Unethical Clicking Communities
I am so sorry I have changed this title 3 times, but I wasn’t really sure what to call it. I am finding that there is a big community within the paid to click programs which do not seem very ethical to me. I don’t really mean the paid to click, but the ad sources that people use on their sites like Google, Yahoo, Kontera, and others.
The ones that have to be clicked on before you are paid type. There are start up groups of people and exchanges that are actually there for one purpose and that is to click on each others links. I have even had people in some of the social sites that I belong to send out e-mails and ask people to click on their links and ads. Now how desperate is that?
I use Kontera on my sites and I have never asked anyone to click on anything. Of course I don’t make much money with the program either. I think I have earned around 30. dollars for a 2 year period and While I am on the subject of programs that really haven’t made money for me I will add Amazon and Searchfeed. I have heard that some people do actually earn from these 3 sources, I personally don’t know any that have. At least the programs are free to participate in and give some chance of making extra income with, but don’t quit your day job.
I have tried some of the paid to post sites and decided at this point there is really only one that I like and they do make it easy to make money and you don’t have to earn by someone clicking on anything, but the only problem that I can see is the way Google views paid links. I can’t add the no follow because I wouldn’t be paid so the only way I could see was to put them all in the sponsored post category so humans would know that was what they are and to make sure that I have a disclosure policy insight.
People use and try to disguise clickable ads on their sites. I know when I first started online they were very clever at placing the ads with pictures and of course within the text, but I am sure now a days they don’t make any where near the amount they use to and that is probably why all the dishonesty started with the special unethical communities and clubs that sprang up.
Online Marketing
July 30th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
Not only is it highly unethical, it probably is considered a breach of the ad program’s TOS agreement. However, I think it’s fine if you say something like “these ads keep the site going” or something, though that is probably questionable with regards to the TOS as well..
Sephyroth
http://www.sephyroth.net
July 31st, 2007 at 1:18 am
Thank-you Sephyroth, I am sure you are very correct about the TOS terms of agreement. People try to justify the things they do and will use any means possible, but if they know in their heart that it doesn’t feel right and still do it then it is their karma to deal with and I am a firm believer in Karma.
July 31st, 2007 at 6:26 am
The “ad view exchanges” that you talk about are totally unethical and the end result for people who participate in them is usually a ban and loss of any revenue they have managed to generate from whichever contextual advertiser they are cheating.
Google for one are pretty quick to act against sites where clicks are seen to be coming from sites of this nature. They now even prohibit the use of all manual traffic exchanges. Probably as a result of the behavior at the so-called “ads view exchanges”.
A word of warning for anyone tempted to try it - even if you think you are being extremely clever, avoiding detection is almost impossible. Think about it, anyone can sign up and surf these places, reporting each and every site to the relevant PPC ad company as they do so, and, even without snitches it’s simple enough for Google or anyone else to check, monitor and ban cheats.
No-one wins with this type of activity. These people either don’t care or don’t think about what they are doing, basically stealing from the advertisers, and it’s quite right that publishers who try to game the system in this way get kicked out of the programs.
Ultimately, no matter what anyone tells you, you will end up joining the ranks of Adsense crybabies who cheat, are caught, and then banned. Don’t be under any illusions about it.
July 31st, 2007 at 6:35 pm
Very well said Maurice… Thank-you
November 6th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
yeah there is no way you should be able to cheat like that. People are paying to have their ads…why should they pay for no results?