Illegal By Adsense's View?

Can I have ads on blog content?

[naitsirhc26]

Hello,

I am going to be running a multiple user blogging system, so my members can get blogs that are hosted by my website.

My question is whether or not it is against Adsense TOS to have my ads on each user's blog. I am thinking that if just one link unit is on each blog's sidebar, I will be able to cover my hosting costs, etc...I have researched and researched this topic, re-read TOS, but can't really dechiper whether I can do this or not.

Technically, the content that each user posts is not mine BUT it is on my website. By Google's TOS, the ads have to be on your websites.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Christian

[youfoundjake]

How do you feel about being responsible for the content thats posted on their personal blogs? You do run the risk of being banned based on content you cannot control.
Illegal? Against TOS? Not that I know of. But worth the risk? Prolly not.

[naitsirhc26]

My thoughts were that I would immediately delete any blogs that do not follow the Google TOS standards, as these are the same standards that I would put into my own TOS. No illegal, download, warez, pornography/adult, or anything of that related would be allowed to be blogged about. It's a child safe site, and I think that I could handle it in that way.

Do you think that this would be sufficient?

[blairsp]

there is only one real way to find out.

[Habtom]

My thoughts were that I would immediately delete any blogs that do not follow the Google TOS standards

Or better, don't let the post go directly to the blog, let it be upon your approval. You might just need a little tweak to your admin section.

You never know what happens when you are asleep :)

[Raymond]

If you don't want to miss out any impression payout. You can run a small script that loads ads from other networks by default, when you have the time to check the users entry then those entries can display Adsense ads.

You can also run a bad word/spam filter, that'll get rid of 99% of the bad content.

Or better, don't let the post go directly to the blog, let it be upon your approval.

While this is the safest way to go (for adsense), it might kill any site that relies on web2.0 to grow. UGC websites have to be instant, or else users will leave and find another site that is instant.

[edited by: Raymond at 7:19 am (utc) on Sep. 4, 2007]

[Habtom]

delete any blogs that do not follow the Google TOS standards

Btw, since when is Google an international standard in what you should post and you shouldn't, post it for the readers sake, and don't do any evil. Oops, that is also what google says.

[level80]

I think you're best looking into the Google Adsense API. This allows you to set a revenue share percentage with your bloggers between 0% and 75%. You can also (as they have their own accounts) earn referral bonuses from your own Adsense account (eg they earn $5, you earn $5; they earn $100, you earn $250; you get 25 more users who earn $100 within 180 days you get $2000). This way it protects your account and gives them a financial incentive to optimise the ads and add new content.

[skweb]

If these bloggers are not employees and partners and may post objectionable content - don't put AdSense. I know companies that offered free blogs and then displayed Adsense got banned because spammers and crooks took over pretty soon and started to post all sorts of crazy stuff. Our company has several bloggers but then they are all abiding by company policies.

[naitsirhc26]

Thank you for all of your information and help. I will keep researching, and see what I can come up with.

[CWebguy]

The cool thing is you will probably not have to worry about fraud since why would somebody click on an ad that someone else (you) will be paid for? So really it seems like it will be Google's decision on wheter it is cool or not. Maybe you could email them.

[naitsirhc26]

The nice thing is that I do have control over what the bloggers can write about. Meaning, I can block certain words, etc...Another thing is that I am in a small niche, so at most will be watching over a couple hundred blogs or so. Not that big compared to the usual big niches of 1000's of blogs.

So what are your thoughts on people clicking on the ads? Do you think enough people will click on the ads on the blogs to even be worth it? I just really don't want to have to charge for the blogs once hosting costs start to go up. Any thoughts?

[CWebguy]

Well, let's say that the average blog there generates 200 impressions a day. If you have a couple hundred, then that would be something like 200imp/day * 200 blogs=40,000 impressions a day. Let's say you get a low EPC of about $1.00 (we'll be conservative here, better to underestimate than over), that's still about $40 a day, $1200 a month minus taxes, not to shabby.

That's given you have 200 blogs and all the other numbers, but you should easily be able to pay for hosting if this is the route you want to take. You could also do like Wordpress and only show ads every once in awhile.

[edited by: CWebguy at 6:46 pm (utc) on Sep. 4, 2007]

[naitsirhc26]

Thank you for the conversion, and I like the thought of only putting on ads every once in a while. That's a good idea. Keeps your visitors from not getting "ad blind" either.

[mobilemaverick]

Btw, since when is Google an international standard in what you should post and you shouldn't, post it for the readers sake, and don't do any evil. Oops, that is also what google says.

and since Google recently issued a statement saying they don't want to become or be seen as a 'censor'. I think they have many beliefs, many of them are interchangeable when necessary, usually when it effects their earnings.

[Leva]

Some very large sites put Adsense ads on user content -- Livejournal comes to mind. There are issues with this, but they do it.

Adsense API is going to a minimum traffic level of 100K/pv day for new sites. It's a good solution for big sites but little sites won't be able to get in until they lower the bar. The implementation is also a bit complicated. (I'm running it on my site, which is a group entertainment blog and news portal. My site has nowhere near that traffic level.)