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Google's Blogger To Delete All 'Adult' Blogs That Have Ads
DougDot sends this excerpt from ZDNet:
"In three days, Google's Blogger will begin to delete scores of blogs that have existed since 1999 on Monday under its vague new anti-sex-ad policy purge. On Wednesday night at around 7pm PST, all Blogger blogs marked as 'adult' were sent an email from Google's Blogger team. The email told users with 'adult' blogs that after Sunday, June 30, 2013, all adult blogs will be deleted if they are found to be 'displaying advertisements to adult websites' — while the current Content Policy does not define what constitutes 'adult' content. To say that Twitter ignited with outrage would be an understatement. Blogger users are panicked and mad as hell at Google."
How does google benefit by eliminating advertisement revenue? Where did this policy originate?
Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75. -Benjamin Franklin
Well if they are upset they should just take there money and spend in else where..
Oh wait..
the new rule is not that "vague" at all - adult blog with links to adult websites: it excludes blogs which have occasional "adult" content with ads, while clearly targeting blogs which are basically just advertising porn websites.
I could care less about these blogs, but it's good that people are mad at google. They should be.
Why not just switch them off? Why immediately delete? There is bound to be some mistaken identity.
I have spoof ads on my (non-adult) blog, for example.
Table-ized A.I.
Was there a link in the email that took them to a page to confirm their login information before Google deleted there accounts?
Ascalante: Your bride is over 3,000 years old.
Kull: She told me she was 19!
Don't care for their reasoning, but good on them
was "Google Is Going Puritan On Us". But this one will do.
I have completely forgotten about Blogger.
While I fully understand the anger and frustration of bloggers and users a like at this change in Terms and Conditions, I do not really have any sympathy either.
The bloggers in question were using a free platform to derive an income from arguably questionable sources. What do they believe their actual entitlement is here?
Anybody who gives control of their "business" to a third party is probably foolish.
Anybody who gives control of their "business" to a third party and has no claim of ownership to it is probably foolish.
Anybody who gives control of their "business" to a third party and has no claim of ownership to it and was not even paying the third party is probably foolish.
Do you see where I am coming from here...?
This is about Google eliminating non-Google adult ads on Blogger sites. A site has to have both adult content and adult ads to have a problem. Presumably the adult ads are not coming from Google.
Wordpress doesn't allow third-party advertising on their hosted blogs at all. Blogger probably does only for historical reasons. Google may be planning to transition all Blogger sites to Google ads only. Their pitch to new Blogger users suggests that new sites should only have Google ads.
If this bothers you, buy commercial hosting. It's really cheap to host a blog. Less than $10 per month.
IMO googles constant attempts to filter and block access to certain types of content via its portals is abusive. There is not a lot of competition in this field. Others exist, but Google is the proverbial 800 lb gorilla, compared everyone elses 20 lb lemurs. They become a defacto gatekeeper and while other routes may still exist, when google decides to not show something it effectively ceases to exist. This gives them a lot of power, leaves the wider internet using masses dependent on google's good intentions and desires as to what they will show. IMO google should adopt a totally neutral stance as that would be the most in line with the "do no evil" motto.
The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
You play on someone else's site, like Blogger, you are at their mercy. Even if they've been "nice" for years, that's never guaranteed to last.
If you want control of what you put on the net, buy a domain, and then either buy a hosting site or set up your own server. It may seem expensive, but it'll be yours.
I used to have an adult blog about elderly care - you know, old people don't like being called. It's "senior", "adult" or some other euphemism to help them not to feel that they aren't old. It' s good thing I don't have it now.
Then I once walked into an adult bookstore. I was exited! I wanted a book on Social Security, Long Term care insurance, retirement homes, and things like that. You know, adult topics.
What did I see!
Naked people having S-E-X! I asked the clerk, "Young man, were is the section on Social Security?"
And he took me over to this section where there were old people - 70+ years of age - having S-E-X! He mumbled something about Rule 34 or Section 34 or something....
I called my lawyer asking him if I were breaking the "34 law". He said, "Stop drinking!" and hung up on me!
But what does Google have against old people?! I'm gonna contact the AARP and organize a protest.
I'll get every adult and senior I know to protest Google about eliminating blogs about senior issues!
The expense of setting up your own physical server, installing custom software, and maintaining it, would almost certainly exceed all ad revenue anyways. The very premise of these "businesses" was built on how cheap it was do dump "content" on a blog, against how much money you could earn from ads.
I have an old but popular personal website that's been running since 96 and using Google ads since the very beginning (2003? Can't remember). Two weeks ago I received a sternly written email that because there was ONE 'adult' picture on the entire site (700 pages), I had 3 days to remove it or adsense would stop. I thought it was some scam but it was the real deal. And yes, it was an artistic rendition of a breast as a mountain with minifig climbers on it. WTF, Google, you turning into baptist hypocrites or what ?!?
Non-Linux Penguins ?
the gov't complained that its prism search results were polluted with irrelevant links to adult blogs covered with affiliate links to adult sites.
Google's Blogger To Delete All 'Adult' Blogs That Have Ads. Then Google's Blogger Will Surreptitiously Save All 'Deleted' 'Adult' Blogs In Google's Blogger's /home/sys/tmp/config/important_system_folder/stash Directory Even Though Google's Blogger Totally Assured Google's Blogger's Mom That All The Files Are Gone.
Sex must be banned!
It is disgusting, violent, and unnecessary people does not deserve to breed!
And it is racist too: crowds out other races!
Come on people, let's wear a red belt around our waist, to proof our alliance in anti-sexuality!
Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends and Foes
Welcome to the Cloud. In Bad old Days, the phrase ran "All your Base are Belong to Us"
When you give up control of a media - be it television or radio or web sites or email - what you do with that media is by definition under someone else's control. If that someone else, Google or Microsoft or DPRK, object to the content for _whatever_ reason, you're kid of oout of luck. You can tweet or protest or moan about it, but the bottom line is this: That media is _theirs_ and not _yours_ and if you don't like what they do with their media, tough.
Richard Stallman has railed against "The Cloud" for years, and this is just but one of the reasons.
If you want an adult blog with adverts, buy a $500 computer and a $30 domain name and put up an adult blog. If it gets popular, buy more $500 computers. Or hire a place that rents raw compute resource, and put up _your_ web site.
I should point out that for years now, places like RackSpace have been claiming that the sites hosted there belong to their clients, not themselves. Their position is simple enough, and designed to prevent someone with deep pockets (RackSpace, for example) from being sued by some bluenose for hosting content that someone finds objectionable. Now, they can hardly do an about face and tell people hosting sites, "Oh No! We don't like -that- particular content."
A decade ago when it cost your firstborn to host a web site, using "The Cloud" made sense from a financial perspective. Now, for half a hundred dollars a month, and a sub-thousand investment in hardware, you can host your own web site, which will be picked up by search engines, and blog to your heart's content about whatever it might be you want to blog about.
I've looked at the Cloud from Both Sides Now... Screw it.
Don't take life too seriously; it isn't permanent.
Now if only Google allowed hosting servers on your fancy Google Fiber connection you could host your sites from home.
Protip for hosting servers when not allowed to: Tor hidden services look the same as Tor client use from the ISP perspective. You can host them from behind NAT and firewalls.
there were several times i found what appeared to be a blog containing pics of ladies nudes and scantly clad posing to look at but not actual porn only to find it full of links to non-free porn from outside sources and some were downright malicious, yeah ill say google needs to clean that off of blogspot
Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
or is everyone panicking a tad too much?
As far as I can read in the e-mail they send (pics all over the place), you will only have a problem if the ads are to adult websites/content, and not just "having ads".
Relevant Quote: After June 30th 2013, we will be enforcing this policy and will remove blogs which are adult in nature and are displaying advertisements to adult websites.
Of course, I'm aware of the issue of "what kind of ads am I supposed to display, then?". I have no solution for it.
I don't care if I'm wrong. I only care about everyone obtaining something from the discussion.
This is a chance for someone else to start a blogging platform for these sites to move to. Let's call it Flogger for the BDSM sites and Bangger for the heterosexual sites and so on.
If Slashdot were chemistry it would look like this:Cadaverine
Notice from Google. Those trying to retrieve deleted emails after 60 please contact NSA. That is all.
Can you not see Google using it's dominance to force it's users to use it's ad service instead of letting them choose? It's not you can't host this it's you have to use our ads. It would be like if Microsoft published a required update terminating the your Windows license if LibreOffice or Eclipse was installed. Don't like it? Tough, you can buy Visual Studio and Office.
Fuck that, no matter the target.
What I will add is that Google has shown more than a common tendency to pull the rug from under users who depend on their services. Recall that they arbitrarily removed access to all services for those who violated the TOS for google+. I saw educational instrutitions develop entire curriculum based on google wave, which was unceremoniously pulled. Google Dcos was morphed to Google drive, and though it still exists there really has been little done to expand the features, even though google wants to rent the services to companies. In the end companies like Apple and MS has one advantage over google in the consumer and enterprise space. MS and Apple actually are accountable to end users, while Google is simple accountable to a rotating group of advertisers. The services, such as they are, exist so that I will allow google to keep cookies on my computer, so that advertisers can track me. If the services become less valuable, then the cookies do not get set, and they end up like 2o7.
"She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
I bet they're mainly to blame with their crusade against web porn lately.
Just do a backup of the blog and move to another service, Google isn't the only one free provider.
I get that, but how else do you expect an advertising company to act?
Yet another service Google is pulling with little consideration of the users. This has become a very disturbing pattern. Google has a long history of killing products used by scores of people with little to no transitional support. Frankly, this is getting to the point where I'll be moving my domain elsewhere. I've been a google apps user for quite a while, but the competition is getting much more robust, while Google is getting less trustworthy and removing capabilities. It is becoming clear that Google is happy to put the user over a barrel if it means advertisers will pay more.
Google, what happened to you? What happened to "Do no evil?" The more you screw users in favor of the advertisers, the less people will use your products and services. Between the removal of iGoogle, lack of development of Google Voice (remember when it was Grand Central and ACTIVELY MAINTAINED BEFORE YOU BOUGHT IT AND DID NOTHING WITH IT?!), discontinuation of Reader, forced me into Google+ against my will, and now this? I mean seriously, the services I use keep getting closed down or stale, and you keep sharing my personal data. I am very near to my last straw. This is just another example of Google alienating its users. How many of these bloggers will quit Google after this? I know I would. Seriously Google, what will your advertisers pay once when your user base begins to shrink because users are tired of you monkeying with the services they've become dependent on? My guess is a fraction of what they pay today.
I do not want to sound like I agree with what is happening, but I don't see how anybody could trust for anything else to happen.
Google's core business is advertising through the 'best' data gathering and best data indexing. That's what they do. Everything else is tertiary and transitory.
You're points are fine. But giving people 3 days notice? What if someone happened to be on vacation?
Yes it's free and you get what you pay for, but reputation is a fickle thing that can't be bought back no matter how much money Google spends...
People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people
"...Blogger users are panicked and mad as hell at Google."
So, let me get this straight. Bloggers voluntarily choose to take the absolute cheapest path available online (i.e. free) to create a blog and post content online, and then have the unmitigated gall to get "mad as hell" when said free hosting provider decides to change the rules on the systems they control and pay for?
I have but one piece of advice for anyone bitching about any online free service. Get off your damn wallet if you want total control. It's that simple. Nothing in life is free.
Except you are not paying Google, they are offering you a free service as long as you follow their rules. You can always got to one of the other million or so blog sites.
Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
Whooooooosh!
This is due to the new COPPA laws set for July 1, 2013 (stands for Children's Online Privacy & Protection Act)
What a gift from Google.
Usually developers find themselves on the other side of this fence. Maybe back in 2003 you had your own Map Pinboard idea that you were trying to implement (I did), then suddenly Google Maps shows up in 2004 and within days (it seems) the entire Internet is set ablaze with Map Mashups.
That's the 200 Pound Google you don't want in your space. Because they have the resources, the smarts, marketing, and the followers to instantly drown out all other competitors in the area.
But when Google PULLS OUT this is a blessing. It's a void. And if you are a developer/small company, you need to jump on this QUICKLY.
1. There is a population of users clamoring for missing functionality
2. The big boys (Google) are leaving, not entering. the arena
3. Money can be made. Now go make it!
-CF
stupid spell check was off....
But Google's Blogger service isn't anything close to a monopoly.
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
"Anybody who gives control of their "business" to a third party is probably foolish."
that's all business name one that doesn't depend on some 3rd party.
"Do you see where I am coming from here...?"
That you are obtuse?
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
that's the sounds of.. and modded insightful?.. oh never mind..
How Google (a private company) defines "adult" is irrelevant. Google's not under any contractual relationship with its users to provide them with free hosting and bandwidth so that the users can make money off ads whether adult or not.
I'm not arguing this for anyone, mind you, but... I believe there is an implied contract, which would mean shutting these sites down based on their content is a form of promissory estoppel resulting in a condition called detrimental reliance. Because Google offered these blogging services for free, and had not placed prior restrain on the content.
The upshot?
- A promise was made
- Relying on the promise was reasonable or forseeable
- There was actual and reasonable reliance on the promise
- The reliance was detrimental
- Injustice can only be prevented by enforcing the promise
I think it could be reasonably argued that had Google itself offered a venue for the advertising now prohibited, the majority of the blogs would not have gone to third party affiliates for their advertising, they would instead be using Google provided ad services.
I understand Google is under increasing pressure, both with regard to adult speech and grey market pharmaceuticals, from government as well as other agencies using the government as a cat's paw *cough*pharmaceutical industry*cough* to enforce artificial price barriers; it will be interesting to see how they deal with this.
A few years ago I noticed how cheap domains are, and how you get Wordpress free, and migrated away from Blogger. After a year of racing to keep up with the spammers, installing every new update, finding "one click" updates can take an hour to get right, virus writer spotted a back door before I did, I'm back with Blogger. It just works.
Uhhh...many places have $10-$50 a year hosting, if you can't even make $50 in a year then frankly you probably shouldn't be bothering at all.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
"will begin to delete scores of blogs that have existed since 1999 on Monday" :-)
So those which were started in 1999 on another day are safe for now?
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
wE aRe CoMiNg FiGhT tHe PoWeR /annonymousesssss
"If you do not own the software that is used to provide access to your data, you do not really own the data in any meaningful sense."
THIS.
Adobe - this is why we are pissed off about the Creative Cloud. You attach rent to our data.
Place nail here >+
News is breaking today that Facebook is doing the same thing. http://www.pcworld.com/article/2043271/facebook-moves-to-remove-ads-displayed-with-controversial-content.html
I don't have any insider knowledge, but I suspect it has something to do with this: https://www.google.com/search?q=coppa+july+1st
Control, he said control, he didn't say depend on or use third parties. He said control. You also skipped how he built up from just control and added without ownership and without paying. That is foolish, no matter what you think all other businesses are doing.
Google is more and more moving towards controlling everyone who uses their services. I used Adsense for years, but I started getting more and more junk mail from Adsense saying I had 3 days to change pages with "Adult" content. The last case was a poem from the 18th century with the word "Lover" in it. That made me drop Adsense. Google changing their Blogger policy should come as no surprise. They simply want everyone to use Adsense and they do not want other advertisements on Blogger - or elsewhere. Adsense users know that Google now considers using other advertisement networks or even other ads in some cases is "against their policy". Expect Google to try to dictate more and more, they want to control what ads you show, what words you use (the word "Lover" is now against their terms..) and what you write. Google isn't gradually becoming more and more evil, they have a long history of scamming people (search on bing other other search engines to find dozens and dozens of examples of people who've got their adsense account closed the day before payouts).
9/11: Never forget it was a false-flag operation
but not sex and commerce between consenting adults.
When did the google boys turn Catholic?
...Or any other "cloud" app, then you deserve to get kicked back to 1996. I enjoyed watching people "innovate" and create new stuff back then... now that the world powers have come together to sweep all the business intelligence, entrepreneurship, and knowledge, into their cloud dustpan, all those who went along for the cheap ride will get dumped out when they decide to turn off the switch or increase rates. Consolidation of anything can be BAD...especially power and information. Reject the public cloud and build your own. Keep your valuable data CLOSE to you, encrypted, with copies distributed in multiple locations.
...shouldn't cost $10/mo.
(couldn't resist - that's a joke, you insensitive clod)
You're completely wrong. They're saying that adult sites can't be monetized AT ALL. They're not forcing anyone to use their ads, they're saying no ads can run on those sites.
You rely on a third party to host your site, you play by their rules...
If you don't like that, host the site yourself... Especially if you're making money from the site by filling it with ads.
http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
Google is deleting the scores they keep for blogs? This is a writing fail. I know it is the 150th anniv. of Gettysburg, and we all know "four score and ..." but "score" in a computer context - especially Google - has a connotation of ranking and the antique word that means 20 does not quickly come to mind.
George W Bush knowingly and deliberately lied to America and Congress about there being WMD's and in Iraq and falsely linked Iraq with 9/11, resulting in a unnecessary war that killed over 100,000 people and cost trillions of dollars, and he never got impeached. Apparently, having your dick sucked and not mentioning in it a bogus sexual harassment lawsuit financed by your political enemies who have been obsessed about your sex life and who have been seeking to destroy you at all costs for many years despite, is worse than committing war crimes against an entire nation.
Republicans need to grow the fuck up.
The GP was saying that no third party should be involved. Those who host on $50/year do so by colocating and subdividing servers, so as to reduce IT expense.
If there are any bloggers out there who need to migrate their adult blogger blogs to a free and hosted site, I can help. ashly@ashlylorenzana.com