Poll of the Day > How many people are in the room with you?

(+) Yeah! (+)

OK... what exactly is this information gonna be used for??

Confusing you.

Johnny_Ace posted...

OK... what exactly is this information gonna be used for??

Finding out how many GF users identify themselves as basement dwellers.

8 billion people are in my room with me right now.

Johnny_Ace posted...

OK... what exactly is this information gonna be used for??

The same thing all poll information is used for. Selling it to advertisers and marketing firms.

Im the only one for now, as I arrive to work earlier than the others.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

The same thing all poll information is used for. Selling it to advertisers and marketing firms.

Which, in turn, is used to make inferences about our living situations and the circumstances in which we browse GameFAQs. Those selecting 100+ are likely early-year university students visiting from class. Those selecting 10+ are likely browsing from work or from smaller classes. 2-4 are probably at home, either with their families or with multiple roommates and are either using their phone in a common area or don't have their own private room from which to browse (suggesting lower SES). Those picking 1 probably have one roommate or and SO, but not a private room (again, suggesting lower SES). Those picking 0 are either able to live alone or have a room to themselves, suggesting more comfortable SES. Those picking "outside" in areas that currently get winter are likely working outdoor jobs, while regardless of area that indicates some of what they're using their phone's data plan for.

Like most data, the usefulness isn't necessarily immediately apparent for this sort of information, but the whole concept of Big Data operates on the fundamental idea of "collect everything we can now so we're more likely to have what we need when we come up with use cases later." Data is collected knowing that much of it will likely be useless, but when somebody does start looking for a correlation between variables, having a large and varied data set increases the odds that they'll be able to find an answer.

adjl posted...

Like most data, the usefulness isn't necessarily immediately apparent for this sort of information, but the whole concept of Big Data operates on the fundamental idea of "collect everything we can now so we're more likely to have what we need when we come up with use cases later." Data is collected knowing that much of it will likely be useless, but when somebody does start looking for a correlation between variables, having a large and varied data set increases the odds that they'll be able to find an answer.

The correlation part is the big key that most people miss. People will go "Why do they want to know A?", because A seems like pointless information (and it often is). But when they collect "B" in a poll next month and "C" in a poll later in the year, they can combine all three and know things about you that you have no idea you've accidentally revealed.

This is how AI algorithms work. The more info you feed them the more they can refine their interpretations.

Granted, the poll here is anonymous so in this case they aren't necessarily getting specific personal info (unless GameFAQs is keeping track of how everyone votes in each poll and is also selling that data while keeping the fact that they can do that secret, which is entirely possible), but even without specificity they're still gaining data on overall trends and assumptions.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

poll here is anonymous

That's a very broad assumption you're making. You have no idea how the polling system works from a technical perspective. In a few lines of code it is very possible someone could store the user id with the poll result without you even sending that information to the backend.

It's kind of a combined area with the kitchen so it's open up to the kitchen and they are eating.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Granted, the poll here is anonymous so in this case they aren't necessarily getting specific personal info (unless GameFAQs is keeping track of how everyone votes in each poll and is also selling that data while keeping the fact that they can do that secret, which is entirely possible), but even without specificity they're still gaining data on overall trends and assumptions.

Yep. At the very least, we already know they collect data on where votes come from (since we can look at geographic data for results) and presumably what time each vote comes in, and those three points alone can reveal some useful trends. Toss in the very real possibility that results are not actually anonymous (we already know they track who has and has not voted to prevent duplicate votes) and they can corroborate one poll's results with others (age being a big one), and you can get some real value.

Of course, the real value of less than 10,000 poll results is kind of debatable, but that's the theory.

Judgmenl posted...

That's a very broad assumption you're making.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

unless GameFAQs is keeping track of how everyone votes in each poll and is also selling that data while keeping the fact that they can do that secret, which is entirely possible

I'm not making assumptions at all.

I'm basically pointing out that, as presented, the poll seems anonymous, so people are more inclined to share info they might otherwise not. GameFAQs gives no indication that the poll logs anything other than the vote itself. But there's always the possibility that it's logging much, much more.

Doubly so for anyone who entered their actual personal info when making their account rather than making up random bullshit, because then they can link that to who you are, and potentially to info you provided on other sites. Same with cookies - companies like Facebook and Google are potentially pulling data from multiple sites, and learning your behavior and info from. So pieces of info you never realized were related in any way may still get connected behind the scenes.

The irony is, it doesn't even necessarily matter how careful you are with your info - it's been implied that even if you're entirely off the grid, it's still possible for information to be gathered on you based on whether or not your friends or acquaintances or coworkers or other companies are talking about you.

We basically live in a world where information is constantly changing hands without your conscious awareness, and the concept of privacy has basically become a punchline. But they'll sell constant information-sharing as a positive (because algorithms can make things more convenient for you), so most people will just shrug and accept it. Or actively contribute to it.

adjl posted...

Of course, the real value of less than 10,000 poll results is kind of debatable, but that's the theory.

The value is also questionable because it's a self-selected poll on a site that is basically obsolete, but all data has value to someone somewhere.

Somewhere around 7 atm, im sitting in a Starbucks atm. There is the staff and a few customers

None

Sorry I didn't read the rest of your post PO. My bad.

What EXACTLY is a "room" is another question.