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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Jun 18, 2021 15:56:10 GMT
If you're on David Gaughran's email list you got his email, too, about apple's new "email pixel c**k block* which will prevent authors from knowing if their emails have been opened if it's opened on an apple device, or possibly from an apple email address. As authors this will somewhat affect our email lists, if we have them. I don't. It will also affect BookBub and other email services because they won't know how many peeps are opening the emails, but David says click tracking (how many peeps click the buy links) will still work. So, if I'm understanding it correctly, this change shouldn't actually affect the number of sales you have. It will just make tracking open rates harder. Another thing that will mess up tracking is that ios15, which starts in September will report all emails that pass through its system as opened whether they were opened or not, so that will also mess up data. Not all email marketers pay attention to open rates, so for those who mainly care about conversions/clicks they won't be too bothered. I haven't visited any other author forums, but I imagine there are threads out there with authors freaking out cos we do whenever anything changes. But more privacy for consumers/readers doesn't seem like a bad thing to me. Although, loss of data for authors and other sellers of things is always sad, from a marketing perspective. Perhaps, the new wave of the future will be for every big author to have their own apps to sell their books on, or selling from author websites will become more normalized and popular, as the best/only way to gather reader data. Maybe Shane Lochlan Black is a true visionary, and he will become the guru we all look to for advice. I didn't see David's email on his website, so I've linked to an article, that he linked to in his email.  www.theverge.com/2021/6/8/22525195/apple-mail-protection-privacy-pixel-tracking-newsletters-substack |
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tweek
Junior Member
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Post by tweek on Jun 18, 2021 18:36:16 GMT
That's interesting to know. I don't use email marketing (paid or otherwise) much so I can't say I care. The tightening of privacy is a good thing. Eventually it's likely to hit the search data and other nosy Rosy stuff companies are collecting about people. It's all used to serve up the click/PPC ads and other invasive, not minding your own business kinda stuff. I also read Amazon just took over people's Wi-fi and are forcing it to be shared with 'neighbors'. They used a combination of access to your Wi-fi through the Ring doorbell system and Echo. arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/05/amazon-devices-will-soon-automatically-share-your-internet-with-neighbors/"On June 8, the merchant, Web host, and entertainment behemoth will automatically enroll the devices in Amazon Sidewalk. The new wireless mesh service will share a small slice of your Internet bandwidth with neighboring Sidewalk-capable devices that don’t have connectivity. Sidewalk will also help your Amazon devices to a sliver of bandwidth from other Sidewalk users when you don’t have a connection." Now that is the height of frigging cheek! |
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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Jun 18, 2021 19:26:29 GMT
Yikes on the amazon sidewalk! You have no idea what strangers using your WiFi could be using it for. It's nice for homeless folks though, who get kicked out of McDonald's or the library. Especially the peeps who live in cars.
I don't have any amazon smart devices in my house. I don't use window's Cortana (I deleted it), and although, I do have an iphone, I don't use Siri, either. I know I'm still being spied on anyway - I get ads for things I mention in emails - and there's no way to completely close yourself off from it - but, still, I try to not make the situation worse.
With email, I probably will start a list, or something like it, for TUOK. I haven't decided yet. There are plenty of options available.
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tweek
Junior Member
Posts: 57
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Post by tweek on Jun 18, 2021 20:35:27 GMT
I've seen the mention something in an email and get an ad thing. I can't work out if it's coincidence because it's pretty much illegal in most countries to access private emails that way.
And I don't understand people who allow listening devices in their home (& that includes Android TVs). The argument you get back is your iPhone/iPad can hear you too, but unlike say Alexa, my iPhone doesn't have my consent to listen to me. If it's listening, then it's breaking the law. Same thing with my Android TV. My TVs keep trying to turn on Google listening supposedly so I can ask for the movie/program I want. That led me to drill into the application options and turn off everything I wasn't using - it was something like 50+ applications that were auto turned on when I installed it. It now has about 6 tuned on. How many people even know how to do that? Trust me, they didn't make it easy to do.
Your average Joe doesn't understand how the tech works and they're sleeping walking into being tracked, listened to, and followed everywhere they go. I feel sorry for the next generations. They will never know privacy and I suspect will ultimately be controlled through forms of social credit. China already has it. You can be penalised (as in not get a job or access to transport) just because you know someone with bad social credit.
Google are supposedly bringing in controls on how much data companies can collect through the browser, but the suspicion is they are merely controlling their competition (I just read a WaPo article about it, but it's behind a pay wall so not much point posting the link). The game just gets uglier by the day.
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Post by writeway on Jun 19, 2021 22:25:03 GMT
I heard about it on Facebook and I posted there that I'm not worried about it. I do have mailing lists but I can't worry about stuff I can't control. All I can do is just deal with what changes come the best I can but honestly, I think it's a little of "the sky is falling down" when you hear about these Apple changes on FB. Will they affect things? Possibly but I don't think these changes will be as dire as some believe and if so, all we can do is deal with it. But some authors are worrying and going crazy and all that does is make people stressed. I choose to just focus on what I can control.
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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Jun 23, 2021 21:46:59 GMT
I've seen the mention something in an email and get an ad thing. I can't work out if it's coincidence because it's pretty much illegal in most countries to access private emails that way. And I don't understand people who allow listening devices in their home (& that includes Android TVs). The argument you get back is your iPhone/iPad can hear you too, but unlike say Alexa, my iPhone doesn't have my consent to listen to me. If it's listening, then it's breaking the law. Same thing with my Android TV. My TVs keep trying to turn on Google listening supposedly so I can ask for the movie/program I want. That led me to drill into the application options and turn off everything I wasn't using - it was something like 50+ applications that were auto turned on when I installed it. It now has about 6 tuned on. How many people even know how to do that? Trust me, they didn't make it easy to do. Your average Joe doesn't understand how the tech works and they're sleeping walking into being tracked, listened to, and followed everywhere they go. I feel sorry for the next generations. They will never know privacy and I suspect will ultimately be controlled through forms of social credit. China already has it. You can be penalised (as in not get a job or access to transport) just because you know someone with bad social credit. Google are supposedly bringing in controls on how much data companies can collect through the browser, but the suspicion is they are merely controlling their competition (I just read a WaPo article about it, but it's behind a pay wall so not much point posting the link). The game just gets uglier by the day. I found this video in my YT notifs, today, and since Amazon Sidewalk was mentioned here, I thought I'd share it. Security issues are definitely rampant, today. People are willingly giving up more and more of their freedoms for the sake of convenience. I could see China's social credit system catching on here, as well. Twitter already operates like that. Mobs of users are currently working for free to expose, bully, and cancel whoever isn't in lockstep agreement with them. Sometimes, actual villains are caught in the net, but that's rare, anymore. Hopefully, the government doesn't decide to start paying these peeps for their services. It's a good thriller idea, if nothing else! |
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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Jun 23, 2021 21:49:59 GMT
I heard about it on Facebook and I posted there that I'm not worried about it. I do have mailing lists but I can't worry about stuff I can't control. All I can do is just deal with what changes come the best I can but honestly, I think it's a little of "the sky is falling down" when you hear about these Apple changes on FB. Will they affect things? Possibly but I don't think these changes will be as dire as some believe and if so, all we can do is deal with it. But some authors are worrying and going crazy and all that does is make people stressed. I choose to just focus on what I can control. ! Ha! I figured there would probably be drama and angsting going on somewhere. And great attitude on being an anti-worrier! The peeps who stay calm are the ones who come up with the fastest solutions when things do go wrong, while everyone else is running around and into trees because the worry zombies chopped their heads off. |
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tweek
Junior Member
Posts: 57
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Post by tweek on Jun 24, 2021 10:40:23 GMT
I've seen an article telling people how to disable Amazon's Sidewalk. You have to wonder though how many other bombs they have hidden inside their various TOS. I'll never understand why the public put these organisations and their power hungry leaders on pedestals. It's like mass Stockholm Syndrome.
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Post by K'Sennia Visitor on Jun 26, 2021 19:05:23 GMT
I don't know. It's cool & trendy, and everyone else is using it. Peeps don't want to be left out, don't want to not be able to participate in social conventions/conversations/traditions that pop up via these companies/devices?
Monty Python got it.
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tweek
Junior Member
Posts: 57
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Post by tweek on Jun 27, 2021 14:18:03 GMT
Lol. Monty Python knew a thing or two about human behavior.
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