Forum Moderators: martinibuster
The Conspiracy Theorist
These are the posters who state or imply that Google has ulterior motives, monkies with account eCPM as a method for earning more money for themselves and their investors, and feels that the "Smart" in Smart Pricing should always have quotes around it. The conspiracy theorist is eager for competition to AdSense so they can switch ASAP, and is at least a little bitter that they are stuck with AdSense for the time being.
The Loyalist
These are the guys who think that Google is doing the best they can to make things work for both the AdSense publishers and the AdWords advertisers. Their posts tend to defend decisions made by Google (not always, but usually). Although typically welcoming competition, which they feel will most certainly be good for publishers, they are not dissatisfied or bitter about any flaws they find in the AdSense system.
Which are you?
Keep in mind that you probably have at least a little of both in you, but which side do you tend to gravitate to the most?
As for me, I used to be a conspiracy theorist, but then I became an AdWords advertiser and realized the complexity of trying to make both sides happy, so as much as I hate to admit it, my thoughts since then tend to fall in the loyalist group.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely and Google is very power hungry.
You got the power, baby. You can walk and let Google know why. Not too many publishers do, though, which just goes to show that the conspiracy theorists and other complainers must be happier than they let on. :-)
I wouldn't conclude that staying with AdSense means that everybody's happy--I think it just means that they are the best, whether "the best" is good or not is up to each publishers opinion.
I am also a realist. I know what Google giveth, Google can taketh away. As a result, I have not put all my eggs in one basket and will continue to make changes, additions and deletions to my site that help increase the bottom line for ME.
I can't think of another company that opened a door for a little guy like me to make some cash.
This a very important factor for many since the Adsense program allowed for the very first time many web sites to derive an advertising income.
Ok, so times change and new competitors appear, where are you outside of the USA Yahoo!
As low paying Adsense may appear at times I can assure you it's a darned site easier than having your own publishing department trying to persuade sceptical trades people the benefits of advertising on a niche site.
I've tried it, it didn't work, Adsense does, maybe the YPN et al may work too these days if we were given the opportunity?
My own business supply relies upon loyalty from very large corporate buyers and 90% stick with me since they can be assured of the very best quality and supplies.
Anyone can make anything cheaper however whether it is better or not is altogether another discussion.
I don't universally slag off everything they do, or assume ulterior motives constantly as some do. Nor do I raise Google to the height of a deity and defend everything they ever do without question - especally algorythms.
I do believe that Google generally have the right motives in most of what they do. I also believe they are constantly trying to improve the program, in part based on feedback from this forum.
Their big failing is in the lack of communication they have with advertisers and publishers, and their paranoid secrecy about absolutely everything.
On the subject of algorythms - it really makes me mad when people start jumping on anyone who makes any criticism of algorythms. Google employs many full time engineers to work on them, they are in a constant state of development, and even Google accepts they have flaws and are happy to have feedback in order to improve. Why then is there this tendency here to defend Google's algorythms against any form of criticism, especially as it this feedback that actually helps Google develop them?
You can walk and let Google know why.
That's a long walk off a short pier until Yahoo and MSN have viable publishers network of their own.
(Yes, there's always affiliate work but that is a lead generation model that calls for a different information model- and we all know how Google and Yahoo feel about a website that exists solely to generate leads.)
Yes, there's always affiliate work but that is a lead generation model that calls for a different information model
I have an editorial content site, and I've found that AdSense and affiliate links work equally well on my pages. So I disagree that affiliate links require a different information model. It all depends on your topic and audience (which could be said of AdSense, too).
I think there are loyalists and conspiritors within Google and every morning they have a fist fight before coffee and some days the loyalists win and get to their cubicles first and other days the loyalists spend the day bound and gagged behind the coffee machine.
And ... Google is paying me. For doing a Web site. Something I've always done purely for fun, at my own expense, because the internet was cool.
I've been online since ARCHIE was the search engine of choice. (Actually, I've technically been online longer than that, if you count local BBSes.) I've made an awful lot of web sites; my personal domain will be ten years old in December of this year. And I've never been paid for running my OWN web sites before.
Google has made something that has always cost ME money into something that's MAKING money -- not enough to quit my day job, but enough to make me a very happy camper. It's like they're paying me to play online. Strange concept. And I like it.
Leva
Being in business myself I cannot believe in a conspiracy theory behind all the money that google is paying to us. At the same time I cannot have loyalty to any business but the one I own. A quandry for sure. Now I have something else to wonder about?
Could we have some more categories? Perhaps one for those of us that are skeptical about dealing with any large company that could squash us like an ant whenever they want to...the over the <ant> hill gang? Or one for those of us that enjoy the money from google, no matter how it is delivered....the "mo money gang"?
As to the original post...they keep paying me...I'm a loyalist.
I'm a guy with a website, Google pays me whatever they feel like for the space I make availble to them. That's the deal.
It's worked out pretty well for me so far.
Like many others, I too didn't buy any Google stock when they opened at $85 a share (seemed high to me!) and have just sat there in disbelief watching it go up, up and UP! since then to now where it's at a whopping $463.63 a share! (and I sure as hell ain't buyin' now - even if the pundits are predicting it'll hit $600 - yikes). Loyalist? Conspiricist? I'd say I'm more fascinated by Google than I am anything else.
Google = Money. Pure and simple. They will ride this for as long as they can.
This is hard core business, make no mistake. Make whatever money you can off of them, and they will make whatever money they can off of you.
We all signed up for them to pay us whatever they feel like. Not a contract I would normally sign with anyone.
However, for now, they pay me the most money for the least effort. We both win. It sure feels that near the end of each quarter they fix their books on my back. Nothing in my contract says they can't. Poor me.
This is a supposed market economy. If someone can give me a better deal, I'm there. For now, G is the best deal for me, all things considered.
Do I think their market valuation makes any sense? Of course not, but neither does the price of my home.
I just go back to the classic line I learned in high school: Caveat Emptor. Or as my friend, Kenny Rogers, said, "Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em."
"Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em."
Yep, and in spite of my grummblings I'm holding Adsense for now. Picked up a few Yahoo cards about a month ago but gave em up fast when they didn't pay out.
