A week ago I applied for a Google AdSense account, so I could add ads to my personal website. Several others I know do it, so thought I'd give it a try.
I've spent the best part of today trying to figure out to use the service how I want it to be used. I've come to the unfortunate conclusion that it is total pointless service for anything I, or anyone else in my position, could ever use it productively for.
Now the setting up of the basic ad boxes, etc is fine. I got all the way to adding the JavaScript to my test site and hit the stumbling block that renders the service complete useless as far as I'm concerned. The service works by using the content to power the ads. Sounds reasonable. However, when all the ads feature the same word and nothing of the REAL content of the site, I figured I couldn't be the only one, there must be others who have found themselves in the same situation.
Sure enough there is an ad filter tool. However, it falls considerably short of anything I could ever use for filtering ads from my site. The tool itself is called the Competitive Ad Filter and allows you to enter URLs that you don'twant on your site. Sounds good, but totally useless for what I need.
The very basic, simple filter that I would have expected was the ability to filter words in the content that you don't want to feature in any ad that appears on your site. To me it's an obvious filter to ensure that ads are being served that are tuned to the site. With the current set up having all the ads feature several different ways to buy a 'Barbie' is not the kind of ads that I want to see on my site.
Re: Barbie
barbie on 2007-04-21T17:14:05
But I didn't choose it! Admittedly I accepted it, but for the last 20+ years most people know by it, so it's a bit late to change it now
:) Re: Barbie
Ranguard on 2007-04-22T09:31:35
I'll call you 'my little pony' if you want instead - I'm sure others would take it up once you explained the need:) Re: Barbie
barbie on 2007-04-22T10:00:26
The humour of that hits me on several levels. Not least of which is the fact that the singer in the band I was working for when I got named back in 1984, was also the editor and an artist for the comic 'My Little Pony'!
Once upon a time another roadie decided to compete with me and called himself 'Sindy'. However, it didn't stick and the rest for the crew thought of several other names for him
;)
