Mature Content
February 28th 2007 23:34
We have lately had a few instances of blogs being banned from using Google AdSense because of content which was perceived as being "mature".
Regardless of the questionable nature of Google's decision to become the arbiter of moral taste on the web (and a very conservative one at that) this is obviously a very real concern for many of our blogs.
As a result we have implemented a "mature content" flag. When creating (or editing) a post you can specify it as "mature" and as a result no Google ads will be displayed on that post and it will not shown in the Orble Popular Posts list.
What exactly does Google consider mature content? Unfortunately they give very earch&query=mature&topic=&type=f" target="_blank">vague guidelines and it is left up to some low-level flunky within Google to decide the fate of each site with little or no recourse for appeal.
Basically anything to do with pornography, sex, or gambling is definitely considered mature. Beyond that it is up to you but I would suggest that you take a conservative line as that is what Google is most likely to do. Once your site is banned it is very unlikely that you will be given a reprieve.
I would also suggest that you go through your old posts to find any which may be considered a bit too racy for the Google monopoly.
Let us hope that Yahoo or Microsoft pull their thumbs out and come up with some decent competition for AdSense so that they have some motivation to behave like a company who appreciates their clients.
Thanks,
Jon.
Regardless of the questionable nature of Google's decision to become the arbiter of moral taste on the web (and a very conservative one at that) this is obviously a very real concern for many of our blogs.
As a result we have implemented a "mature content" flag. When creating (or editing) a post you can specify it as "mature" and as a result no Google ads will be displayed on that post and it will not shown in the Orble Popular Posts list.
What exactly does Google consider mature content? Unfortunately they give very earch&query=mature&topic=&type=f" target="_blank">vague guidelines and it is left up to some low-level flunky within Google to decide the fate of each site with little or no recourse for appeal.
Basically anything to do with pornography, sex, or gambling is definitely considered mature. Beyond that it is up to you but I would suggest that you take a conservative line as that is what Google is most likely to do. Once your site is banned it is very unlikely that you will be given a reprieve.
I would also suggest that you go through your old posts to find any which may be considered a bit too racy for the Google monopoly.
Let us hope that Yahoo or Microsoft pull their thumbs out and come up with some decent competition for AdSense so that they have some motivation to behave like a company who appreciates their clients.
Thanks,
Jon.
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Comment by katyzzz
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I must say and as you probably are already aware I support this move, but do agree adsense in other respects has its limitations.
Seeing the occasional cent added to my account which I may well never collect does not really excite me and I'm sure others must feel the same.
As to content, I am not forced to see movies I don't wish to see,
I am not forced to read books I don't want to read
but, on Orble I have been exposed to a lot of things I wish I hadn't
and exposing children to such things would horrify a lot of parents
Freedom of speech does not give the licence many claim it does.
I would rather see Orble have an alternative site, if that is what some Orblers want, even though I do not approve and that would give them pretty free reign.
I don't really expect any reply to my comments and do not seek them.
katyzzz
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(sarcasm)Oh well, back to peddling kiddy porn, I guess.(/sarcasm)
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pretendexhibit!!....funny, funny, funny...
Comment by Ahmed
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No it doesn't
@Mark Schultz
Well I really doubt Google could be *that* aggressive with their policies. They keep it open and flexible for their own sakes but I doubt they'll ban a site simply because it has a story about drugs on it.
I think Google is taking a cautious approach to meet its own end, a zero tolerance on porn/'mature' content is often needed because online websites (particularly the so-called web 2.0 stuff) tend to fall from grace real fast if stuff like this is put on them regularly.
The thing is Google is the biggest and most innovative in this field, it has competition such as clicksor but they come few and far in between.
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As for getting unbarred, I know of one case where a site was banned from using adsense but about two or three months (or more?) later the webmaster wrote an email to google (or something like that) and got unbarred.
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Comment by Brenton
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* Pornography, adult, or mature content
* Hacking/cracking content
* Illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia
* Excessive profanity
* Gambling or casino-related content
* Content regarding programs which compensate users for clicking on ads or offers, performing searches, surfing websites, or reading emails
* Excessive, repetitive, or irrelevant keywords in the content or code of web pages
* Deceptive or manipulative content or construction to improve your site's search engine ranking, e.g., your site's PageRank
* Sales or promotion of weapons or ammunition (e.g., firearms, fighting knives, stun guns)
* Sales or promotion of beer or hard alcohol
* Sales or promotion of tobacco or tobacco-related products
* Sales or promotion of prescription drugs
* Sales or promotion of products that are replicas or imitations of designer goods
* Sales or distribution of term papers or student essays
* Any other content that is illegal, promotes illegal activity, or infringes on the legal rights of others
Confuses me, as my site is mostly about drugs. I even had a post promoting the legalisation of ecstacy, well before I was accepted.
Oooh. Just realsied. I think I submitted blipblog for them to have a look at.
Any chance you could pinpoint a few of the elements of the specific blogs barred without naming names?
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Earache Hotel seems like a magnet for earache remedies, constipation cures, and 'what God has provided for his children to relieve gout'. While I find this highly amusing (in a strange, almost dadaist way), I think the mature content move is sheer hypocrisy.
These ads try to shyster the innocent and impressionable to buy things they don't need, which seems much more evil than exposing them to a few rude words or pictures of boobies.
I smell the snake oil waft of a Today Tonight expose.
Comment by Mark Schultz
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I can write about taking drugs, drinking way too much, all that kind of stuff, but when I talk about sex as a rite of passage, it gets the mature content flag?
Seriously, what kind of idiot do they have working on this?
Comment by David
I agree wholeheartedly with katyzzz ...
I realise she is not the type of person who seeks comments, or solicits feedback, or anything, but I felt like her comment was worthy and deserving of a response...
I've been exposed to a lot of spite which I wish I'd never had to read ...
So, again ... I concur with katyzzz ...
As for Google AdSense ... Ad(Non)Sense? ... and Add(no)Cents to anyones a/c's? ...
If I was seeking to make money from Blogging? I would have quit a long time ago ...
It's all about poplularity, vote-counts and Karma isn't it? * I take my cue from John Laws ... He knows how to be popular ... and how to make money * He just offends everyone ... *
I can't even work out what Google mean by it all ... It's all just jargon to me ...
I might even write and thank them ... for saving me the time of having to work out what the hell it is they're on about ...
I reckon if I offend a few more people ... I'll climb higher than No # 4 ...
Adrian's in my sights at the moment ... then only the Fox and Cibby to go ... *
And to think I could have risen to such heights a long time ago ... if Google had only forced Orble to introduce a 'Mature Content' function earlier...
Again, I concur with katyzzz ... Give us really mature adults a separate section ... (the ones of us who are mature enough not to worry about Ad(Non)Cents, that is ...
David ...
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I doubt many of us willl be having problems ?
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Can there at least be a compromise? Instead of just putting "Mature Content" in the "Preview" field on the homepage, can the opening paragraph of the story still be displayed? I've done the "right" thing and flagged my last two posts as "Mature" (even though they're clearly immature as hell) and there's been zero traffic.
If there's no bloody teaser, how is anyone meant to know what the post is about? I haven't been home from work to see on the Orble front page whether the teaser is included in that link to the story (or if it's just big, stupid red letters trumpeting "Mature Content") but my traffic is way down.
Frankly, I couldn't give a rat's about making money off this thing anymore, since the changeover to Google Adsense. Since the changeover, I've made a whopping $US8.51, as distinct from my $30ish in two months before the switch. I was never expecting to make a million dollars, don't get me wrong. But Google seems to be squeezing the life and livelihood out of this place, and Orble will suffer because of it.
My two cents. I'm really quite disillusioned by the amount of censorship that's loomed and started to come down in the six months I've been here. I signed up because I was looking for a relaxed, open-minded community of readers to share my stories with uncensored. As crude as some of my writing may be, it's an integral part of my "voice" as a blogger.
Afterthought. If I elect for the blog layout with ads turned off, do I have to use the Mature Content slogan? I'm going to try and find out. Anarchy is the word.
Edit:
'I have seen a few that make me tempted to tell the writer excessive profanity is NOT clever or cute and I've seen some that are just plain self indulgent ... "
Julia, I hope you're referring to my blog. Negative publicity is better than none at all.
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I don't like censorship any more than you do. Unfortunately Orble has to pay for the servers somehow and if Google decides to close our AdSense account it will cause problems. We have to be careful.
JV: I agree, the vast majority of Orble blogs have nothing to worry about.
David: With regards to a separate mature content section, I think it's a good idea. I'm not sure it would prevent all angst though. Within any community no matter how narrowly focused there will always be some strife and dissagreement.
MS and Hellvis: I agree that Google's stance can be seen as contradictory. There is a huge contraversy amongst gay bloggers at the moment as many of their blogs (those with a gay focus) have been banned recently which some people are saying is effectively homophobic. I think we will be hearing more about this, though hopefully on a more reputable show that today tonight
Luke: If you are banned by adsense you will know because no ads will appear on your blog. They do also send out notification emails.
Thanks to everyone who has gone through all their old posts to flag them as mature if appropriate. Hopefully with some management we can stay clear of this particular minefield.
Thanks,
Jon.
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I'll flag my drug posts as mature.
Is Orble looking at alternative advertising schemes at all?
I'd love to see one where advertisers cann fil out a form - Blog name, how many weeks, then pay oline, and te writer and oble both get a cut - iimediately, instead of after the 100$ mark.
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Comment by scholia
"F**K" is NOT just another word ... what do people think the word "obscene" means"
Far too often I hear people using "F**K" and Effing cos NOT cos they just cut themself or had a particularly appalling encounter with bureacracy at its most obtuse... BUT simply cos they're TOO LAZY to develop a vocabulary that allows them to use a more appropriate adverb verb or adjective.
Casual use fo the "F**K" word isnt just obscene!
Its lazy sloppy stupid and UNstylish.
A poor wordsmith uses colloquialism as an excuse for illiteracy.
I had a so-called "learning disability" ... I made the effort to learn to write and read and use language at a higher level ... and altho partly due to my problem and despite haivng a tertiary degree I still often do some appalling spelling typos and have a nasty tendency to reverse syllables in the middle of words.
(Thank the Muses for Spell Check!)
I have often found "mature content" can be expressed without dubious lexical items ... or in plainer language ...REAL ADULTS LEARN AND USE THE RIGHT WORDS ... they dont need swear words! They have style!
Comment by scholia
(Nudge wink)
Sometimes "old fashioned" words like FORNICATE are much more effective and fitting.
For example I went to check on my baby tomato plants
(I'm trying to grow tomatos and basil in pots on a balcony) and found more FORNICATING snails snacking on them! The condition of the basil is NOT fit to be described even with ADVERB ABUSE (another objection I have to the F-word!) as the dear little creatures have been nibbling not just on the leaves but the stems as well and I had to bring them back inside!
Fornicating snails!
Is that mature content?
Comment by Luke
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examples...
'damn' was once a swearword, and no one bats an eyelid to that 'obscenity' now.
'cunt' actually started out as a proper non-swearword, it's the proper english word for vagina... vagina is actually a latin word... in the 18th century physicians started relabelling the various parts of the body with latins names and the higher classes of British society followed their example, viewing the english word 'cunt' as common and lowly... hence it's transition from 'proper' word 'obscene' word.
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Comment by scholia
Oxford Dictionary Definition of Obscene
repulsive filthy loathsome grossly indecent lewd.
Dont use use the c-word or the d- word or the f- word if you want to impress anyone with any sense of class of style !!! and if the women in your social circle find those words acceptable they're certainly not ladies in any sense of the word !!!
Adjectives are NOT points of views they're meant to have a descriptive function!
Groan you 're one of the DYSfunctional grammar generation arent you? Never done any Latin or Greek or Formal traditional grammar?
Reread my post especially the observation about NOT needing to use swear words and then go and buy a Macquarie or Oxford dictionary on a CD or hardcopy and read at least a page a day!
If you're literate enuff to use a computer you should be literate enuff to acquire a better vocabulary and not need to use certain types of words unless under GENUINE duress!
Comment by Ahmed
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Google is the big player here, Google is the one cutting the pay cheques, it is up to Google to decide what is obscene or isn't when dealing with individual websites, it's their policy and whether you like it or not you have to abide by them.
Google is not a liberal artist organization nor is it at all obliged to cater to people form all walks of life, it is looking out for its interests by being so tight and until another company can challenge them proper here they will stay this route.
Comment by Luke
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repulsive filthy loathsome grossly indecent lewd."
yeah but if I don't agree that 'fuck' falls into those criteria, then that's open to interpretation.
you're being quite close-minded about this.
I am quite familiar with the Oxford dictionary.
And I actually have a degree in writing, which includes line-editing.
And just because a woman doesn't find certain words offensive it doesn't mean she is without class, it just means YOU'RE a prude.
Comment by Ahmed
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I'm a god damn human spambot living on $0.05c per post I make on random places. I'd make more money cleaning out gutters if I wasn't so fat and lazy.
Regards
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http://oohpooooorn.com.au
Comment by Brenton
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I've oft suspected as much.