Targeted Content for a Real-Time Activity Feed
Diane J. Hu, Tristan Schneiter · 2015
The Activity Feed is Etsy's take on the ubiquitous "web feed" - a continuous stream of aggregated content, personalized for each user. These streams have become the de facto means of serving advertisements in the context of social media. Any visitor to Facebook or Twitter has seen advertisements placed on their web feed. For Etsy, an online marketplace for handmade and vintage goods with over 29 million unique items, the AF makes the marketplace feel a bit smaller for users. It enables discovery of relevant content, including activities from their social graph, recommended shops and items, and new listings from favorite shops. At the same time, Etsy's AF provides a platform for presenting users with targeted content, as well as advertisements, served alongside relevant and timely content.