Facebook's Stinky Ad Creation Process

Facebook is notorious for making changes to their (recently IPO'ed) platform, without much user input. I understand that users don't necessarily have the future of the platform in mind, but I don't understand how facebook could neglect the needs of its advertisers so blatantly.

Their main competitor, Google AdWords, has built in some support offerings (e.g. Google Engage, which my ad agency is a part of) and extensive documentation around their platform. Although much younger, if Facebook plans to get more $ out of its advertiser platform, I would think it should offer some type of support or, at the very least, a quality service.

Here's the story. I went to create an ad today for an event that Rachman and I are hosting this Saturday. I'm not new to Facebook ads by any means - in fact we have been running ads for this very event for the past several weeks, but wanted to test some new targeting and images.

Challenge #1: Can't create an ad for an event in the Firefox browser.

Fine.

Until recently, something was broken in all browsers except - gasp - Internet Explorer!? that prevented ads for events from even being created. Event ads are unique in that they allow a user to click to RSVP right within the ad. Facebook gets some points for having a direct event advertisement platform that ties in nicely with the millions of users that manage their social calendars with Facebook. However, as an advertiser, if I can't create my ad - how are you going to get my money from advertising? Silly silly.

Second point: generally speaking, Facebook support for all major browsers seems to be inconsistent. Any [good] web designer knows to test in all the major browsers. I have three of them installed on my Mac, and more virtually. This allows me to test client projects on many browsers before "launch." It also allowed me to create my event ad today... go figure.

Challenge #2: Facebook ad provides a mere 110 x 80 pixels of space for an image.

Fine.

Google AdWords are generally text-only, so I guess I'm happy Facebook allows an image at all. Plus, I figure it's a nice exercise, to design within such small real estate. But when I go to upload my nicely-designed ad and the text is all blurry, it's a little concerning. I want to make sure the users can actually read what I'm advertising. So I search the small database of Facebook answers and come across this nice little entry: https://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=103816146375741

Challenge #3: Only 5kb for an image? What are we, in 1999 again?

Fine.

I'll just optimize the image using pre-millenium standards... severe compression, limiting colors, saving as GIF. This work was necessary back in the day when people had dial-up modems and used AOL... but I'll do it, if it will make my tiny text easier to read.

Challenge #4: No matter what I do, the red-on-black text is still blurry.

Fine.

I change the text to blue. It doesn't look nearly as cool as my original version, and is now quite different from the original branding I had intended. Red text is much sexier. No, really, from a psychological perspective - it is. It signifies energy, movement, excitement, and life. Exactly what we're trying to convey.

Not fine.

Facebook, if you're going to allow images in your ads, please let us visually-inclinded advertisers create "eye-catching," attractive images that will increase click-through rates and get us more event attendees!

End of rant.

True Innovation: Spotlight on Google

Today, April 1, 2011, Google is experimenting with some new typefaces for its search results pages (typophiles delight, the Comic Sans font is just lovely!!!) and announced a new program which allows you to navigate your Gmail account using body motion instead of typing with your fingertips.

"Someday, people will be moving their bodies and creating a whole world of things bending to our will, rather than our bodies bending to the will of technology."

- Dr. Klayman, Gmail Motion Scientific Advisor

Important update: April Fools! My cousin sent me one of these, and I found the other through further research as well as a host of others. For more tech-related jokes that big names played on their poor and unsuspecting audiences this year, check out this great list by TechCrunch. Sorry, and you're welcome ;-)

Around the World in 10 Days

I didn't actually get to post about my trip to the Dominican Republic in August but I have another adventure to write about now. I had planned a three-day-weekend trip to San Francisco since I've always wanted to visit California, and then got assigned to a project abroad for work shortly thereafter. I somehow managed to fit both endeavors in to a small window of time and enjoyed every moment. The amount of planes I have taken in the past 10 days is just ridiculous though! I will try to post some pictures later if I have the chance, but for now I am very jet lagged and must get ready for a new week on the job...

View Around the World in 10 Days in a larger map

Official Gmail Stickers

This is pretty funny - Google is giving away stickers via snail mail. Send a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope - when's the last time you heard THAT term?) to:

Send me some Gmail stickers already
P.O. Box 391420
Mountain View, CA 94039-1420

Send it by Feb 14 for some old-school fun!
From Official Gmail Blog: Get your Gmail stickers

PS - THIS IS MY 100th POST! Wowza.

Jackson Pollock's Birthday Celebrated the Google Way

Google Homepage

Noticed at Mashable.

What do you think? Here are some other, perhaps better-branded "Google Doodles," including happy new year, MLK Day, and previous years all the way back to 1999 - whenever a new logo was used on the homepage:
Google Holiday Logos

This is how I am celebrating...
Painting Like Pollock

I See Hooters

In trying to find the location of the Bensalem Hooters for a roommate dinner we are planning for tonight, I came across this interesting new technology... "Bird's Eye View" of the map, an improvement on the aerial maps now used by Google and MapQuest. An even more interestingly is the fact that this map was on Windows Live Search, which I was using by accident through the toolbar at the Tech Center, thinking it was Google. Imagine that - a Microsoft product beating out Google in technology? I had to investigate. Here is the bird's eye view from "Microsoft Virtual Earth." If you zoom in, you can even see the Hooters sign!

So of course I had to go to Google and see if maybe I was missing something in the mapping world. Apparently I was... but a different technology called "Street View." Different from Birds Eye View? Let's see.

There it is, in all its wonderful glory. The only problem with Street view is that it's harder to navigate, these funny yellow lines are always following the road, it's slightly counter-intuitive, and it's VERY limited. Mostly major cities and some major highways. My area in NJ had none although I explored 287 a bit to see if I would get hit by a virtual car. Somehow Google doesn't let that happen - your lane changes or the car does, it's kind of weird technologically speaking. Nevermind philosophically speaking. This bring up some new Second-Life-esque issues. Even creepier, I found this image near Temple...

Note the Temple vs. Navy banner, which from my deductive reasoning tells me this must be sometime in August. Which also explains why the campus isn't poppin. I wonder who that guy is, and if he knows that he is now online for all the world to see, because at that very instant he happened to begin crossing the street and a satellite somewhere was taking his picture. Is someone watching me.... or you?

When aerial images first came out, it was cool to see a mini-pic of your house, your neighborhood, your friend's house. Your enemy's house, even? Now it's like, "aerial" images are not enough. We have to have "bird's eye" or even "street" view. Of course. So here is my hood:

Let the creepiness continue!

A real bird's eye view...

© Astra Ravenscroft Used with permission.