36 Comments on I will not participate in Google’s interest-based advertising

Sire on Fri, 13th Mar 2009 8:03 pm


Hi John, I haven’t as yet made a decision, although I am leaning to opting out as well. I would say that if enough people made this choice then they would eventually terminate the whole project.

I reckon the whole idea is flawed anyway and just because they happen to visit a certain number of pages in a period of time only means that they showed interest in that topic on a particular day and on any other day they couldn’t care less about that topic. They are assuming way, way to much. And we all know what happens when you assume stuff don’t we.

Sire´s last blog post..Big Brother Google Opts For Interest-Based Advertising

Mitch on Fri, 13th Mar 2009 8:20 pm


I want to opt out, but I didn’t see where one could after reading about this on Sire’s site. I then went to look for it on Google, came across something, clicked on this link and it said I needed to activate cookies. Tried this on both browsers, with the same thing happening. Since I have cookies activated, I’m now left wondering what’s up.

Mitch´s last blog post..Is The Dream A Fraud?

John Dilbeck on Fri, 13th Mar 2009 8:38 pm


Good evening, Sire.

I think this is a direct result of Google’s acquisition of DoubleClick. I don’t have any facts to back up my suspicion, however.

This is the wrong way for Google Adsense to go. I’m clear on that.

Act on your dream!

JD

John Dilbeck on Fri, 13th Mar 2009 8:44 pm


Good evening, Mitch.

I saw your tweet that linked to Sire’s post and that’s what prompted me to dig out the email and see what was happening. Thanks.

When you log in to your Adsense account, click on the “My Account” tab and scroll to the bottom of the page.

The next-to-last section is labeled “Interest-based Ads Preference” with an Edit link next to it.

When you click the Edit link, there are two choices.

Do you see that?

In the past, when I’ve had problems with sites like you describe, I’d clear all their cookies and clear the cache on my browser.

Now and then, I had to specifically tell the browser to accept cookies from a domain to make it work, even though my general settings are for accepting cookies.

Act on your dream!

JD

Googles Interest-Based Advertising Sucks | WassupBlog on Fri, 13th Mar 2009 9:05 pm


[...] of theirs will now directly affect ever person who displays AdSense and I have decided, just like John Dillbeck, that I will not take part in their latest venture and so I have just opted out of their [...]

Sire on Fri, 13th Mar 2009 9:10 pm


Hey John, I have decided to follow your lead mate, and hopefully others will do the same.

Sire´s last blog post..Googles Interest-Based Advertising Sucks

Mitch on Fri, 13th Mar 2009 9:27 pm


Hi John,

It’s just not working for me, on either browser. I cleared the cache; I went in and specifically told both browsers to accept all cookies for Google. I even closed both and opened both twice. Nothing, nada, zip. Odd, but true; nothing is showing for me.

Mitch´s last blog post..SEO Is Easier With Websites Than Blogs

Sire on Fri, 13th Mar 2009 9:40 pm


Mitch, I think that Google so wants you to participate that they have decided to not give you the option of opting out. Perhaps they have special plans for you.

Sire´s last blog post..Googles Interest-Based Advertising Sucks

John Dilbeck on Fri, 13th Mar 2009 9:55 pm


Good evening, Mitch.

Maybe Sire’s right. Maybe Google has special plans for you.

(Cue the spooky music as we move into conspiracy theory mode for a few seconds…OK. That’s enough.)

I really don’t know what to say. Since I don’t use Windows, I don’t even have any other suggestions.

Hope you get it working.

Act on your dream!

JD

Mitch on Fri, 13th Mar 2009 9:55 pm


Sire, I’m wanted by everyone except the police; I can’t gripe about that. lol

Mitch´s last blog post..Keys To Leadership

Mitch on Fri, 13th Mar 2009 9:58 pm


Thanks John; I’ll have to try to remember to check it in a week or so.

Mitch´s last blog post..Is The Dream A Fraud?

Sire on Sat, 14th Mar 2009 1:00 am


@ Mitch – Well, I reckon that as long as it stays that way Mitch it’s not all that bad.

Sire´s last blog post..The Quest For A Blogger’s Favorite Posts

Bill Masson on Sat, 14th Mar 2009 10:28 am


Hi JD,
I must say that I haven’t given this much thought until i saw your comment, and now i guess i am in two minds. On Google’s acquisition of Double Click isn’t that just the way of the Internet in general, there must be thousands of ad companies and countless faceless snoopers that grab our information every day. As for cookies i set my browser to clear every time i close my browser.

I don’t see any difference in what Google does compared to numerous other companies that do the same thing day in day out. mmm perhaps i will change my mind in the coming weeks.

Bill Masson´s last blog post..Sqip Live Launch is Imminent

Geoff on Sat, 14th Mar 2009 6:51 pm


Hi JD,

I must thank Sire for sending me here from his email. I am totally in agreement with you.

What if a family uses the one computer? Does Google think everyone is going to be interested in the next video game release, or trading the markets etc?

I may be wrong but this is my understanding. Having contextual ads is certainly my preferred option!

My next step is to my Google account!

Geoff´s last blog post..Affiliate Marketing and Multiple Streams of Income

Dennis Edell on Sat, 14th Mar 2009 7:55 pm


Didn’t they sell double click after that particular backlash?

Dennis Edell´s last blog post..Do You Charge For Blog Reviews?

Brian D. Hawkins on Sun, 15th Mar 2009 12:13 am


Hi John, I got the email too but still haven’t opened it. I didn’t even know what was going on until I read your post. I don’t run their ads on my main sites anyway but I need to look over the email.

BTW, I tagged you on my last blog post. Click my website link to see the post.

John Dilbeck on Sun, 15th Mar 2009 4:24 am


Good morning, Bill.

I don’t see any difference in what Google does compared to numerous other companies that do the same thing day in day out.

Sure, there are companies that do all kinds of things, but that doesn’t mean it’s right.

It doesn’t mean I have to willingly participate in it.

I’m not trying to tell anyone else what to do, we all have to make our own decisions.

As for myself, I’m very clear on this.

Act on your dream!

JD

John Dilbeck on Sun, 15th Mar 2009 4:29 am


Good morning, Geoff.

What if a family uses the one computer? Does Google think everyone is going to be interested in the next video game release, or trading the markets etc?

That’s just one scenario I can think about that I believe would make the interest-based advertising less effective and possibly poorly targeted.

I may be wrong but this is my understanding. Having contextual ads is certainly my preferred option!

Contextual ads is my only option. That’s what I signed up for; it’s all I want on my sites.

Act on your dream!

JD

John Dilbeck on Sun, 15th Mar 2009 4:53 am


Good morning, Dennis.

Didn’t they sell double click after that particular backlash?

I don’t think so.

While I was watching the status bar at the bottom of my browser load this page, I saw a message saying that it was transferring information from “googleads.g.doubleclick.net.”

I looked and had two cookies from doubleclick.net, which I deleted. Then, I reloaded this page in another browser window…

Doubleclick.net set two cookies on the reload: “test_cookie” and “id”. After the page fully loaded, the only cookie left from Doubleclick.net was a two-year “id” cookie.

So, even though I’ve opted out of serving the interest-based advertising, they’re still setting cookies when someone visits my site, and I never signed up for that and don’t agree with it.

So, no matter who owns Doubleclick, they’re watching us, and the only thing I’m doing here that could be a part of that is serving Adsense ads.

I don’t mind sites that set cookies for preferences and statistical information, but I don’t like sites that set persistent cookies that watch our surfing patterns.

Act on your dream!

JD

John Dilbeck on Sun, 15th Mar 2009 5:26 am


Good morning, Brian.

I got the email too but still haven’t opened it. I didn’t even know what was going on until I read your post. I don’t run their ads on my main sites anyway but I need to look over the email.

To be honest, Brian, I don’t really know if this is going to be a “big deal” or just a tempest in a teapot.

I know that I don’t like it, but have no idea how the majority of Adsense publishers will view it.

BTW, I tagged you on my last blog post. Click my website link to see the post.

I got a laugh when I read where you tagged me. You’re probably right. I’m not sure if I could come up with seven things you may not know about me that I haven’t already written, somewhere.

I just don’t take part in these memes; no time.

Way back when, during a period when I did have time, I published My Unauthorized Autobiography. I’ll leave it up to you to decide what parts are true and which are bald-faced lies. (Well, actually, as long as I have a beard, I guess I can’t tell a bald-faced lie, can I?)

I can’t speak for your family, but I know I would have a hard time dealing with one of my parents marrying one of my ex’s parents. Whew!



Thanks for the tag, but this is the best I can am willing to do.

Act on your dream!

JD

Mitch on Sun, 15th Mar 2009 11:42 am


Hi John,

Seeing you and Dennis talking about Doubleclick, I checked my browser and supposedly it’s already set to block all cookies from them. Does that mean I can’t be tracked, or is there something else I should think of doing? I still don’t see the thing on the Google Adsense page that Sire was talking about.

Mitch´s last blog post..Massive Traffic To Your Website/Blog?

rc plane on Fri, 20th Mar 2009 7:24 pm


great information… love to read your articles here..

John Dilbeck on Mon, 23rd Mar 2009 9:33 pm


Good evening, Mitch.

I’m sorry for the delay in responding. I was sick most of last week and I’m just now getting back to work.

As far as I know, blocking the DoubleClick cookies should stop you from being tracked by them, but there are always new developments and ways of doing things, so I’m not confident in saying it will definitely stop them.

Can you see the place to opt out on the Adsense site, yet?

Act on your dream!

JD

Mitch on Mon, 23rd Mar 2009 9:36 pm


Hi John,

I commented on Sire’s site, and I thought you’d see it, but I guess not.

Turns out the reason I couldn’t see anything was because of the Adblock Plus on Firefox. Once I turned that off, it came up. Of course, that was after I’d deleted all my cookies and history, did the same on IE7, shut down my firewall and virus program,… wow.

I was not a happy camper, but at least all is back to well now.

Mitch´s last blog post..Where My Traffic Comes From

John Dilbeck on Mon, 23rd Mar 2009 9:44 pm


Good evening, Mitch.

I’m happy to hear that you got it straightened out.

It’ll take me some time to get caught up on new blog posts and reading the comment threads, but I’ll get there.

Thanks for your (very fast!) response.

Act on your dream!

JD

John Dilbeck on Tue, 24th Mar 2009 5:37 am


I just spent all night reducing the number of blogs I’ll maintain. Some have been mothballed with links to my primary blogs, while others have been updated and I’ll post to them now and then.

Several blogs were completely deleted.

As I update these blogs, I am removing Adsense ads from them.

I’m not giving up on Adsense, since it brings in a respectable income every year, but I am going to be more selective about which sites I show Adsense ads on.

At least for awhile, I’ll continue showing Adsense on my local blogs for Murphy, NC and Cherokee County.

I’ll probably show them on JohnDilbeck.com and GeorgiaDragRacing.com.

I’ll be removing them from my affiliate marketing blogs, and I’ve already started that process. I’ll be removing them from this blog in the next few minutes.

The last straw was learning that I’ll have to update the privacy page on all sites that show Adsense ads, even though I have opted out of the interest-based ads.

At this point, I only have a few sites that make any real money from Adsense, so it’s not much of a loss to delete these ads from most of my sites. Still, I’m not all that happy at giving up the hundreds of dollars I earn from Google every year.

I’m still on the edge, however, about whether or not I’m going to give up on Adsense completely.

I really don’t like the way Google is moving with this.

Act on your dream!

JD

Mitch on Tue, 24th Mar 2009 7:29 am


I guess I’m missing a part of this, John. Nothing is making you remove Adsense from all the other sites, so there’s no real reason you’d have to remove it, even if you didn’t like their policy.

I’m assuming, though, that on the affiliate marketing sites, you’re removing it so it doesn’t end up competing with what you’re trying to market; would that be accurate?

Mitch´s last blog post..Is Google Reading Your Robots.txt File?

John Dilbeck on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 12:29 pm


Good afternoon, Mitch.

I’m looking at a couple of factors for each site:

1. What do I earn from Adsense each month on this site?

2. Do the ads complement or compete with the content? (Or, are they generally irrelevant?)

Additionally, there are considerations regarding what Google is doing with their DoubleClick cookies and their requirement that I update my privacy policy, even if I opt out of the interest-based ads.

If I’m not earning, and if the ads aren’t providing service for my readers, and if they’re dropping cookies (which I didn’t know until a week or two ago), why show them at all?

I know I don’t have to remove the ads, but this is part of my annual refocusing. If a site does not earn much from Adsense, then there’s no point in having the ads there. I’m not going to promote something if it isn’t helpful to my readers and I don’t earn anything from it.

It’s why I’m going to be dropping CommissionJunction, and several other affiliate programs, too.

I’m showing thousands of impressions for some ads, a few clicks, and practically no sales. It’s time to take them down and stop participating.

I’ve stopped actively promoting ClickBank products for several reasons and I’m removing links to them, too.

Cleaning up all of this will take substantial effort, but I’ll feel better when it’s done.

Back to Adsense…

Yes, you’re correct that I don’t want Adsense ads to compete with what I’m trying to market.

Why earn a few pennies or a dollar or two from Google, when some of the things I promote pay much more and some have monthly or annual residual commissions?

On my local sites, the Adsense ads are helping to promote local businesses, and that may be worth dealing with the new privacy policies and whatever else Google may change in the future.

For the affiliate marketing sites, I’m finding that it just isn’t worth the hassle, any longer.

I’ll be rebuilding AYearFromNow.com in the coming week or so and removing all Adsense ads and other things I no longer want to promote, such as all the ads I have for Amazon.com, which no longer earn but a fraction of what they once did.

On that site, I’m going to be building more informational content with no advertising as I try to share what I’ve learned over the last few years. Sure, I’ll continue to link to things that pay my bills, but I’m going to be much more selective.

Finally, there’s the ethics issue…

If I disagree with something a company is doing, is it morally right to earn money from them?

This is an issue I’m wrestling with. I haven’t decided, yet.

What do you think?

Act on your dream!

JD

Mitch on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 4:34 pm


Hi John,

First thought is if you remove Adsense because it’s competing against your other products, that I fully understand.

Second is if you’re removing it because it’s not making enough money, well, that one I’m not overly sure on. True, the one on my blog makes little money, but accumulative on all my sites, at least at this point, I’m not doing all that badly, as I’m getting close to averaging $100 a month. Having said that, I do agree that, when it comes to ethics, if you disagree with someone then you shouldn’t work with them; ethics is big on my list.

Commission Junction, well, I think I may be using that one incorrectly for the most part, and thus I’m not making the money I’d like to make. Still, I like keeping it around, just in case.

I hope you keep us all informed on how you’re going to make money through affiliate programs, because it could be an important lesson for all of us, seeing how you progress.

Mitch´s last blog post..More Free Ebooks On Internet/Forum Marketing

Sire on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 5:36 pm


Hi John, in regards to Commission Junction, I have only ever made one sale, but that sale paid me $100 commission. I don’t think it/s their fault that I am not making money. I think it’s more on my end as I haven’t picked the right affiliates to represent yet. I reckon I’ll keep going with them awhile longer. Who knows, another $100 may be just around the corner.

Sire´s last blog post..An Aspect Of Affiliate Marketing That May Lead To Higher Conversions

John Dilbeck on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 10:20 pm


Good evening, Mitch.

Yes, removing the competition from the ads is an important consideration, but would not have been the impetus to do all the work I’m doing had Google not changed what they were doing with the ads with little warning and no choice about the cookies and the privacy statement.

I always re-evaluate an agreement when the other party changes things unilaterally.

Each of us has to decide how we focus our time and effort and what we believe to be a good return for our work.

For example, as a consultant, I’m sure you would quit working with someone if they might send you a few dollars a month – or might not.

If you had a few dozen clients sending you $100 a month, and none of them required substantial work on your part, the accumulated earnings may be worth the low revenue each provides.

However, if one of those clients started demanding more of your time and effort, changed your agreement and only told you about it afterward, and still provided no more income than other clients, and less than some, that’s a different story.

Right?

So, for me, looking at all my sources of affiliate commissions, I want to focus on the ones that are making money, and not on the ones that may do so, eventually.

By focusing on the profitable parts of my business, I can increase revenue with less effort.

I prefer to focus on my strengths, not to focus on overcoming my weaknesses. (While improving in all areas is important, some things produce much better returns than others.)

I’m not saying that I’m right and you’re not. I’m just saying that this is how I view the world and want to run my own business.

I’m not trying to tell anyone else how to run theirs.

I’ve made a few sales through Commission Junction, but have earned only about $22 from them in the last year. It seems that the companies I promote through them just don’t convert well for my audience.

I like CJ and I’m not saying anything negative about them. It’s just that I earn much more from other companies.

When CafePress had their own affiliate program, I was starting to build a nice income stream. When they moved to CJ to manage it, it sank like a stone. I was advertising to the same audience, but the results were drastically different.

I’m a proud customer of VistaPrint and I’ve promoted them a lot on various sites, yet I don’t think I’ve had a single sale or earned anything as a result.

Since I like VistaPrint, I’ll continue to link directly to their site when I recommend what they offer, but I won’t be doing it through their CJ affiliate links.

Similarly, I am a big fan of WordTracker, but they recently made changes to their affiliate program and I don’t like those changes, so I’ll stop promoting them through the affiliate links and just link directly to their site.

I won’t be losing anything, and I’ll enjoy promoting companies that offer great services that I use regularly.

While I will rarely give actual numbers, I’m happy to share what I’m learning about building a business around affiliate marketing.

I like the business and love working at home, but for most who try it, it is not a reliable model for earning a full-time income.

I have tried hundreds of affiliate programs and I earn the bulk of my income from about a dozen.

Google Adsense ads are in that dozen, but the majority of my income from them comes from a couple of niche sites that have nothing at all to do with marketing.

Still, I’m wrestling with the ethical issue, as I mentioned previously.

If opting out of the interest-based advertising meant that they were not requiring modifying the privacy page on all my sites, and meant that they would not drop DoubleClick cookies on my visitors’ browsers, then I would not have a problem with them and this would not be an issue.

Up until this month, I’ve been very happy with Google and the income I receive from showing their ads, but the recent changes do not set well with me. It’s not the right way to do business.

Act on your dream!

JD

John Dilbeck on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 10:56 pm


Good evening, Sire.

I know some people who make a lot of money through Commission Junction – several in the thousands of dollars per month category.

I’m not one of them, and it hasn’t been for the lack of trying.

I’m obviously not promoting the right products to the right market, and, yes, that’s my fault, not theirs.

Or, perhaps I’m promoting the right products to the right market, but doing it incorrectly. It still leads to the same results.

Congratulations on earning that $100 commission. That’s good news, and I hope you’re able to repeat it often and reliably.

For myself, I have never made substantial income through CJ and I’ve earned several times more this week from one company than I’ve earned from CJ over the last few years combined.

Deciding on what we want to promote, how we want to do it, and to whom we want to make the offers is one of the great things about owning our own business.

We each get to decide what works well for us and what we enjoy doing.

For myself, I’m much happier promoting a company that produces a product that I really like and which works well for me as a customer. When I earn nice commissions for promoting that company it is a bonus.

Again, I’m not saying that I’m right and others are wrong, and I would never presume to tell someone how to run their own business. It’s great that each of us gets to decide for ourselves what is worth doing.

It’s one of the main reasons I remain so interested in the Internet marketing niche. I want to share some of what I’ve learned and compare notes with others.

But, just because I love something doesn’t mean I’ll earn a living by promoting it.

I’ve been a Macintosh fanatic since I used the first one a week before they were introduced. I placed an order for one that day and received one of the first Macs that was delivered to anyone in Arizona.

Over the last 25 years, I’ve bought maybe a dozen Macs and I know I’ve been responsible for people buying hundreds of them from my recommendation.

Before leaving Arizona, I was earning nice commissions for selling Macs in a computer store.

Yet, I’ve never earned a dime in affiliate commissions by promoting them through various companies, including Amazon.com. So, I grew tired of trying and removed the affiliate links a few years ago, yet I still share my opinions and link directly to their site now and then.

It’s just one more example of promoting a company I like without expecting to get paid for doing it.

Of course, I’m just a tiny little fish in a big ocean when it comes to Macs, so it makes sense that I don’t earn anything in that niche. Still, I remain a very happy customer.

Who knows? I may be entirely wrong about all of this. I may be shooting myself in the foot, and I know I will not earn commissions if I don’t promote using affiliate links.

Perhaps it’s better to earn at least something rather than nothing?

I don’t really know the answer to that question.

Act on your dream!

JD

Sire on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 11:27 pm


I don’t think you are wrong John. Everyone is different and are bound to make different choices, some that work and some that don’t. That’s life mate and we have to live it any which way we can.

Sire´s last blog post..There Is No Way In Hell That A Man Can Please A Woman

Thomas on Mon, 4th May 2009 6:17 pm


Sometimes I think Google can do no wrong and everything they say should be the law. But then sometimes I realize that they are nothing more than a business….trying to make huge amounts of money while protecting their status as top dog! So what are we to do?

John Dilbeck on Wed, 20th May 2009 5:48 pm


Good afternoon, Thomas.

I can think of lots of things that Google has done wrong, but as you say, they are a business working to make huge amounts of money.

I thought that by opting out of the interest-based advertising that it would help prevent Google from putting cookies on visitors to my sites, but that proved to be incorrect. All their advertising now, interest-based or not, cookies visitors.

I’ve found that the only way to prevent it is to no show their ads on my sites.

I have removed them from some sites, but not from others.

I’m still debating with myself what is the right thing to do.

I guess each of us has to decide for ourself.

Act on your dream!

JD

Who is tracking you? | 21st Century Affiliate Marketing on Tue, 9th Jun 2009 8:04 am


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