| LED Digest 2097: On AdSense Abuse, also Outsourcing |
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================================================== The LED Digest Moderated Discussion List "Effective Online Advertising, Since 1997" pair Networks: The LED's Web Host Hosting and Domain Reg. from a Trusted Leader pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains ================================================== List Moderator: Published by: Adam Audette LED Digest adam, led-digest.com http://www.led-digest.com .............................................. February 15, 2006 Issue #2097 .............................................. .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ==== CONTINUING ================= --== Google AdWords / AdSense Abuse ==-- ~ David Spahr "...sites like these do get penalized in Google." ~ Karl L. Baldwin "...Google is addressing this very issue..." ~ Renee Kennedy "...you may be referring to sites generated by 'domain parking services'." --== AOL & Yahoo to Charge for Email? ==-- ~ Alex Hughart "...we'll start getting emails with fake Goodmail stamps on them..." ~ Bill Davison "It's a fact, all email can be traced." --== Outsourcing ==-- ~ Marty R. Milette "...offshore outsourcing represents an opportunity rather than a threat." ~ Shaun Parker "...the main issue is the language barrier and time cycle." ======== CONTINUING =============================== From: David Spahr Subject: AdWords Abuse > One wonders how much real revenue is being generated > by [AdWords and AdSense], and how much is nothing more > than regurgitated content... It seems that this could be a > house-of-cards that Google has not yet addressed, or won't... - Jim Berry, LED 2096 I think I remember from threads a while back that sites like these do get penalized in Google. Most have very little real content. I do not see them ranking high in my searches generally. I have been solicited for link exchanges from sites like these over and over. They design sites to look like expert or catalog sites but actually have no real content. You find out quickly if you email persons at a site like this that there is no expertise available of any kind. The light is on but nobody is home. There are usually things about these sites that design-wise and content-wise just do not ring true. I saw a vintage postcard site recently that was like this. It had all kinds of categories. When you read through the categories they do not make that much sense. A real postcard collector would notice this immediately. The categories look more like keyword spam. These sites tend to all have a very similar look. They have to live with the structure of the advertising they present. Their "listings" and "content" look just like search engine listings and have the same often inexpert or mangled descriptions. A real link or portal or content page will have an expert or concerned person designing it that really fine tunes the categories, content and destinations. Very useful. An Adsense only site will just give whatever commercial sites Google can regurgitate for certain keywords. Who wants that? I would rather go directly to Google and view the non-commercial and expert pages as well. I have gotten to where I click away from any site that looks like that immediately. Geezzz, they might as well have music while they are at it. I think most people will understand what is going on after falling into a few of these sites. They will learn to stay away because these sites seldom answer the Clara Peller question: "Where's the beef?". David Spahr antique-photography.com ------- new post - same topic ------ From: Karl Baldwin Subject: AdWords abuse Addressing Jim Berry's post to LED Digest 2096, I have to agree in his assessment that there has been a huge increase in the number of sites that have no real content other than Google AdWords / AdSense. But then I would also hasten to point out that Google is addressing this very issue; AND HARSHLY. Log into Matt Cutt's Blog at http://www.mattcutts.com if you want to hear it from the horses mouth. Best Regards, Karl L. Baldwin MountainLodging http://www.mountain-lodging.com ------- new post - same topic ------ From: Renee Kennedy Subject: AdWords abuse > Over the past year, we've noticed a huge increase > in the number of sites that have no real content other > than Google AdWords / AdSense. Even the "Sponsored > Links" on Google often contain pages with nothing > but Google AdWords. - Jim Berry, LED 2096 I'm not exactly sure what sites you're referring to, or how you're finding these sites in the Google results. But you may be referring to sites generated by "domain parking services." These parking services (SEDO, TrafficZ, TrafficClub, Revenue.net, among others) will create actual web pages for your parked domain name composed mainly of Google or Yahoo ads. Basically, you would "park" your domain with them by changing the DNS record at your registrar. Once your domain name is pointing to the parking service, the parking service then generates a page of ads specific to the topic of your domain name. The traffic to these domains are mainly obtained by people typing the domain name directly into the browser address bar and not so much by the search engine results pages. Millions of dollars are generated each year from these domain parking services. But people are mainly using services like SEDO and TrafficZ in order to buy and sell their domain names. Here is an example of one of these sites: http://www.obgyninstitute.com/ This site is parked at TrafficZ. Here are a few articles that describe the process and how people are making money from it: http://www.buyhealthdomains.com/main.php?page=articles Renee Kennedy ------- new post - new topic ------ From: Alex Hughart Subject: Email charging > If you're on a system that uses CertifiedEmail and > get a message with Goodmail's stamp on it, a little > emblem shows on your mailer's interface that tells > you it's really what it claims to be. - Paul Myers' TalkBiz ..and, it's only a matter of time when we'll start getting emails with fake Goodmail stamps on them... AOL and Yahoo already have everything in place to check senders identities like many other ISP providers that charge for mail boxes. IMO, to call it "certified mail" like it's something special is yet another marketing ploy. But, hey, why didn't we think of that... A. Hughart bonsavon.com ------- new post - same topic ------ From: Bill Davison Subject: Email charging The ONLY effective method to end Spam is serious *prosecution*! Unfortunately, SpamCop, CAUCE, etc. punish mostly those who send legitimate opt-in email because their methods are so haphazard. I've had legitimate opt-in senders promptly threatened with host server blackmail if they sent even 30 emails to their customers. Never have I been able to successfully challenge or correspond even once with either of these agencies. What then has been the result? An explosion of spam primarily from Oriental servers. All the self appointed vigilantes have accomplished is to force even legitimate opt-in emailers to hire off shore oriental companies to email their clients along with those who do nothing but spam. Most large corporations have been forced to hire other companies to filter their corporate email. Now we have phishing... that's blatant fraud. This has now become so flagrant that on-line financial companies just auto respond their answer to complaints. Then were is it going to end? It's a fact, all email can be traced. Until ISP's and governments join together and decide to stop the nonsense and end token prosecution, we are left with few options: a) Use software filtering and / or total encryption b) hire someone else to filter and continue paying through the nose to those who are always willing to take advantage and profit from someone's grief. Bill Davison bizwebpage.com ------- new post - new topic ------ From: Marty R. Milette Subject: Outsourcing Having worked as Director of International Business Development for a Russian offshore software development firm, and having offshore-outsourced over 20 of my own personal projects, I think I can share some experiences to this discussion... In a nutshell, offshore outsourcing represents an opportunity rather than a threat. It allows you to offload work you don't want or have time to do yourself -- while at the same time giving you access to skills and resources you may otherwise not have or could otherwise not afford. Just because a programmer lives in India, or Serbia or Pakistan or Russia DOES NOT mean that they are any less skilled, less talented or deliver lower quality work -- what it DOES mean is that they DON'T NEED to earn $75K per year just to pay basic living expenses or have a new SUV in the driveway. If you do your 'due dilligence', and factor in the variables such as time zones and communications issues -- there is absolutely no reason that you cannot have the results you desire AND pay less than you would at home. It's also up to you to properly MANAGE the project. I don't know why it happens, but many people expect to give a specification and have the finished software delivered months later with no intervening communication. This strategy makes no more sense than if the developer were sitting next to you. In terms of quality, some list members may have had bad experiences, but overall, in MY experience, the quality of the 'average' reputable mid- to large- offshore outsourcing development center can exceed that of comparable US-based firms. Want examples -- just check the statistics for the numbers and levels of ISO and CMM certifications for Indian vs. American-based comapanies -- you may be surprised just how far ahead they are. For myself, I am currently using of the best .NET developers in Russia to do some small projects for me -- and can have this resource for $15 to $20 per hour. I give him the specification, access to the server, and off he goes and the job is done fast and exceptionally well. Think about it: How much per hour would the top US-based .NET developer cost you? My developer doesn't have a beach house in California, an SUV or even a $1,000 pair of roller blades -- but what he DOES have is the ability to solve problems with the kind of creativity and initiative you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere. Marty R. Milette ------- new post - new topic ------ From: Shaun Parker Subject: Outsourcing Hi All, We have had several bad experiences with contracts outsourced to India and have now ceased to use programmers based in India, they just do not deliver cohesively, the main issue is the language barrier and time cycle. Don't get me wrong I cannot speak a word of Indian and the grasp of the English language by Indian guys puts me to shame, I also accept that there are some good programmers over there. But its one thing being able to talk English and another to fully interpret its complex structure. Database programming is only as good as the communication and when problems start to occur it is this lack of understanding that has forced us to move programming in-house again. There are short term gains on pricing but that is the only motive to source the contracts to India as there are also talented developers on our doorsteps, the real problems are when projects run overtime due to bugging issues, that is when the communication problems start and the short term price gain becomes medium term disaster. Furthermore, It is difficult to get resolution on a delivery issue when the other party is in India, there are many issues we have had whereby the time difference prevents cohesive day to day or hour by hour comms and when things get really stressed this alone is enough to say... Nope in future I need to be sitting with the guy as we sort these issues. Bring it in house or outsource to reputable programmers who can communicate on all levels and have accountability in UK or US law. Regards Shaun Parker, Technical Director | SEO Specialist www.hp-internet.com ------------------------------------------------------- The LED Digest is sponsored by pair Networks: pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains © Copyright 1995-2006 Orange Wheel, LLC. All Rights Reserved. "It is better to have less thunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand." - American Indian (tribe unknown) |
