It's stupid and I'm not having it

Okay, this is it. I know I'm not the most popular blogger in the world (cue the laughter and snorting in the back), but I can notice a difference in my traffic. So, if Google wants adult bloggers to self-identify to keep the kiddies away, THEY need to change that little warning so it doesn't drive away potential visitors. Or maybe they're just redirecting people. I can't even see where traffic is coming from. It's annoying as hell. I've gotten probably a quarter of the hits I would normally get over the past several days and I'll be damned if I'm going to put that useless warning back on my blog without a good reason to do so.






02/08 edit - The reason I made this complaint in the first place: the warning was actually blocking the script from Feedburner, so I could only see traffic from the warning page and not from whatever sites had linked to me. Couldn't see search engine results at all. Couldn't even tell if search engines were linking to me. The geniuses blocking their own search engines from linking to adult sites? Wouldn't put it past Google. All of this in addition to a dramatic drop in my (minimal) traffic. Good riddance!

don't worry, be happy?

Responsibility is a funny concept. On the one hand, it's not a secret that my blog is not for kiddies. On the other, the "warning" Google plops on the front page when someone adds their blog to the "adult" listings makes it seem as if the villagers are holding pitchforks and are a few lit torches away from driving me out of town. Boo. I'll have my readers (all of 5 of you) know that, in spite of what the new warning says, my blog wasn't flagged by offended readers, I merely opted to notify the site that I have non PG-13 content and they decided that unsavory warning label should be slapped on. Yes, it is totally possible to simultaneously type this entry, roll my eyes and flip the finger at Google.

Actually, I'm concerned that Google's little "bad people" label will affect my hits and, less importantly, page rank. If that's the case, it'll be coming off in a matter of days.

In other news, I'm going to try to blog a little more, meaning at some point. LOL At least earn that overreaching scare-tactic warning. I mean, honestly, as far as adult blogs go, mine is so on the barely there scale. Why couldn't there be a category for rated R bloggers as opposed to the explicit triple X people? Course, understanding would be too much to ask people who have issues with sex, wouldn't it?

Follow the Google Stupidity timeline.

More Google Stupidity

In a round of blog tag, today I visited Gracie@ Marketing Whore, from there to A Slip of a Girl, and from there to Lingerie Directory UK. What was the fuss about?

Google stupidity.

No, more specifically Google decided to ban ads from a lingerie company for being "adult content." Apparently, hot chicks in underwear is too adult for people searching for...um...hot chicks in lingerie. Meaning: if you advertise what you sell (and if what you sell isn't marketable to pre-schoolers) Google will refuse your money. Right. I've already complained about this, so I knew exactly what I wanted to say on Gracie's blog:

Good lord. I don't mean to be crass (okay, maybe I do), but Google is entirely too uptight. Somebody over there needs to get laid. I don't understand how they can figure out how to block what could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue a year through their wonky algorithm, but they can't figure out a formula to keep the adult type people from the kid-friendly sites.

It's kind of sick when you think about it. If you search for something even remotely adult related with them, you get all kinds of porn and toy ads that may have nothing to do with what you're searching for. It's like they have every site separated into "this close to Disney" and "will corrupt young minds" with no room in between. There is a spectrum, an area in between that might not be safe for 5-year-olds, but doesn't require a 1-900 number and credit card to view either.

Is it that they're so determined to stay family friendly they're afraid of offending the sexually repressed minority of this country? (Just because they're sometimes the loudest, doesn't mean they speak for most of us.)

Honestly, they should look at what people put into their search engine. I do. Every day. I see what terms people use to search for my blogs, I can take a fair guess at what they're expecting to find LOL and I seriously doubt Google turning all of their ads into something we would've seen during the Leave It To Beaver heyday will benefit Google, the consumers, the websites they're shutting out or the blogs like mine that won't water down their content just to get ads.

*sigh* Google is stupid.

Then, I followed the links and had this to add:

Okay, having looked at the ads, I do agree that the one with the guy holding the underwear in his teeth is a bit much, but the rest aren't that bad. Besides, wouldn't they only come up if someone was looking for something along those lines?

Really, I don't understand it. Why does Google fight against making (dirty) money? They go out of their way to buy up or shut out every available threat of competition, but refuse to open up every possible avenue of making money? At the rate they're going, adult advertisers (including the non-pornographic variety) will have nowhere to promote their products but the back pages of adult magazines and obscure text ads on craigslist. After reading all of this, I thought "Maybe they have a point. They refuse to promote what and where they think is dirty and they have that right." Then, I decided to look at the ads on the Lingerie Directory site. (Of course I did, I like looking at hot half naked chicks as much as the next person.)


Wow. They have a LOT of Google ads on that page. For lingerie. For "see thru" lingerie. For "trashy" lingerie. Hmph. Does that sound like hypocrisy to anyone? I thought so, but then I clicked on most of the links. Turns out, they DON'T actually lead to lingerie sites. The majority don't, but a couple do. Where do they lead? you ask. Why, to pages full of...links advertising lingerie. Google ads for more shit they're not trying to sell people who are looking for it.

Oh, wait! Here is an example of a lingerie site connected to a Google ad.

See that? It's even child friendly. There's a Sesame Street product right on the page.

The lesson here is this, you cannot advertise adult products with Google or expect adult ads that match your content. You can, however, get ads that appear to relate to what you're writing about, but lead to nothing, which supports Google's policy of not promoting adult oriented sites but still taking their money without blinking when it suits them. Great for The Suits, bad for anyone who actually wants to advertise or buy anything, ever.

It Makes Me Feel Dirty

You ever feel unloved? Taken advantage of?

Okay, I've spent the past week trying not to cuss. It's my fault for trying to bend the rules, I guess. I really should've let this thing go a long time ago, but it still bothers me. I still think if we try to come to an understanding, we can come to some sort of compromise.

Google, I was averaging about 300 hits a day last week! (I know we're not supposed to discuss these things in public, but we're past the point of politeness, aren't we?) Does that number not mean anything to you? I know some of your precious favorites probably average about 10,000, but this is me here. That's a lot for my little slacker ass. I have a simple little blog about sex and writing. I don't update as often as I should because 1. sometimes I have shit to do, and 2. YOU kinda kill the joy sometimes. Yes, I enjoy writing this blog for it's own sake, but damn, could you keep my ads up for more than a day at a time? I'd like to know I'll eventually get to cash in on those nickels a day I rack up.

That is, if you take off the public service ads.

Oh, and don't even come to me with that "terms of service" crap. I have another blog with an erotic story posted on it and you have no problems putting ads all over that one. You guys suck!


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BTW, thanks to everyone who's read my blog the last week.

Google Hypocrisy

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