16.12.18

Dogs not allowed


I recently finished another little terrier on bobbin wheels and once I'd been through the process of listing him on Etsy, I then started the process of adding him to my Facebook shopfront. 


In theory, this should be fairly simple. After all, what could go wrong? Well, it appears that the approval process can be somewhat heavy handed, if not downright wrong headed. I use the word 'headed' reluctantly as it's obviously an automated system, not a human being. After all, a robot is supposed to be less fallible than a person.


'Pickles' was rejected, as 'live animals are not allowed for sale on Facebook'. This despite the fact that I've listed many of my creatures in my Facebook shop without problem. So I tried to fill in the appeal form. Which I did several times, as each time I tried to submit it, I was told that I 'had not filled in the required field'. Despite having done precisely that. Further investigation found other users who have had exactly the same issues and no satisfaction from the Powers That Be at Facebook HQ.


So I went about it sideways, rewrote the description and title without any reference to 'dog' or terrier' and re-tagged my photos similarly. Result - instant approval. Which leads me to wonder, as the algorithm seems to be such a blunt instrument, that I could actually have listed a real, live terrier  and by calling it a 'thermos flask', with no references to anything canine, I could have  got away with directly breaking their rules. 

If AI really is the future, I do hope it becomes more sophisticated, because if a robot cannot discern between a real dog and a hand crafted miniature woolly one, then we may very well be headed for catastrophe. It's all about the nuances, and (just my opinion) we humans are still better at it than a computer.


4 comments:

Karren said...

Congratulations on finding a way to deal with the smart (dumb) technology. Seems like things get more confusing, the more they get automated sometimes. Adorable (thermos flask)dog!

Jane said...

Hello! I've just discovered your wonderful blog and I'm in awe of your wonderful needle felting! I'm not great at crafting as I've only ever been a knitter with occasional dabbles into patchwork. I've just taught myself to crochet this summer, so I'm very much into that at the moment. I've been having a look through your blog and I'll be back to look at some more! Best, Jane :)

Judyluk said...

Years ago, a friend's grandmother was downsizing and shipping various mementoes to her children around the world. Friend's mum was to receive a small table in the shape of an elephant. A customs notice arrived at the house, so she went to deal with it.
"Ma'am, you appear to have been sent restricted animal materials."
"It's from my mother. What are you talking about?"
"Ma'am, the declaration clearly states that it is an elephant."

BumbleVee said...

Hi Gretel

just popping in to wish you and Joe a happy and healthy new year .... here's to us all!! May it be a good one.