are distributed all over the internet.
Ad-Aware is a good program that will remove spyware from your computer. It does what it's supposed to do, and doesn't seem to have any detrimental effect on your computer. The developers do not offer frequent updates, so I wonder how it works on new threats. Maybe it recognizes code that is written to run in the background or something.
I regularly use spybot. It removes spyware effectively and offers frequent updates. This may use name recognition, like a virus scan. But this program has many other useful features. It can "innoculate" your computer, catching spyware before it gets loaded into your computer. It catches Avenue A every time I go on to weather.com. It also offers a file shredder for security minded persons, and offers other scans, such as usage tracks, and registry inconsistencies. It's amazing how much information the windows programs store on your computer. A record of every document you look, every music file, every web site you visit is stored, somtimes in multiple places. This flushes out most of them. (It doesn't catch the record of media files you play in Quicktime though).
BTY, all three of the above are free downloads.
If you question the need for a document shredder, do a google search on computer forensics. They can recover a document that's been erased and overwritten, even after a defragmentation!
I shy away from "cleaning" the registry because I corrupted a part of it and had a lot of problems with that. (regedit/fix) seemed to clear that up.
So even with a firewall, spyware does get in.
Of course a virus scan is a must have too. However my ISP recently installed an automated scan for all incoming emails. It will intercept suspicious emails (and spam if you direct it to) and quarantine it for safe viewing at their web site.
Hope this helps.
I use zone alarm and it's amazing. I look at the logs and there's literally hundreds of attempts a day to get into my computer. (cable modem)
However a firewall does not stop some things that come from web sites you visit. As an example, the good old Weather Channel web site puts a tracking cookie on your computer called "Avenue A". This spyware tracks your web browsing and reports home, so advertising can be targeted to you. At best, these things run in the background and consume your system resources. At worst, your personal habits are distributed all over the internet.
Ad-Aware is a good program that will remove spyware from your computer. It does what it's supposed to do, and doesn't seem to have any detrimental effect on your computer. The developers do not offer frequent updates, so I wonder how it works on new threats. Maybe it recognizes code that is written to run in the background or something.
I regularly use spybot. It removes spyware effectively and offers frequent updates. This may use name recognition, like a virus scan. But this program has many other useful features. It can "innoculate" your computer, catching spyware before it gets loaded into your computer. It catches Avenue A every time I go on to weather.com. It also offers a file shredder for security minded persons, and offers other scans, such as usage tracks, and registry inconsistencies. It's amazing how much information the windows programs store on your computer. A record of every document you look, every music file, every web site you visit is stored, somtimes in multiple places. This flushes out most of them. (It doesn't catch the record of media files you play in Quicktime though).
BTY, all three of the above are free downloads.
If you question the need for a document shredder, do a google search on computer forensics. They can recover a document that's been erased and overwritten, even after a defragmentation!
I shy away from "cleaning" the registry because I corrupted a part of it and had a lot of problems with that. (regedit/fix) seemed to clear that up.
So even with a firewall, spyware does get in.
Of course a virus scan is a must have too. However my ISP recently installed an automated scan for all incoming emails. It will intercept suspicious emails (and spam if you direct it to) and quarantine it for safe viewing at their web site.
Hope this helps.
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This space for rent.
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Anonymous
For those either without a firewall or already using ZoneAlarm, I would highly recommend at least checking out this free alternative:
http://download.com.com/3000-2092-10247 ... ag=lst-0-1
ZoneAlarm was a little too obtrusive and bloaty for my tastes, whereas this has fit the bill perfectly for over a year. The logs that are available with this are extensive and I believe a little more detailed than ZA's.
Just something to try out.
http://download.com.com/3000-2092-10247 ... ag=lst-0-1
ZoneAlarm was a little too obtrusive and bloaty for my tastes, whereas this has fit the bill perfectly for over a year. The logs that are available with this are extensive and I believe a little more detailed than ZA's.
Just something to try out.
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Winnipesaukee
- Tropical Storm
- Posts: 190
- Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2003 10:00 pm
coriolis wrote:As an example, the good old Weather Channel web site puts a tracking cookie on your computer called "Avenue A". This spyware tracks your web browsing and reports home, so advertising can be targeted to you. At best, these things run in the background and consume your system resources. At worst, your personal habits are distributed all over the internet.
You have been misinformed about Cookies.
Cookies ARE NOT spyware, virus's, or Trojans. They are completely harmless and can't 'report' by themselves to anything. They are merely non-executable text files that a website can write to your computer to store information, mostly just to make your life easier. As for tracking, they can only track your actions on the site that issued it, they can not be read by any other site/person. Do you really care if a sites publisher knows what pages you visited? I got news for you, blocking cookies doesn't make you anonymous. The apache webserver logs every single page you visit, and there is nothing you can do to stop it.
The "personal habits distributed over the internet" is quite exaggerated. Data on how people navigate web pages is valuable, but it's not like like someone has has a list of pages that *YOU* visited. It's just aggregate data- thats hardly personal.
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I looked at the web site for Avenue A. This is the tracking cookie that tries to get on my computer every time I visit weather.com
Harmless, my eye! This is diabolical.
To get extraordinary results, you need extraordinary methods.
Building profitable relationships with your target audience online takes more than a clever Internet campaign. It requires extensive online media experience and a proven understanding of what works. As one of the largest buyers of Internet media with unsurpassed knowledge of digital marketing, we can help you get closer to your audience. Our strategies incorporate sophisticated data modeling techniques, experienced evaluation, and continual monitoring of your campaign for the most successful digital channels and creative approaches.
-Behavioral, attitudinal and demographic media planning
-Customer behavior-based segmentation and profiling
-Attitudinal/needs-based segmentation and profiling
-Web-based behavioral analysis
-Site specific behavioral analysis
-key words
-purchased e-mail lists
-Real-time message personalization
-Real-time site personalization
-Test and control methodologies and targeting platform
-Customer acquisition and retention modeling
A testimonial:
"The people at Avenue A repeatedly bring us outside-the-box ideas and breakthrough capabilities relating to segmentation, tracking, and developing a 360-degree view of our customer. We think of them as an extension of our own marketing department
How it works:
Customer-Centric Marketing: Targeting by Behavior
When Internet advertising debuted on Hot Wired back in 1994, the promise of one-to-one marketing loomed large. The excitement over that first banner ad, its astounding 40% click-through rate and the promise of what was to come made most marketers want to jump right in. However, as with most human behavior, when faced with something new, advertisers reverted back to the familiar by applying old methods to the new medium.
Marketers ventured into Internet advertising using a site-centric marketing model, employing the traditional model of media planning to the new medium. The traditional model includes using site demographics as the basis for media planning. The idea was if an advertiser selected a site that had favorable demographics, they were betting that this target group would be interested in their product-essentially trying to predict behavior. As an example, an advertiser selling athletic shoes trying to reach men ages 18-34 might look to sites like ESPN.com or menshealth.com in an effort to market their wares. Web sites were used as proxies for the customer group they are trying market to.
But by applying the traditional model of media planning to the Internet, advertisers are missing the point. The Internet allows a much richer communication flow from advertiser to prospect. The Internet allows advertisers to capture actual anonymous behavior of their prospects-allowing an advertiser to use past behavior to predict future behavior-a much better predictor than attempting to infer behavior through demographics.
Bottom line, an advertiser really doesn't care much about the demographics of a prospect turned customer-they care that they purchase. It wouldn't matter if that customer were 18 or 80, as long as they have the potential of becoming a long term, valued customer.
This ability to capture actual behavior has led to a growing shift from site-centric marketing to consumer-centric marketing. At Avenue A, customer-centric marketing means answering the fundamental marketing question, "What does each customer want?"
First, let's explore how the unique capabilities of the Internet allow marketers to capture the anonymous behavior necessary to answer that question, and then discuss how to use targeting methods to best leverage the information.
As we have all heard, the promise of the Internet is one-to-one marketing, delivering the right message to the right person at the right time, and ultimately at the right price. It is through innovative technology that we are able to make the tremendous leap from one-to-many to one-to-one. It is centralized ad serving that gives advertisers the opportunity to leverage one-to-one messaging.
At a high level, here is how it works:
A consumer goes to Yahoo. Using HTML, the homepage is built using content from a variety of sources. In the space reserved for an ad, a small line of code is inserted, called a redirect. Yahoo recognizes the redirect, and then directs a signal to a third party ad server to serve the ad. The ad server then queries the users browser looking for an anonymous, random cookie number. The cookie number is captured, and sent back to the ad server. The server then looks up the cookie history-basically looks up every ad that has ever been served to that browser. The ad server then uses that information to select and insert the appropriate ad in the Yahoo page.
The power of that process puts the marketer in complete control of messaging on a one-to-one basis. This power can be used throughout multiple targeting methodologies. For example, at Avenue A, we use ad sequencing as one highly effective targeting method.
Ad sequencing means to put a series of ads in front of a consumer, based on their past behavior. For example, we have several clients that sell jewelry. In many cases, the holiday season accounts for the highest volume of sales every year. With ad sequencing, an advertiser could increase the size of the offer to an individual consumer based on that particular consumer's behavior.
The first ad served to a prospect might be a branded banner, with messaging "click here to purchase a special watch for that special someone." If a consumer responded to that ad, and purchased a watch, the next ad they would see would be for a piece of jewelry. If the consumer ignored the first banner, the next time our ad serving system saw that consumer, anywhere on the Internet, the advertiser could serve a different banner increasing the size of the offer, perhaps to include free shipping. If the consumer still did not respond, and the holiday drew nearer, the advertiser could increase the offer again to include "free shipping and free gift wrapping."
Innovation allows us to treat the consumer as an individual, rather than a member of a demographic that "might" be interested in purchasing jewelry for the holidays.
As an example of the power of one-to-one marketing, one Avenue A client achieved a 162% improvement when targeting based on actual purchases versus targeting based on generic demographic and click behavior.
This is just one of many ways that technology is helping online marketers send the right message to the right person at the right time-and at the right price. With targeting methods like this, advertisers are not restricted to paying high CPM's for a demographic that might be interested in their product-they now have information on a prospect's past behavior, and can market to them individually-anywhere on the Internet.
Harmless, my eye! This is diabolical.
To get extraordinary results, you need extraordinary methods.
Building profitable relationships with your target audience online takes more than a clever Internet campaign. It requires extensive online media experience and a proven understanding of what works. As one of the largest buyers of Internet media with unsurpassed knowledge of digital marketing, we can help you get closer to your audience. Our strategies incorporate sophisticated data modeling techniques, experienced evaluation, and continual monitoring of your campaign for the most successful digital channels and creative approaches.
-Behavioral, attitudinal and demographic media planning
-Customer behavior-based segmentation and profiling
-Attitudinal/needs-based segmentation and profiling
-Web-based behavioral analysis
-Site specific behavioral analysis
-key words
-purchased e-mail lists
-Real-time message personalization
-Real-time site personalization
-Test and control methodologies and targeting platform
-Customer acquisition and retention modeling
A testimonial:
"The people at Avenue A repeatedly bring us outside-the-box ideas and breakthrough capabilities relating to segmentation, tracking, and developing a 360-degree view of our customer. We think of them as an extension of our own marketing department
How it works:
Customer-Centric Marketing: Targeting by Behavior
When Internet advertising debuted on Hot Wired back in 1994, the promise of one-to-one marketing loomed large. The excitement over that first banner ad, its astounding 40% click-through rate and the promise of what was to come made most marketers want to jump right in. However, as with most human behavior, when faced with something new, advertisers reverted back to the familiar by applying old methods to the new medium.
Marketers ventured into Internet advertising using a site-centric marketing model, employing the traditional model of media planning to the new medium. The traditional model includes using site demographics as the basis for media planning. The idea was if an advertiser selected a site that had favorable demographics, they were betting that this target group would be interested in their product-essentially trying to predict behavior. As an example, an advertiser selling athletic shoes trying to reach men ages 18-34 might look to sites like ESPN.com or menshealth.com in an effort to market their wares. Web sites were used as proxies for the customer group they are trying market to.
But by applying the traditional model of media planning to the Internet, advertisers are missing the point. The Internet allows a much richer communication flow from advertiser to prospect. The Internet allows advertisers to capture actual anonymous behavior of their prospects-allowing an advertiser to use past behavior to predict future behavior-a much better predictor than attempting to infer behavior through demographics.
Bottom line, an advertiser really doesn't care much about the demographics of a prospect turned customer-they care that they purchase. It wouldn't matter if that customer were 18 or 80, as long as they have the potential of becoming a long term, valued customer.
This ability to capture actual behavior has led to a growing shift from site-centric marketing to consumer-centric marketing. At Avenue A, customer-centric marketing means answering the fundamental marketing question, "What does each customer want?"
First, let's explore how the unique capabilities of the Internet allow marketers to capture the anonymous behavior necessary to answer that question, and then discuss how to use targeting methods to best leverage the information.
As we have all heard, the promise of the Internet is one-to-one marketing, delivering the right message to the right person at the right time, and ultimately at the right price. It is through innovative technology that we are able to make the tremendous leap from one-to-many to one-to-one. It is centralized ad serving that gives advertisers the opportunity to leverage one-to-one messaging.
At a high level, here is how it works:
A consumer goes to Yahoo. Using HTML, the homepage is built using content from a variety of sources. In the space reserved for an ad, a small line of code is inserted, called a redirect. Yahoo recognizes the redirect, and then directs a signal to a third party ad server to serve the ad. The ad server then queries the users browser looking for an anonymous, random cookie number. The cookie number is captured, and sent back to the ad server. The server then looks up the cookie history-basically looks up every ad that has ever been served to that browser. The ad server then uses that information to select and insert the appropriate ad in the Yahoo page.
The power of that process puts the marketer in complete control of messaging on a one-to-one basis. This power can be used throughout multiple targeting methodologies. For example, at Avenue A, we use ad sequencing as one highly effective targeting method.
Ad sequencing means to put a series of ads in front of a consumer, based on their past behavior. For example, we have several clients that sell jewelry. In many cases, the holiday season accounts for the highest volume of sales every year. With ad sequencing, an advertiser could increase the size of the offer to an individual consumer based on that particular consumer's behavior.
The first ad served to a prospect might be a branded banner, with messaging "click here to purchase a special watch for that special someone." If a consumer responded to that ad, and purchased a watch, the next ad they would see would be for a piece of jewelry. If the consumer ignored the first banner, the next time our ad serving system saw that consumer, anywhere on the Internet, the advertiser could serve a different banner increasing the size of the offer, perhaps to include free shipping. If the consumer still did not respond, and the holiday drew nearer, the advertiser could increase the offer again to include "free shipping and free gift wrapping."
Innovation allows us to treat the consumer as an individual, rather than a member of a demographic that "might" be interested in purchasing jewelry for the holidays.
As an example of the power of one-to-one marketing, one Avenue A client achieved a 162% improvement when targeting based on actual purchases versus targeting based on generic demographic and click behavior.
This is just one of many ways that technology is helping online marketers send the right message to the right person at the right time-and at the right price. With targeting methods like this, advertisers are not restricted to paying high CPM's for a demographic that might be interested in their product-they now have information on a prospect's past behavior, and can market to them individually-anywhere on the Internet.
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This space for rent.
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ColdFront77
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Winnipesaukee
- Tropical Storm
- Posts: 190
- Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2003 10:00 pm
Much of that is just ad-speak and fluff. I don't see anything diabolical in that article. Stripped down, all that stuff means is that they serve ads based upon what ads you've already seen and based upon interests gathered from examining the pages you view. It's not spyware, it's just smart marketing and it's certainly not a practice exclusive to Avenue A, it's been done for a long time by virtually all of the top internet sites. No personally identifiable info of any value is being collected. They could do exactly what they are doing without cookies, cookies just make it easier.
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Well I don't like to be treated as a prospect.
Wait until the right (wrong) president gets in power and there's a "national emergency." People will throw away the safeguards for "safety."
They could compile a list of people that regularly visit Islamic web sites, or regularly view pornography, or visit sites on how to manufacture methamphetamine, or how to make bombs, or evade taxes, or download mp-3's (oops they already do that), or visit sites supporting private gun ownership, support abortion, oppose abortion, visit Rush Limbaugh's site, or belong to Earth First!, or who visit Jewish sites, or Catholic sites, or belong to labor unions..... You see where this could go.
And don't get me started about the UN running the internet.
Paronoid? Maybe.
Deluded? Nah.
Keeping eyes wide open? Yes!
Apologies to Will for going on a rant and taking this WAY off topic.
Wait until the right (wrong) president gets in power and there's a "national emergency." People will throw away the safeguards for "safety."
They could compile a list of people that regularly visit Islamic web sites, or regularly view pornography, or visit sites on how to manufacture methamphetamine, or how to make bombs, or evade taxes, or download mp-3's (oops they already do that), or visit sites supporting private gun ownership, support abortion, oppose abortion, visit Rush Limbaugh's site, or belong to Earth First!, or who visit Jewish sites, or Catholic sites, or belong to labor unions..... You see where this could go.
And don't get me started about the UN running the internet.
Paronoid? Maybe.
Deluded? Nah.
Keeping eyes wide open? Yes!
Apologies to Will for going on a rant and taking this WAY off topic.
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This space for rent.
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