May 29, 2013--Facebook $$$

The reason I didn't buy any Facebook stock when they announced there IPO was because, like other skeptics, I couldn't figure out how they would monitize their social network.

At the time they had about 1.0 billion participants but, with so many people--especially young people--moving on from computers to "mobile devices" (mainly smart phones) with their relatively tiny screens, how would Facebook, I wondered, be able to run money-making ads alongside the basic Facebook content.

It appears that many came to the same conclusion. The IPO was a flop and the per-share value of Facebook stock since then hasn't gotten much better.

(Actually, I didn't wonder about this at all. The whole social media thing and mobile devices and apps and Instagraming were and are mysteries to me and I didn't want to invest any of my money in things I didn't understand. Instead, I invested in international stock and bond funds, which I also do not understand. But about these I felt that if I wanted to try to understand them I might be able to do so. So much for my financial acumen.)

But as a participant in Facebook I have been interested in seeing how they would attempt to get me to buy things from the ads they run on my homepage. And, how they would target these ads using the latest data-mining techniques. Would they, for example, know that I buy a lot of contemporary novels and books about American history from independent dealers? Would they know I am a serious cook and buy pots and knives and dried mushrooms over the Internet? Would they know I take vitamins; am of a certain age; am a liberal; and divide my time in Florida, Maine, and New York?

I know enough about how Facebook and data-mining work to appreciate how hard it would be to pitch me since on my Facebook page I have no "likes" listed and never click on any of my "friends'" likes. So Facebook wouldn't know I like jazz and chamber music or that I'm especially interested in the New Deal. Unless, like the FBI and IRS, they read my blog.

So I kept track yesterday of all the ads that popped up on my Facebook homepage--

There were lots of ads for Southwest Airlines, though I never flew with them and in recent years haven't been doing much flying on other airlines.

We did buy an old table for our kitchen in Maine and haunt local antique stores there in the hunt for "cottagey" this's and that's, and I suppose Facebook somehow knows this since I've been getting ads for "Vibrant Rustic Furniture." This sounds oxymoronic to me--"vibrant" and "rustic" in the same pitch--but I am impressed that they have been able to target my furniture shopping so specifically.

I've had ads from "Friends of Hillary Clinton" and "Don't Let Paul Ryan Destroy Medicare." These too feel well directed since at this point I'm for Hillary in 2016.

Closer to home--or to my demographic--there have been ads for the "New York Brain Tumor Walk." Fortunately I do not have such a tumor but I confess when I get a headache I immediately think I do. I suppose it's an aging thing.

There was another one from "Hernia Surgery Experts." Again, as far as I know I am hernia free and if I weren't, I'm not sure I wouldn't go to one who advertises on Facebook. It's enough that I used to have a dermatologist who advertised on the subway--Dr. Zizmore.

Then I've been hearing from some company that, for a fee, would be happy to help me meet "Faithful Women." This is not for me--I'm happy with Rona but if I were looking around I'm not sure faithful would be what I would find attractive.

And then Dr. Delany, my orthopedist, must have turned me in--or told someone at Facebook about my torn meniscus--because I'm being bombarded by ads with headlines including--

Shocking Joint Discovery--Amazing Joint Relief!

So far Motrin is getting the job done and I don't need anything (yet) all that amazing.