Which is more important to your business model -- The wallpapers or AdSense?

The big job is to change your staff's mind-set from asking, "Is this mature content?" to "Is this 'suggestive' content?" If it's suggestive, then remove it or put it into a password-protected area, or whatever you need to do to comply with Google's interpretation of their TOS. Or dump AdSense.

The big lesson from all of the "Help! - I've been banned from Adsense!" threads here is that Google does what they want, and their TOS says so. Lesson number two is that most bans seem to be permanent. As a signatory to their terms of service, you've agreed to abide by their rules, whether you think their enforcement is capricious or not.

This may sound harsh, and sorry if it does, but it reflects the reality of the situation. This is business. Re-calibrate your "mature content" scales, and get on with business.

Jim

Thanks Jim, I agree. I will re-calibrate. I just don't know what to do about old content as there are hundreds of thousands of pages. All moderated by old standards.

I don't know why this email come from a generic address and not my usual adsense rep. I'll discuss it with them tomorrow and try to come up with a resolve.

Thanks again.

I don't know why this email come from a generic address and not my usual adsense rep. I'll discuss it with them tomorrow and try to come up with a resolve.

I'd suggest turning the ads off on those pages before you talk to AdSense again, if you can. Or pull the ads from those pages. Probably gives you a stronger position during talks.

Pull your ads. Find another way. And rat on your competitors.

I am working now with my developers to come up with a solution that will ensure we comply with their TOS.

First step, add a flag to certain images, that hides them and shows an alternate image, i.e "this image could be considered adult".

Second step, on the download page for that file, have a link, that takes them to another, ad free page, showing the screenshot.

I assume Google won't try to enforce no girls in duvets on my entire site?

Could be some way-too-easily-offended advertiser reporting you.

To neither myself or any of my team, this content was not mature.

The email stated that it's against google tos to show mature content and this includes strategic covering of nudity.

But this is news to me. Our policies are strict and we're a family site.

Sounds like Google's definition of "mature content" and "family site" is different from yours. Now you know.

Look on the bright side, it could have been worse, they could have closed the account instead of giving you the warning.

FarmBoy

sorry, you didn't make it clear...are you 200% sure this is legit? Has this warning definitely come from G - or possibly one of your competitors screwing with you? You said something about the e-mail addy being odd...

It's definitely from Google. Well as far as the email address is a legit Google email address etc.

It's very easy to fake the from and reply to addresses on an email. I would take down the 'offending' wallpapers anyway to be safe but would also check the email closely because it could as the previous poster said be someone stringing you along - a nasty way to get back at a competitor by forcing them to spend hours/days (which equals £'s) revising their content.

This issue also happened to me. What I did is, I pulled out the adds in this page.

I'll do that Mystical, cheers.

I think I've resolved the issue now. Basically nearly all "babe" images, show a "sensitive material" image, rather than the preview. Members can click a link, which opens the preview in a new window, which doesn't contain Google ads.

I assume this is ok, Google don't state we're not allow Bikini clad babes on our website, just not alongside their ads?

Talk about Google double standards!

We'll let you use AdWords to promote your download image sites etc and even let loads of publisher sites have relevant ads for them...they're not very difficult to find...someone doesn't love you today realmaverick and many of us are feeling that lack of love from G for quite awhile now.

Of course obfuscation seems to be the total intention for nearly all things related to the AdSense program.

Funny eh HP. I guess it's whatever suits them and we're all easily disposable.

Today is the first time I felt venerable with adsense. I guess I should be thankful they warned me.

Whether they warn you or not, probably depends on earnings I'm guessing.

IMO nobody deserves to just have their account closed without warning. Well maybe exceptions but generally peoples intentions aren't bad.

I assume this is ok,

Did you actually just assume that? Or did you ask Google and get their ok?

Assuming ANYTHING about AdSense is very risky.

To assume: to believe something WITHOUT EVIDENCE.

and you've already been warned? I wouldn't assume anything until I'd OK'd it with AdSense first.

Please please, oh god no! please help us all!...dont assume. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no...dont assume. Never never ever assume. Instead,....consider it more than likely it's ok......

Put the wallpapers in an adsense-less category perhaps?

Put the wallpapers in an adsense-less category perhaps?

Why, when others are getting away with FAR more and "publisher" approved?

Does Google consider itself the "new" social arbiter of standards?

If so I will not abide by them, their seemingly quasi-peculiar standards do not fit in well with mine and many other people with whom I associate.

Search - ok
Advertising - normally ok
US Self-Served Political Advertorial Correctness - Not their job!

Google Double Standards - YES

Treat Google as it prefers to treat you...like c.r.a.p!

Honestly, they do not care about you no matter what their emails and advisors would like you want to believe.

Why, when others are getting away with FAR more and "publisher" approved?

Does Google consider itself the "new" social arbiter of standards?

If so I will not abide by them, their seemingly quasi-peculiar standards do not fit in well with mine and many other people with whom I associate.

Honestly. I'm not allowed to respond the way I would like to these outbursts. However, all they are doing is exercising their right to determine what kinds of pages THEIR content and brand appears on.

This is so obviously THEIR right, as it is mine and yours to do the same. We've even complained other way around, that google is putting ads on our sites that are inappropriate. We block them if we can. Google blocks you also.

Google Double Standards - YES

This is business. They do nothing illegal. If you don't like it, you know where the door is.

Treat Google as it prefers to treat you...like c.r.a.p!

Honestly, they do not care about you no matter what their emails and advisors would like you want to believe.

I really am not allowed to respond in a direct manner, so I'll say this. What you said is hardly the mark of a business person. I ask you, though. Why would google care about doing business with you given your remarks above?

For that matter, why would anyone want to do business with you if you carry this approach to your business dealings?

IS there something about google adsense that brings out the worst in people who otherwise act in business like ways?

Why, when others are getting away with FAR more and "publisher" approved?

Why worry about other people's businesses? Maybe they'll get caught eventually, maybe they have a special deal. Who cares, Google can do what it wants with their partners and treat them individually, on a case by case system. This is the reality of business relationships. The "it's not fair!" sentiment is rather immature.

Does Google consider itself the "new" social arbiter of standards?

Google is the arbiter of what is allowed when used with Google's services. Everyone is free to disagree and not use Google's services.

When did people start thinking Google owed them anything?

All I can say is if you got an email it had to come from a human review... and that reviewer might be the weak link (ie. different culture, religion, etc. and the downcheck came from their personal viewpoint) and sitting in their position as the big frog in the little pond sent off that warning. Google IN GENERAL has no tabu regarding nudity on the web. Might look to a second or third tier (oh, duh, there isn't one!) to resolve this.

Good luck!

Doing business with a gun to the head is very difficult.

I don't know why this email come from a generic address and not my usual adsense rep.

If you've got an account rep, the account rep should be able to find out whether the e-mail is legit. It's worth asking.

Interesting.. specially for me because I have got same warning few months back.

I run a networking site where people are free to write about their interests. We have put abuse filter and each profile gets activated only after proper scanning by admin.

There was a kind of "sex partner needed in cityname" sentence written in one of our member's profile and google sent me warning for that. I raised this issue on webmasterworld also and here also people were amazed to know that google is considering it as "Mature/Adult content". We are still not able to understand what is "Adult" in google's eye.

Google is not "A Person" and it is hard to read the mind of hundreds of Google's employees who work for the "Content Scanning". They all come from different background and culture, and "Adult" have different meaning for each of them.

What I have learnt in my "6 years with adsense" is "Do what they say" and chill...

What I have learnt in my "6 years with adsense" is "Do what they say" and chill...

And, if you want complete freedom, don't take money from people.

real Maverick ..Does your "family" site contain the same color language you use here..you know the god damn bull#*$! type stuff

real Maverick ..Does your "family" site contain the same color language you use here..you know the god damn bull#*$! type stuff

Huh?

Make sure you disable the Adsense on that particular page or remove that page altogether. Removing the photo is sometimes not enough. The robot will recognized that the page is still running the Adsense ad even when you already removed the offending photo.

Yes, the language. It is hard to defend your site is not provocative, when that kind of language flows from the mouth so easily.

It is like going into court and telling the judge you did not yell obscenities at that gd, mfing kid. I would hate to be your attorney.