Bowing Down Before The Google Gods

Back in August, I made a decision to stop displaying Google Ads. I've now made another decision: To start displaying them again. Don't worry. If you're a regular reader, you won't see them (except maybe the first time).

I'll be using the Who Sees Ads plugin from planetOzh. I'm not going to display the ads to returning readers or on posts less than a week old. Many of you will forget they're even there.

I investigated and signed up with more than 3 companies that claimed to be different, but what I saw was that they were Google AdSense "wannebees". Uh, no thanks. I also investigated and even displayed "in-line" text links for a few days. Again, no thanks. I considered Amazon for my other blog, because can I do specific targeting there, but I decided against it.

I never took the AdSense off the other blog. I couldn't find the time to mess with it until yesterday. Ah, yesterday. That was the day I made TONS of changes on both blogs, CSS and theme files alike. I cleaned out unused code on this blog's style sheet and added code to the other. The header at VideoTyme is a bit different now. I changed it so that it wouldn't look so much like the theme the splogs seem to be using a lot.

I'm trying to move away from sponsored posts, for the most part. There just aren't many opportunities available to PR0 blogs. Once SocialSpark gets underway, I may be inclined to head back in that direction again, but only if the opportunities warrant it. In the meantime, I need to make up the difference of what the exchange rate between the American dollar and the Philippine peso used to be and what it is now. It dropped from 52 pesos per dollar last year to 42 pesos per dollar recently. I can't wait for the dollar to rebound.

December 7th, 2007 By RT Cunningham | Categories: Advertising | Tags: AdSense, Google, plugins, programming, SocialSpark, sponsored posts, themes, WordPress |

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Doug Robertson on December 7th, 2007 at 11:27 am (Reply)

I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you about the USD rebounding any time soon.

Doug Robertson's last blog post..Martin Luther King, Made In China

RT Cunningham on December 7th, 2007 at 3:14 pm (Reply)

That's why I said I can't wait. The other way of interpreting that would require a ! at the end of the sentence. It was an unintentional double entendre.

hari on December 7th, 2007 at 12:36 pm (Reply)

RT, if you have any particular use for my blog software, please let me know. My motivation to develop it will be increased if I can find others interested in it.

hari's last blog post..Blogger.com commenting system annoyance

RT Cunningham on December 7th, 2007 at 3:53 pm (Reply)

I believe I will have a use for it, once it's completed. I'll be getting with you on special features at that time.

hari on December 7th, 2007 at 12:55 pm (Reply)

Also have you ever tried Yahoo ad network? How does it work?

RT Cunningham on December 7th, 2007 at 3:54 pm (Reply)

YPN is still in beta. I had a beta invitation but it expired. For all practical purposes, it's the same as AdSense.
2. hari on December 7th, 2007 at 7:01 pm (Reply)
  
  From reading the website I believe you need a US social security number to apply for it.
  
  So I cannot choose it even if I wanted to.
  
  hari's last blog post..Blogger.com commenting system annoyance
3. RT Cunningham on December 7th, 2007 at 7:06 pm (Reply)
  
  I think it's only open to U.S. residents anyway. Google doesn't have that restriction.

Stevo on December 9th, 2007 at 2:33 am (Reply)

I too am thinking of putting AdSense back. I tried WidgetBucks and was disappointed. Clicks only generate revenue if they are from the US. WB has said that is changing, but their script takes far too long to load and is rather unsightly.

Stevo's last blog post..germany to scientologists: not here you don’t

RT Cunningham on December 9th, 2007 at 10:58 pm (Reply)

I have a WidgetBucks account, but I only displayed the widget long enough to know I didn't want to have it around.

Tim E. on December 9th, 2007 at 1:13 pm (Reply)

I rank your page higher than 0, if that's any consolation
Tim E.'s last blog post..A Book To Make You More Stupider

RT Cunningham on December 9th, 2007 at 10:59 pm (Reply)

Yeah, but you don't pay me to advertise.

Nick Ramsay on December 9th, 2007 at 2:13 pm (Reply)

RT Cunningham on December 9th, 2007 at 11:03 pm (Reply)

As I mentioned in email, the tool is pretty inaccurate, counting internal links as well as nofollow links as linking to bad neighborhoods. Heck it counted at least four of my links as questionable that linked to my own posts.

I seriously doubt Google pays any attention at all to internal links, other than to pass PR between them. Only outbound (without nofollow) and inbound links should even matter.

I'll probably be requesting reconsideration in January, after SocialSpark gets underway. SocialSpark will replace PPP and all the links will be "nofollow", which won't cause penalties for paid links.