Came across a great article on Ars this morning that provided some empirical data that backs up my argument in this post.

What I found most interesting is the paradox that consumers have created:

…this attitude presents a conundrum for advertisers, who are simultaneously being told that consumers want to see more relevant ads but don’t want to have their activities tracked in order to make those ads relevant.

The simple fact is that people are uncomfortable with their actions being tracked (even anonymously) in order to provide a more relevant web experience and yet become easily irritated when targeting misses it mark. Damned if you do…

Is online reputation a factor in this? I would argue that it is. I would feel a greater degree of comfort if the company that is targeting me is known to be reputable and secure (less likely to use my data maliciously). If I were to bring this down to the peer-to-peer level, I think Netizens would be much more willing to accept unsolicited advances and be more likely to interact with each other if the two parties are known and certified by an outside authority.

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