Thread: What a garbage site facebook is.

When I first registered for FB I got heaps of Ads for filipino brides so I decided to change my profile to be female.
No moire bride ads but plenty of sanitary product ads.

Then I install "fluff buster" which eliminated all the FB ads.
I posted some positive things about "fluff buster" and got some security messages which I ignore and eventually got cut off FB completely.

I've been accessing my deceased wife's FB account every week or so for about 7 months. I've have posted multiple times mainly for the benefit os my wife's friends about her passing etc and that I'm the hubby using her account but FB bots haven't done anything about that.

Originally Posted by ErrolFlynn

The article notes that “the system also incorporates a model for the buyer, created with embeddings using the demographic information from the person’s Facebook profile.”

[What kind of word is embeddings. I see later the article refers to parallelized net execution, whatever that is. The Yanks have a language all of their own.]

Anyway, in using the person’s profile, I wonder if that means if a guy asks his girlfriend or wife to use the computer to search for something, and if he uses Marketplace while she’s logged into Facebook, and he goes searching for something for the workshop it might come back with items in fitting with his female friend’s Facebook profile. If he searches for a pad for his angle grinder he might have it return a lineup of menstrual pads.

I’ve been using Marketplace a lot recently and having it 'powered by AI' seemed interesting, but it doesn’t seem too intelligent. Maybe it should have a conversation with ChatGPT.

I’ve been looking for a drop saw, some of which fall under the heading of cold saw. Though, a lot of the cold saws that are returned are Brobo or similar makes, which are all 3 phase. (I can wish...) Idea! Try a new search:

“cold saw not 3 phase”

and every item that was returned in the search was a 3 phase saw. Facebook must still be developing the AI.

at least you didn't get results of buckets of cabbage and mayo or herpes remedies

There’s an auction site near where I live. One of the items up for auction was a couple of caravan extension cords. I was interested as my old one is getting a bit old. I checked out the local stores on the web to see what they were worth before placing any bids. Just to get an idea of prices.

Okay, here’s the thing. I’ve been using Facebook looking for a saw. I’ve been checking daily to see if anything new or interesting comes up. You get used to the lineup of stuff that people are selling. So, now, ever since I checked out the price of that extension cord, every time I do a search for anything on Facebook Marketplace there’s an ad for a caravan extension cord. Annoying.

Originally Posted by ErrolFlynn

So, now, ever since I checked out the price of that extension cord, every time I do a search for anything on Facebook Marketplace there’s an ad for a caravan extension cord. Annoying.

EF

I'm afraid that is all part of internet technology. I don't do Facebook: Easy for me because I don't have a mobile phone either . However, I could still visit from the computer if I was so inclined, but I'm not, having zero interest in divesting confidential information about what I had for breakfast etc. etc..

This targeting of potential customers still reaches me, in spite of my Luddite tendencies. Recently I was discussing the subject of big cats with a friend. We happened to agree that pound for pound the Jaguar was the most impressive and powerful. I deferred to the computer and looked up on my mate Google the statistics for this particular animal. Within fifteen minutes I received advertisements via the newsfeed for Jaguar car spare parts.

The algorithms target your interests and redirect likely products. It is the way of the world. My wife used to rant against advertisements on the TV. I used to point out that she should thank for them as they were paying for her free television. (She never got that). Newspapers were and still are one of the few things you buy for less than it costs to produce, courtesy of the advertisers. These Forums rely heavily on "sponsors,' who in reality are advertisers.

Scammers are a different matter. They are crooks. Watch out for them and report where appropriate.

Regards
Paul

PS: Did you get the extension cord?
PPS: Did you find your saw?

Originally Posted by havabeer69

you guys do realise most of the bans etc happen from a computer learning words/pictures and just guessing if an item should be banned (or someone reporting it) the sheer volume of ad's on market place (not just here but around the world) could not be vetted by humans.

Under the hood: Facebook Marketplace powered by artificial intelligence

most of the scams are just auto script bots as well. job sites like "fiver" will even write you a custom one for you which will spit out all the responses you want, and i can only assume gives a notification at a certain level in the scam for a human to take over. So it doesn't matter if you have a Ukrainian flag or a naked lady as your profile pic its just a computer program targeting you.




ask the mods just how many fake profiles and attacks it probably gets in a day,

It goes well beyond that. I've been suspended 4 times from market place because of nothing more than poor word choice. Each one of those suspensions I have to appeal and it goes to a human for scrutiny... 1 was denied, a 120 year old mat cutting knife. The rest were lifted anywhere from 2 to 20 hours later because the idiot scrutinising them could see they were plane blades not knives.

Also, when a scam, that has been on going for months and reported at least a hundred times by separate individuals, it's going to get flagged... But they still do nothing to stop it... In fact, I've notice the scam is spreading to other cities. Same pics, same text, same everything. The scammer doesn't change a thing. Why? Because clearly fakebook doesn't do anything and he knows it... He knows their AI, if that's what's being used, is crap then. It should be programmed to look for such similarities in reported scams and flag them for further investigation by a human...

Doesn't matter how you explain it or slice it. Facebook is $hit, AI or not.

I'm finding better success on gumtree anyways. The scams are really basic and pathetic. They're so bad, they might as well start with THIS IS A SCAM...

And yes the Ukraine flag seems to be working on fakebook. The first couple weeks of attempting to sell stuff. Every ad was hit with one scam pretty soon after it was up. All were from profiles in Eastern Europe. Clearly compromised as they were all older grandparent type folks, with literally everything on their profiles out there for everyone to see... I started putting the Ukraine flag on 3 days ago, on 8 ads. None of those have had scam attempts. You believe what you like, but that's enough for me to continue.

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

I don't have a mobile phone

What, no phone?


How will you be able to cut off your friends mid-conversation when it rings? How will you be able to annoy movie goes by checking your Facebook messages during the film? When you go out for coffee, wouldn’t you rather send messages when sitting at the table than engage in a conversation with a real person?

I have to admit to having one. My partner and I share it. Though, she does hog it at times. And most times when we go out we leave it at home. I buy the cheapest and smallest I can get. The best phone is the one that fits my jean's fob pocket. I laugh when people say I’ll send you a link. It's too pathetic to be able to use the web. I also used to happily walk past people lined up at shop fronts scanning some Q-thingy with their phone during covid days, knowing my phone didn’t do apps.

I also had a weird experience recently with a bank. It got its knickers in a knot when it realised that my partner and I have the same phone number. They just couldn't cope.

I haven’t decided on the extension cord. The bidding hasn’t closed as yet but the price is getting up a bit high. Some people go silly at auctions.

Still looking for a saw. I’ve got my eye on one (on Facebook Marketplace, actually. Oh, dear), and if the owner gets around to contacting me I’ll call around and check it out at the weekend.

Originally Posted by BobL

When I first registered for FB I got heaps of Ads for filipino brides so I decided to change my profile to be female.
No moire bride ads but plenty of sanitary product ads.

Then I install "fluff buster" which eliminated all the FB ads.
I posted some positive things about "fluff buster" and got some security messages which I ignore and eventually got cut off FB completely.

I've been accessing my deceased wife's FB account every week or so for about 7 months. I've have posted multiple times mainly for the benefit os my wife's friends about her passing etc and that I'm the hubby using her account but FB bots haven't done anything about that.

I run fluff buster with facebook on firefox as well Bob. It is about the only way I could put up with the site. Facebook does not like people using this add-on and makes their dislike very well known, but who cares what they like.

Originally Posted by The Spin Doctor

I started putting the Ukraine flag on 3 days ago, on 8 ads. None of those have had scam attempts. You believe what you like, but that's enough for me to continue.

One wouldn't want to be a Russian in Russia being seen potentially communicating with the enemy, or a sympathiser.

It wouldnt look too good! (and a wee bit hard to explain...)

One might have an accident with a 10th story window.

This sponsored ad came up in Facebook Marketplace today. The link leads you to a website, stihlofficial.store, which would appear to have nothing at all to do with Stihl. The whole thing is totally unbelieveable and dodgy as buggery. I can hardly begin to imagine how much money and personal information these p!@#ks are mining from the more gullible amoungst us.

Originally Posted by aldav

This sponsored ad came up in Facebook Marketplace today. The link leads you to a website, stihlofficial.store, which would appear to have nothing at all to do with Stihl. The whole thing is totally unbelieveable and dodgy as buggery. I can hardly begin to imagine how much money and personal information these p!@#ks are mining from the more gullible amoungst us.

it says "sponsored" under that ad....
meaning a company is paying facebook to put it there.


but yeah its generally rife with knock off shops, there was one selling grizzly or similar american brand roller toolboxes. You instantly know its a scam as all the prices where under $100 and very precise amounts like $98.32. It actually baffles me to believe that the shonks running the websites must make enough out of conning people to pay facebook to promote their shonky website. Facebook obviously doesn't really care as its still advertising revenue for them but its clear that crime does pay.

Originally Posted by BMKal

I run fluff buster with facebook on firefox as well Bob. It is about the only way I could put up with the site. Facebook does not like people using this add-on and makes their dislike very well known, but who cares what they like.

I used a couple ad blockers that allow the user to customise and target specific elements. My fakebook is stripped back to the bare minimum now. Same with reddit. I only get the feeds I want to see, and nothing else.

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

PPS: Did you find your saw?

DW871-XE 14 inch Chop Saw - $160 seemed reasonable.

saw.JPG

I rushed out to Bunnings to put a new disk in. It was 3 mm thick. Is that standard? It's just I've heard of thinner disks around. I couldn't find any while shopping. Perhaps it's not possible to have anything thinner with larger disks.

Oh, yeah. Bought it using Facebook. Couldn't find anything else in my area in other sites that I wanted. So, yeah, Facebook has its uses, despite my hating the way the people run it.

I'm not a big facebook user, but I like marketplace for selling and buying, I only just bought a Dinghy with outboard yesterday

I bought a lot of bulky tools that required a 1 hr drive to pick up (dewalt thicknesser, various triton things ,a drill press and several pieces of furniture to name a few)

I have sold everything I've advertised with good results

admittedly there's some a@#$holes out there that will try it on with the "my sister will pick it up, put the money in your a/c routine" etc

you do have to have your wits about you, I will only buy/sell in person for cash and nobody gets my address unless they make an appointment
generally you can work out a persons character and honesty by communicating on line and in person

its good in the sense that you can keep the search as local as you want it to be

gumtree and other platforms can be every bit as dodgy in my opinion

just my 2c

Hodgo

Originally Posted by ErrolFlynn

DW871-XE 14 inch Chop Saw - $160 seemed reasonable.

saw.JPG

I rushed out to Bunnings to put a new disk in. It was 3 mm thick. Is that standard? It's just I've heard of thinner disks around. I couldn't find any while shopping. Perhaps it's not possible to have anything thinner with larger disks..

Correct.

In clearing my recently deceased wife's stuff I've advertised several dozens of the same thing on FB and GT.
I've have had nothing but scammers on FB, whereas about 30% of enquiries on GT have been scammers.
Have since pulled all my ads from FB - i'm sick of them.