Forum Moderators: open
Every day in this forum we read new posts from people wanting to know the "easy route" to riches, some are prepared to work hard however many seem not to be so enthusiastic about learning something completely alien to themselves.
It's understandable that they wish to take the easier route but will that benefit them over the long run?
In my opinion I very much doubt it since experience and in-depth knowledge is playing a much greater part in contextual advertising optimisation these days for those who want to earn the bigger bucks.
Recently I was admonished for calling someone "lazy" for not understanding the basics of html coding since they were using an online resource for generating titlebars and metatags.
The coding produced was excellent however it puzzled me as to why anyone would need such a thing unless they were doing something for the very first time and then, surely, they should have learnt what it is that they were doing and what it was for?
I'm not going to to get into the pros and cons of using something like Dreamweaver, my point is that to optimise for both the search engines and Adsense is that the webmaster should have a reasonable knowledge of site construction and coding elements.
Or have too many years of using a text editor and CSS turned me into relic which needs to be dusted down and shown new methods?
What are your thoughts when you see "new people" entering this business and asking the same questions over and over again and, yes, I do know that some are 100% professional about their intentions but you have to admit some make it very evident that they are going to try and rip-off the programme.
Ought we to have one master sticky for all adsense newbies to read before posting the first time and that they have read and understood the basics? Then if they post a question with the answer already in that sticky they can be slapped across the wrists, if that's allowed, and sent back to the sticky page and not allowed to post again until agreeing not to post anything without first checking the sticky page?
I know this idea has been posted before however the frequency of some of these all-enveloping, questioning posts are becoming too regular.
After all, how many times have you answered a question about the Adsense T&Cs by referring to Adsense, finding the answer and then posting the URL or quoting it?
I've done that at least 40-50 times when the same resource is available to the poster.
Ok, I know I don't have to read nor answer these posts however one master sticky page would answer a great many issues posted by new Adsensers.
Bring on the ideas...
[edited by: martinibuster at 5:40 pm (utc) on Mar. 1, 2006]
[edit reason] TOS#24 [/edit]
Also to add to it, Tell them how to effectivly search the forum, so they may be able to find it themselves.
Recently I was admonished for calling someone "lazy" for not understanding the basics of html coding since they were using an online resource for generating titlebars and metatags.
I guess I was one of the Lazy ones. Lazy for me means an annual six and 3/4 figure salary. I used online resources for just about every area of my site including metatags, titlebars and scripts. I also use Front Page.
When I first started I did not have the time or knowledge to do the coding myself. That is how I learned and now I am capable of doing it myself six years later.
I am thankful that not every one here at WW shares your point view. If they did I imagine the newer members might look elsewhere for their answers.
[edited by: martinibuster at 5:39 pm (utc) on Mar. 1, 2006]
I too only use a text editor and I've been doing this since I created the first page of my web site in 1997. I tried many of the "automatic" page generation programs and always felt I had lost contact with my code... not to mention the loss of code elegance.
I might have easily made the same comments about online title/meta generators...
[edited by: martinibuster at 5:42 pm (utc) on Mar. 1, 2006]
[edit reason] TOS #24 [/edit]
If someone starts a thread "Is this against TOS", close it, and tell them to post in the TOS thread. The first post of the thread should actually be the TOS itself.
I am thankful that not every one here at WW shares your point view. If they did I imagine the newer members might look elsewhere for their answers.
Many do share this view since the last 6 months have seen a plethora of "me too" questions which could easily be answered by a sticky.
Certainly they could look elsewhere however you must bear a couple of things in mind:
1. This is a totally free resource with contributions freely given by very experienced webmasters without, in many occurences, a thank you from anyone.
2. Show me another site with the quality of the responses found here.
I can tell you that it does not exist since I have looked in the past and I visit other forums regularly to see how they are maturing and, being honest, most of them are either pretty amateurish or suffer from lack of posts.
Lazy for me means an annual six and 3/4 figure salary.
Congratulations but what does that have to do with learning? Do you just expect others to provide you with information for free so that you can make a substantial profit from their experiences, expertise and recommendations without any effort?
That is how I learned and now I am capable of doing it myself six years later.
And do you not feel more mentally satisfied and competent that you can do it?
<rant>
I am not trying to berate you, it's just that there seems to be an all pervading attitude amongst some who feel it is their "right" to suck the system dry as quickly as possible before moving on to the next "big thing" without a cause or concern for anyone else.
Tough luck to whomsoever they may be, I'm cutting back and will only be answering "interesting" questions from now on:-)
</rant>
My own rant: the newer members whose motivation is a desire to scam the system. You know the posts: "...can I get away this this?" What could we do with them?
Bring on the ideas...
I'm still rooting for the "open an AdSense forum in Private Forums" solution (see other thread here).
My hope is that all the pent-up discomfort over the Decline and Fall of the AdSense forum would result in a spurt of useful and authoritative posts from old-timers in the new Private forum, setting the tone for building a better world over there :-)
