Ads by Google Displaying D2 Pay-sites
I usually don't pay much attention to the ads. I, once in a while, click on an ad and possibly follow it a few pages to make sure I'm doing my part in supporting these forums that I frequent.
I was basically shocked then to see that either intentionally or not "Ads by Goooooogle," who supplies ad-bars to the forums based off of automated Google index searches is relaying these forums links to pay-sites that sell D2 items through Paypal.
I recognized VR Items fairly quickly; I'm sure you're all aware of them through just about every Baal Run game on B.Net (their chat bots join games and spam annoyingly colorful text commercials about how they've recently updated their "inventory" yet the same message has been in place since 2004...)
Now I'm not 100% positive what the stance of these forums is, but if I can use the trade forums as an example these pay-sites are strictly taboo and direct links to their sites is a fairly serious offense; punishable by banning.
Why then do we allow these links to persist right at the top of the page? Potentially they make money off of these forums and its members.
I am vaguely aware of the concept that the banner ads differ from location to location and some service uses IP mapping or DNS to sort of 'prescribe' a set of ads for every member. Does everyone see these ads or only a certain group?
I don't think the solution would be to stop using "Ads by Goooooogle." Some of the links contain good content and are contextually sound. Yet, if we could offer some sort of list to Google to keep certain links from appearing in the random pool the banners use I think it would be better for the forums. Or at least allow the forum rules to stay consistent with the ads.
I usually don't pay much attention to the ads. I, once in a while, click on an ad and possibly follow it a few pages to make sure I'm doing my part in supporting these forums that I frequent.
I was basically shocked then to see that either intentionally or not "Ads by Goooooogle," who supplies ad-bars to the forums based off of automated Google index searches is relaying these forums links to pay-sites that sell D2 items through Paypal.
I recognized VR Items fairly quickly; I'm sure you're all aware of them through just about every Baal Run game on B.Net (their chat bots join games and spam annoyingly colorful text commercials about how they've recently updated their "inventory" yet the same message has been in place since 2004...)
Now I'm not 100% positive what the stance of these forums is, but if I can use the trade forums as an example these pay-sites are strictly taboo and direct links to their sites is a fairly serious offense; punishable by banning.
Why then do we allow these links to persist right at the top of the page? Potentially they make money off of these forums and its members.
I am vaguely aware of the concept that the banner ads differ from location to location and some service uses IP mapping or DNS to sort of 'prescribe' a set of ads for every member. Does everyone see these ads or only a certain group?
I don't think the solution would be to stop using "Ads by Goooooogle." Some of the links contain good content and are contextually sound. Yet, if we could offer some sort of list to Google to keep certain links from appearing in the random pool the banners use I think it would be better for the forums. Or at least allow the forum rules to stay consistent with the ads.
