Don't Go Negative On Google - Google's ad rules complex, controversial

[Kadie]

Don't Go Negative On Google

Google's ad rules complex, controversial
Documents reveal details about what popular search engine accepts, rejects

Verne Kopytoff, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, August 9, 2004



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Jerry Vasilatos, who sells playing cards that feature 54 reasons to defeat President George W. Bush, was shocked to see his ads on Google suddenly disappear in May. After e-mailing the search engine several times, he learned why: He violated Google's policy prohibiting ads that advocate against an individual or group.

"It's really ridiculous," Vasilatos said. "I can understand them wanting to remove ads from hate groups or groups that advocate violence, but ads that are critical of the president?"

Google's self proclaimed mission to make the world's information accessible is being questioned by some of its customers. The search engine bars advertisers from pitching a range of opinions and products on its Web site and on those of its partners.

Details of Google's ad policy were disclosed in internal documents obtained by The Chronicle. Subsequent interviews with the company also revealed new information about its procedures.

more...
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/08/09/BUGAD835EP1.DTL

[mopinko]

1. yup

they canned me. and they caught me because i used key words from their list.

[Jim Sagle]

2. Or maybe because you're a pinko.

:headbang:

[HysteryDiagnosis]

3. If you were going to start

a search engine... and google, dogpile, yahoo and others didn't exist..... what would you use to get lists of sites that pertained to what you were looking for? Udder words.... how'd they do that?

[mopinko]

5. they are not talking about the search engine itself

they are talking about the "sponsored links" ads.

[Eric J in MN]

4. Google loosened its rules last month, says the article.

Now they're just looking for negative content in the ads themselves.

People here who had ads drops from Google because of anti-Bush content on their websites should try again.