Viral Video Advertising and AdSense

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Viral Video Advertising and AdSense

jpch

12:59 am on Apr 28, 2012 (gmt 0)

Google searches aren't leading me to any answers so I'm hoping someone can provide some guidance here.

There are several companies that will pay publishers to help "seed" a video in the hopes that it goes viral. So let's say I embed one of these videos into a post because I like the video, maybe it's a great ad for a car or a music video for a band that's trying to promote a new album. If I just discuss the video and don't link to any outside sites will:

1) I be OK with AdSense TOS if AdSense ads are shown on same page?

2) Need to make any kind of disclosure (to comply with FTC and U.S. Regulations) that I am receiving compensation for the video being viewed?

Lame_Wolf

3:48 am on Apr 28, 2012 (gmt 0)

Well, the video will be copyrighted, and you know what the TOS says about adverts and copyrights.

Play safe and put it on a page without adsense... or is it a case of you wanting to put it on there for the sake of making money from it?

Earning money from advertising is not called compensation.

What is your meaning of compensation? and why do you think you are being compensated?

jpch

11:16 am on Apr 28, 2012 (gmt 0)

Putting it on a page w/o AdSense would certainly be the safest thing. However, since the video owner is the one paying to promote it I'm not sure it would be considered any kind of copyright infringement since they are making it available to the seed company and publishers.

I understand what you're saying about compensation in regards to AdSense and I've never looked at it that way. However, since this involves being paid when someone watches the video it seems a little different. Some of these services actually don't even require you to post the video on a website as you can just share a link thru Facebook or Twitter. The viewer may or may not be informed they are watching a sponsored video via some message in the video.

So, I guess I would say it's compensation because the content is the video and I would be paid to promote it?

Lame_Wolf

1:32 pm on Apr 28, 2012 (gmt 0)

Personally, I would put it on a page without adsense, and make it clear that you are getting PAID for the advert. You are NOT being compensated.

Doing it that way will avoid people confusing an Adsense advert to the paid-to-promote advert. As you said "you can just share a link thru Facebook or Twitter" people cannot misjudge it, nor are you bringing attention to the adsense adverts (which is against the TOS as you know.)

jpch

8:45 pm on Apr 28, 2012 (gmt 0)

Yes, that's sound advice and what I will do if I decide to even try this. The service that I've looked at doesn't really seem to be a good fit with my content right now so I'll probably not even pursue it as long as my AdSense earnings hold up.

fezziwig

1:45 am on Apr 29, 2012 (gmt 0)

These seeding companies are attempting to game the YouTube algorithm.

Will you get banged for it? Maybe not at first, but eventually, quite possibly.

Put this in the same category as those firms who push "infographics" ... it's gaming links when you get down to it.