Given the option of voting ads “up” or “down,” a natural response is to either vote them all down (who likes ads?) or ignore the issue (since any participation would waste time). Still, Facebook’s allowing some users to have a say which is a move in the right direction.
In theory, this will help the company improve its ad targeting system. After giving an ad either the thumbs up or thumbs down, users are being asked to select the reason behind their rating.
Facebook Ad Voting Options
Facebook should learn, then, what sorts of people consider a picture “good” and “interesting” even as others call it “bad” and “pornographic.” Perhaps a few more users will even click on ads in order to find out whether they’re “misleading.”
Not everyone’s able to vote, so either a slow rollout or a limited test seems to be taking place. Then, since Marshall Kirkpatrick encountered a smaller set of explanations than Rob Webb, there is the possibility that there’s some sort of error affecting the process.
Whether Facebook will acknowledge users’ votes – remember, there may be a whole lot of “thumbs down” – is also a decent question. Advertisers, not users, offer the company money.
Either way, for Facebook this data is invaluable in its efforts to create an effective ad platform while maintaining a positive user experience.
We’ll keep an eye out for any changes that occur as a result of this development.
