TOS Clarification needed

[weblaunch]

Hello,

I'm a little confused on what constitutes an AdSense "ad unit". From my understanding of TOS, an "ad unit" refers to contextual ads whereas search boxes belong to a different cateogory of ads. Am I correct to assume that you can have up to three contextual ads AND two search boxes (five Google ads total) on page? However, if a search box is also considered an "ad unit" (after all, it is a form of advertisement for Google), this would be a violation of Google TOS. I have some pages that display two ads and two search boxes, so I am concerned that I may be violating the TOS.

I think the wording of Google's TOS is open to a lot of misinterpretation. One guy threatened to report me for displaying one Google ad on top of another of the same size, claiming that I violated the TOS stipulating that no page can contain two identical (one large rectangle over another). Of course, the TOS does not state that you can't have two or more ads of the same format on a page. Even though the two ads have the same format, they display totally different contents. In fact, showing multiple ads in different formats is more likely to produce double-serving of ad contents.

Please clarify. Thanks in advance!
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[edited by: Jenstar at 2:51 pm (utc) on Mar. 13, 2005]
[edit reason] No URLs or signatures as per TOS, please [/edit]

[david_uk]

I think the URL you posted will be wiped out as posing them is against the TOS of the group.

Anyway, I don't see that search blocks are ad blocks. No ads are shown by the search box except the G logo.

I don't know if posting two ad blocks the same one on top of the other is against the TOS to be honest, but my reading of it is there isn't a stipulation that if you post multiple ad blocks on a page they have to be a) different b) separate.

Therefore it seems to me you can have the maximum number of ad blocks permitted on a page, plus the seach box.

[gamiziuk]

I noticed your site only had a "normal" Google search. You should change that to the Google-Adsense search code.

As a layman, it is my opinion that you are operating within the Google Adsense TOS. Nice, clean looking site, by the way.

[weblaunch]

Hi,

Thanks to your replies and to gamiziuk, for your praise for my site. I didn't realize that you were not supposed to post any links, but when I found out, there was no way to delete it.

[Tropical Island]

there was no way to delete it.

Just send a sticky to Charter or Jenstar.
The sticky link is at the top left of the page.

[chullanz]

Well TOS of every company is surely misintrepreted by many.The hard fact is that the users mostly misunderstand or is confused by it and the company.... smartly MISINTERPRETS it.Simple!