A <i>personal</i> recommendation isn&#x27;t advertising.<p>An <i>impersonal</i> recommendation is.<p>As to the ShowHN posts, blogs, tweets etc, you actually choose to read the first two, and If I was on Twitter and someone I followed kept advertising at me, I&#x27;d stop following them.<p>The point being argued here is that advertising agencies have, for quite a while, felt that they can push ads at you without you choosing to be advertised at.