Wrong. My site's prominence at Yahoo is ZERO right now because they are demanding payment - TO BE INCLUDED AT ALL! Thus, if I give in to their extortion, I will be boosting my prominence. Slashdot got it right.
I suggest you get your own facts straight before questioning their Slashdot's journalism.
Here's a quote from the New York Times, to answer your question:
"Yahoo says its program is in compliance with Federal Trade Commission guidelines on paid inclusion programs because the payments are disclosed to any user who clicks on the "what's this" link that appears on each search."
Yahoo claims it is compliant, but that - quite obviously - is not the last word on the subject. It CLEARLY belongs in this category.
I put together a pair of nostalgia sites (Super70s.com and Awesome80s.com). The eBay and AMZN ads I've put up have never come close to paying for even the ISP charges, but that's okay as it's a labor of love. However, it's really frustrating to create this site (thousands of pages) and then have the likes of Yahoo refuse to index it (any or it) without a big cash contribution.
Independent sites not backed by corporate dollars are the ones significantly hurt by Yahoo's unethical* approach. It is either a form of censorship or extortion to keep sites like mine from the results of a search of the Internet.
I NEVER accept questionable ads (porn, gambling). I do not do popups and never have. I do not run banner ads on the top of pages (and never have). I've never spammed nor will I. In short, I've played by the rules.
Similar sites who have broken all those rules (and more) will have no trouble writing a check and those who don't know the difference between Google and Yahoo will, unfortunately, end up on those sites instead.
Yahoo will gladly take all this into account, so long as I write it on the back of a yearly check.
Yahoo is ten times the threat to sites like mine than M$FT ever thought of being. It's extortion and I can only hope there will be enough backlash to make them rethink their plans.
Those of you here at Slashdot have influence with your friends, coworkers, and family. PLEASE, for the sake of us independents, get them off Yahoo and on to Google!
I'm sorry if this sounds like whining to any of you. I just ask that you put yourself in my place and then ask yourself if you wouldn't feel the same.
Thanks for "listening",
Patrick Mondout
--
*They have spent a decade building up a positive reputation with netizens and do not do nearly enough to inform those who use their search that their search results are merely ads for the sites that paid to be there.
Slashdot Mirror
Wrong. My site's prominence at Yahoo is ZERO right now because they are demanding payment - TO BE INCLUDED AT ALL! Thus, if I give in to their extortion, I will be boosting my prominence. Slashdot got it right.
I suggest you get your own facts straight before questioning their Slashdot's journalism.
Here's a quote from the New York Times, to answer your question:
"Yahoo says its program is in compliance with Federal Trade Commission guidelines on paid inclusion programs because the payments are disclosed to any user who clicks on the "what's this" link that appears on each search."
Yahoo claims it is compliant, but that - quite obviously - is not the last word on the subject. It CLEARLY belongs in this category.
I put together a pair of nostalgia sites (Super70s.com and Awesome80s.com). The eBay and AMZN ads I've put up have never come close to paying for even the ISP charges, but that's okay as it's a labor of love. However, it's really frustrating to create this site (thousands of pages) and then have the likes of Yahoo refuse to index it (any or it) without a big cash contribution.
Independent sites not backed by corporate dollars are the ones significantly hurt by Yahoo's unethical* approach. It is either a form of censorship or extortion to keep sites like mine from the results of a search of the Internet.
I NEVER accept questionable ads (porn, gambling). I do not do popups and never have. I do not run banner ads on the top of pages (and never have). I've never spammed nor will I. In short, I've played by the rules.
Similar sites who have broken all those rules (and more) will have no trouble writing a check and those who don't know the difference between Google and Yahoo will, unfortunately, end up on those sites instead.
Yahoo will gladly take all this into account, so long as I write it on the back of a yearly check.
Yahoo is ten times the threat to sites like mine than M$FT ever thought of being. It's extortion and I can only hope there will be enough backlash to make them rethink their plans.
Those of you here at Slashdot have influence with your friends, coworkers, and family. PLEASE, for the sake of us independents, get them off Yahoo and on to Google!
I'm sorry if this sounds like whining to any of you. I just ask that you put yourself in my place and then ask yourself if you wouldn't feel the same.
Thanks for "listening",
Patrick Mondout
-- *They have spent a decade building up a positive reputation with netizens and do not do nearly enough to inform those who use their search that their search results are merely ads for the sites that paid to be there.