birdstuff - 3:18 pm on Aug 2, 2004 (gmt 0)

The ball is in Google's court. They make the rules. They have to enforce them. They have made a decision to make the TOS very vague as a CYA measure.

They won't explain that tactics X, Y, and Z in specific terms are against the TOS. But that is fine because it's their ball park and they can play the game any way they like and kick anyone they want off the field.

But they also have to be prepared for the downside of this strategy: when the rules aren't clearly laid out they will be interpreted in thousands of different ways. Some, like me, prefer to play it safe. I make a considerable amount from AdSense and I don't want to lose it.

Others prefer to push it to the limit, maximize revenues at all costs while accepting the inherent risk of getting booted. While I personally won't go that route, I can certainly understand it.

Many publishers posting here think "scraped sites" and other "gray area" tactics are beneath contempt. Others think these tactics are perfectly valid under the TOS. The fact is both camps are correct and it will stay tht way as long as the "system" stays as it is.

In a nutshell, the options for Google are clear IMO:

1 - Keep the TOS vague and deal with those who cross the invisible line however and whenever they have to, relying on the publishers' collective fear of getting booted to keep us on the conservative side (unfortunately for many publishers this tactic doesn't work).

IMO this option is unwise for the long term because formidable competition is indeed coming, most likely on several fronts, and Google will need a high level of publisher loyalty when that time comes.

2 - Spell out in explicit terms what is acceptable and what is not. Give clear examples. Let all publishers know where the line is and make it clear that we had better not cross it. Sure, there will be unforseen situations that arise that are not in Google's best interest, yet are not against the TOS. Easy solution: amend the TOS!

Google makes changes to the TOS, FAQs, etc. all the time. There is no reason why they can't use this as a way to evolve the rules when needed.

I sincerely hope for the long-term success of AdSense for the selfish reason that it makes me a lot of money. I also sincerely believe that this current way of presenting the TOS will be seen by many (including Google) as a mistake in the not so distant future.