Google AdSense links at Lockergnome - is it safe to click them?
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This is ironic. I’ve been waiting for someone to call me a hypocrite, but so far, nobody seems to notice just how foolish I am.
In my last blog article here, I wrote a little about the “sponsored” links at Download.com and how Download.com is actually making money by sending folks off to these sponsored websites that are full of either adware, malware, or spam farms. It really isn’t safe to click on the ads there unless you know what you are getting into.
Why am I a hypocrite? This blog has ad links from Google on its pages and they aren’t any more trustworthy than the ads I was ranting about at Download.com.
Actually, I don’t make a dime from these ads. I was offered the chance to become a “partner” in these ads with Lockergnome, but I’ve decided I don’t want the money unless they can clean up the ads.
There you have it … don’t click on the ads at Lockergnome unless you have some type of protection or foreknowledge. I use McAfee’s free version of SiteAdvisor while I surf. SiteAdvisor gives me a warning when I’m at a bad website and after clicking through some of the ads here, I found they are not all what they say they are.
Here (screenshot below) are some examples. The last one there is nothing but a spam farm to harvest email addresses.
I’d write to Chris Pirillo about this, but I’m curious if he’ll find it on his own.
Best wishes to you all, and remember, don’t click the “Ads by Google”.
4 Comments
Sean
November 29th, 2006
at 3:46am
You’d probably have to take your complaints to Google. :) Tell them to stop selling ad space to known spyware vendors.
Lockergnome, like every other site on the web that uses Google AdSense, has no control over which ads are shown. Google’s own spiders look at the page content, decided what the “meaning” of the content is, and show ads relevant to that meaning.
It’s completely out of Chris’s hands.
BIll Webb
November 29th, 2006
at 6:46am
Fun, but I have to agree with Sean. This is standard practice, and it isn’t going to go away. Google could — but won’t — analyze every site of every advertiser. Just like the mean streets in the “real” world, people are going to have to learn to look out for their own interests. We don’t mind using the benefits that Google provides, and we’re just going to have to learn to live with the dark side of the force. They have to make money.
As long as there are suckers, there will be people to take advantage of them. With roughly 3-4% of the population qualifying as sociopaths, there will always be a supply of predators. It comes down to the basic advice for survival in any ocean: don’t act like bait.
Those of us who know better have to keep spreading the word. Beyond that, it’s up to the sheep to look for wolves.
clifnotes
November 30th, 2006
at 1:55am
Hi Sean and Bill.
From Sean: “It’s completely out of Chris’s hands.”
Not! He can choose to use any form of advertising he wishes. I never heard that Google holds a gun to your head and says “Use Adsense!”
From Bill: “This is standard practice, and it isn’t going to go away.”
You may very well be right Bill. That won’t keep me from ranting about it occasionally. I think if more webmasters started griping about the bad links in Google adsense, we might start to see Google take notice. Especially if it starts hurting their bottom line.
Does anyone know if there is a clean and safe alternative to the Adsense service?
If not, I’ve got a few ideas that might work on existing Adsense ads. I think it could be done, but I’m not a web coder.
Sean
November 30th, 2006
at 1:24pm
“Not! He can choose to use any form of advertising he wishes.”
You answered your own question here. :)
“Does anyone know if there is a clean and safe alternative to the Adsense service?”
No, there isn’t. In fact the top of the barrel is Google, and it just goes down hill from there.