AdSense Bans Cougar Site Advertisers from Content Network

But Still Accepts Sugar Daddy Advertisers

[martinibuster]

According to the NYTimes [nytimes.com]:

Google has recently deemed those dating sites "nonfamily safe," and therefore its ads for such sites containing the word "cougar" will not be allowed on so-called content pages.

Google continues to allow similar advertising for the many sites that match older men and younger women... which assures its clients they can meet "sugar babies."

So cougars and cubs are out, but sugar daddies and sugar babies are in.

[Lame_Wolf]

I wish they would do the same for hairy bears.

[netmeg]

Hey, I object!

someone asked me once if I was old enough to be a cougar. I said child, I'm old enough to be a sabre toothed tiger

[jetteroheller]

Google has recently deemed those dating sites "nonfamily safe," and therefore its ads for such sites containing the word "cougar" will not be allowed on so-called content pages

My dictionary shows for cougar only

large cat of North and South America (also puma, mountain lion, panther)

What has a dating web site to do with cougars?
I can not imagine to want a date with cougar.

[netmeg]

It's an American thing. Cougars are <cough> older women who supposedly "prey" on younger men.

Interestingly, when I google it, right after the cat definition, I get the Wikipedia entry for "Age disparity in sexual relationships"

[celgins]

Google continues to allow similar advertising for the many sites that match older men and younger women... which assures its clients they can meet "sugar babies."

A good old-fashioned double standard!

[LifeinAsia]

So large cat breeders are effectively banned from AdSense?

All kidding aside, I wonder if legitimate uses of "cougar" will run afoul of Google's filters. We've had problems in the past trying to do any local search advertising related to Norco, California- Google flagged any ad with "Norco" in the title or description for manual review.

[incrediBILL]

Hopefully John Mellancamp won't want to use Cougar when advertising his upcoming albums.

[martinibuster]

That's a good point, Bill.

As for actual cougar dating ads, at this time I can see cougar dating ads on content network pages about mountain lions.

[IanCP]

someone asked me once if I was old enough to be a cougar. I said child, I'm old enough to be a sabre toothed tiger

Totally cracked me up Netmeg

[Eurydice]

Cougars still on the prowl in the Search Network.

Four ads show up for cougar.

Netmeg, that's a great reply.

[martinibuster]

...in the Search Network.

You're right. That's what the article says, that this only affects the Content Network.

[tim222]

My guess that in the world of dating site ads, the "sugar daddy" ads pay more than the "cougar" ads. Maybe that had some part in the decision.

[StoutFiles]

My dreams of dating a cougar have been ruined! I guess I'll have to settle for an older woman instead, sigh.

[farmboy]

There's an article out this week that quotes some study as finding that women who marry younger men and women who marry older men die earlier than women who marry men close to their own age.

Not sure exactly how that fits into this discussion except maybe it means netmeg is on schedule for a long and happy life.


FarmBoy

[longlocks]

There's an article out this week that quotes some study as finding that women who marry younger men and women who marry older men die earlier than women who marry men close to their own age.

And men who marry women only slightly older are gonna die much younger... or at least if I have *my* way and things turn out as planned.

[netmeg]

Actually, single women supposedly live longest of all, so I'll be around to haunt you folks for a looooong time.

I do have Google ads following me around offering to sell me Russian women. But that's probably because they think I'm a 60 year old Polish man (a client of mine)

[SEOPTI]

lame_wolf, what the heck is a hairy bear?

[piatkow]

At a guess SEOPTI it refers to this quote from Wikipedia

term for a subculture of masculine-identified gay men who tend to sport facial and body hair

[Lame_Wolf]

lame_wolf, what the heck is a hairy bear?

piatkow is correct, and bloody annoying for one of my clients. Not good to see on a child friendly site.

[piatkow]

Blocking by category was supposed to fix this but not all ads are correctly classified.

A service provider that I used to use offered "free", ie advertising funded, hosting which was popular with churches and youth groups. Complaints about inappropriate ads were a common feature of their discussion board. Nothing changes.

[johnnie]

Yes! Now please also deal with Russian brides.

[netmeg]

Note that I wasn't seeing those ads on my own sites, but they follow me around on other people's sites.