International Law

Are Ads are the New Online Tip Jar?

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Seth Godin, a well respected internet marketed, bucking conventional wisdom about Adsense stated:

"I can say this because there are no ads here but,

If you like what you're reading, click an ad to say thanks.

Pretty simple, but not an accepted online protocol, at least not yet.

If every time you read a blog post or bit of online content you enjoyed you clicked on an ad to say thanks, the economics of the web would change immediately. You don't have to buy anything (though it's fine if you do). You just have to honor the writer by giving them a click."

Some commentators thought Seth was encouraging click fraud.

Godin clarified his position, in a later post, stating that he was not encouraging click fraud, but:

"I think the most robust ad environment for the web is one in which more surfers give permission to more marketers to make their case. And one way to get that permission is to have a culture in which surfers agree to "pay" attention in exchange for great content."

"Your readers will actually find them useful" - that is the pitch that keeps the Google money machine running.

But, I believe that this representation is a fraud for consumer/business advisory sites. My readers do not find ads that running for fraudulent business opportunities "useful".

Nor will they ever find these type of ads useful.

Consider the "relevant ad" that I found for this business opportunity: something called Unified Wealth Solutions - sorry boys, no link love.

From their website FAQ: "Unified Wealth Solutions (UWS) is a Marketing Resource Center that includes pre-formatted websites for advertising, marketing education, lead management tools, and more. UWS was founded by 5 Home Business Entrepreneurs who have each had incredible financial results in their personal enterprises. Experts on lead generation, team management and business building strategies, these 5 recognized Leaders and Trainers collaborated to form UWS with the intention of providing people with the exact marketing tools they have used to build their personal businesses."

The truth: No five guys, domain registered by proxy, and illegal earnings claims according to the proposed FTC Business Opportunity Rule.

Jeez, Google can you tweak your algorithm with a "not" by looking at by blocked list? Or maybe you want everyone here to whack their ad?

Full post as published by Misleading Advertising Law on August 25, 2008 (boomark / email).