Disabled

[kodeking]

My account was disabled yesterday, and I did not recieve a warning message OR a message saying they were cancelling. NOt one email. I contacted them saying that I couldn't log in to my account and ads were not showing. The responded with the dreaded "Invalid Click" jargain.

Could this have anything do to with my ISP giving me a new IP#.
Like someone had this number before and had been to my site, and now I got the IP and it shows up as my clicks.
Or could they see that an entirely new IP logged into my account?

I sent an email to google requesting a second look at the problem.

IF there are a few invalid clicks, why dont they just deduct those clicks and let you keep the account?

It just doesnt make any sense.

[jomaxx]

It seems vanishingly unlikely that you would be given an IP belonging to someone who had previously clicked on your site's ads.

Besides, most people don't have fixed IP's anyway (I have a cable modem and even my IP is not absolutely fixed). I'm sure Google have a variety of algorithms they use to detect patterns of false clicks that go beyond IP checking.

[edited by: jomaxx at 6:52 pm (utc) on Dec. 23, 2003]

[Chndru]

Sorry to hear, kodeking. For whatever it's worth, the previous posts on the same topic.

[webmasterworld.com...] July 1, 2003
[webmasterworld.com...] Sept 15, 2003
[webmasterworld.com...] Sept 18, 2003
[webmasterworld.com...] Sept 30, 2003
[webmasterworld.com...] Oct 25, 2003
[webmasterworld.com...] Nov 11, 2003
[webmasterworld.com...] Dec 8, 2003
[webmasterworld.com...] Dec 12, 2003
[webmasterworld.com...] Dec 15, 2003
[webmasterworld.com...] Dec 23, 2003

A couple of things i see in common,
* Many a times, emails from Google have been claimed NOT received.
* Posters are usually new to the WebmasterWorld (maybe lurkers?)
* In some cases, a lack of familiarity with Adsense TOS.

And a quote from ASA here: [webmasterworld.com...] (msg#19)

[kodeking]

I have actually been using adsense for 3 months now, and I first posted this problem on <snip>

Someone on <snip> refered me here today to check it out. I just don't understand why I wouldn't get any emails from google.

[edited by: Jenstar at 7:31 pm (utc) on Dec. 23, 2003]
[edit reason] No URLs please, as per TOS [/edit]

[f00sion]

I find it hard to believe that google would ban someone due to them logging in and having the same ip address as someone who has clicked on a banner from the site... I mean, what if a friend of mine goes to my site and finds an interesting ad and clicks on it, then later that week I am at his house and login to check my stats... or even worse at a large company that is using a firewall with NAT to the outside world every user has the same IP address... Lots of people at my work visit my personal site regularly and im sure they have clicked on ads before, and I login 20 times a day from here because I am a stats-whore.. they have to have taken this into account.

[Jenstar]

Could your ISP/email provider be blocking emails from Google? This is the most common reason why people don't receive emails from the AdSense team.

[401khelp]

I agree byrhtnoth. This type of notice really should be posted on our Adsense control panel AS WELL in an email to us. Emails are just to that reliable or such important information.

[Lil_Red]

Some ad networks don't even give that much warning - no email, nothing.

[kodeking]

"Could your ISP/email provider be blocking emails from Google? This is the most common reason why people don't receive emails from the AdSense team. "

I contacted google through the "contact us" and their response email came through.

Also, I emailed google to reconsider (nicely) and review what happened. Their response: same email as they sent when i asked what was wrong.

Sometimes I think they just want to be stubborn. Looks like I am gonna sell my own advertising space now

[alika]

I agree that some ad networks don't even bother to send warning emails at all. They just kick you out if they think you are violating their TOS.

ValueClick kicked out the site of a friend after he was found generating invalid clicks (which he did - he was clicking on his ads a few times a day). They just sent an email that he must remove the banner codes in x number of hours as his account has been disabled. No payment for legitimate clicks, either, and payment of previous month's earnings was withheld.

Google is not the first and only one who is adopting this hard stance on publishers they think are undermining their network.

[PatrickDeese]

hey KodeKing - I took a gander at your site (derived from the email address in your profile)

Do you suppose having those click stats for your site posted right up where I suppose the adsense was had anything to do with your account being terminated? Or do you suppose it might have been the fact that adsense loads in a frameset when your links go offsite.

Perhaps that was close enough to "displaying ads that are not your property" for them.

Though, I agree, the program should give you, if not a warning, at least a specific reason why they booted you.

[jomaxx]

>> Or do you suppose it might have been the fact that adsense loads in a frameset when your links go offsite.

I bet that's it. Showing third party sites in an AdSense frame. Plus take a good look at the frame code.

Busted.

[PatrickDeese]

> Plus take a good look at the frame code.

Oh my.

A little keyword seeding to feed the mediabot, and worse, not even on target for the subject matter of the site.

Yep, that'll do it.

Yet another "unjustified termination" mystery solved.

[Chndru]

Oh my was my first expression too.

nice catch, jomaxx & PatrickDeese.

[Kinitz]

Yet another "unjustified termination" mystery solved.

Does it mean he was terminated only due to the usage of frames? Only?

[Jenstar]

Google is cracking down on "spamming" AdSense publishers - keywords stuffed in a frame running AdSense, as well as framing another site and running AdSense with the framed content, are both tactics that advertisers would consider spam and would not want their ads appearing on those sites. AdSense is going to cater to advertisers since they are the ones funding the entire program, and if advertisers are complaining, Google will take action.

[jomaxx]

>> Does it mean he was terminated only due to the usage of frames? Only?

We are just guessing why he was terminated. But actually the usage of frames is OK.

However this site was putting an AdSense frame over unrelated websites, which seems to be clearly a violation of the intent of the program, and also possibly involving Google in the theft of intellectual property as well.

I don't see this exact situation covered in the TOS, but I think it fairly clearly falls under "you may only place the AdSense ad code on sites... that you own or are legally authorized to act on behalf of", and "if your site contains frames, be sure to run the ads in the frame with your page content".

[Jenstar]

Google also makes reference to only putting AdSense in the frame with the main content of the page.

From the FAQ:

If your site contains frames, be sure to run the ads in the frame with your page content.

[Blue_Fin]

If the reasons you guys have stated are what caused the termination, but Google gave only an invalid clicks reason, this makes the termination even more problematic.

AdSenseAdvisor indicated that terminated accountholders are are given the opportunity to ask for more information, yet no one has been given any more information when asking.

Frankly, I don't like what I'm seeing at all. Google is either not being forthright in their reason for termination, or worse, not giving the publisher the benefit of backup to support their allegations.

[europeforvisitors]

However this site was putting an AdSense frame over unrelated websites, which seems to be clearly a violation of the intent of the program, and also possibly involving Google in the theft of intellectual property as well.

Not too long ago, someone called my attention to a directory site that obviously had been created solely for the purpose of framing third-party sites with AdSense ads. It was pretty sleazy and a clear violation of Google's program policies, IMHO. (As for whether it was illegal, that's something that would have to be settled by the courts. Framing of third-party content with ads isn't unusual; About.com does it routinely, and TotalNews.com puts ad frames around many linked sites.)

[PatrickDeese]

I am not interested in debating whether or not the original poster was notified or not.

He claims he was doing nothing wrong, and it doesn't make sense.

Several members here, including myself, detected that he was not following the Adsense TOS.

As far as I am concerned, that pretty much invalidates any credibility that the poster may have had.

He was cheating, he got caught, his adsense account was cancelled. End of story.

Added: here are the words that were in the frame:

mysql database web hosting host cpanel ensim server virtual dedicated

look up a couple of those in Overture. These aren't exactly .05 per click terms