Ads disabled - unsuitable topic. Moral police for authors?

1. 87

   Wasteless Projectposted 10 years ago

   Dear hubteam and fellow hubbers,
   
   I have recently posted a hub on how to beat recurrent yeast infections (wastelessproject.hubpages.com/hub/5-home-remedies-to-beat-recurring-yeast-infections). I have to admit that I was really taken aback that a hub would be evaluated as unsuitable for ads just because it contains the word 'vagina'. Since yeast infections are mostly a female problem it would be quite difficult to write such an article avoiding the word 'vagina' (what do you want me to say - 'the female intimate parts', or maybe ' down there'???). I understand that hubpages doesn't want pornographic content on their pages or authors that try to attract readers with dubious keywords. But I find the practice of disabling ads on any hubs related to certain body areas and sexuality destructive. It will not only keep pornographic or unsuitable content out of hubpages, but also influence talented authors to write less high quality hubs about related topics. No matter how much you enjoy writing, everybody will think twice before investing a half or even a full day on such a hub. Don't you think that it would be a negative development, if we all would start avoiding sensitive topics via an ad related moral police? I for example have already invested a couple of hours into my research about bladder infections (an important topic I have come across frequently in my near environment) - which again is mainly a female issue and as I think an important one to address. But since it will take me a good deal of time to write a high quality hub about this, I now probably will much rather write about something uncomplicated like "5 great outdoor activities for your dog" or "Beautiful designs for your baby's bedroom". Just too bad if you have chronic bladder infections and will have to find helpful information about this anywhere else, but for sure not on hubpages...
   Maybe it is worth reconsidering such 'suitability' measures and thinking about the long-term implications that they might have on a site like hubpages.
   
   Warm regards
   Helen

   replyreport
   1. 87

      Wasteless Projectposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Just as a comparison, this hub (same topic) is having google ads on it, despite being a really low quality hub with explicit pictures in it: http://paigehchen.hubpages.com/hub/Usin … rl_3419982
      I am just curious to understand hubpages 'suitability' measures...

      replyreport
      1. 59

         paradigmsearchposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Darn it! Missed it! Unpublished.

         replyreport
         1. 87

            Wasteless Projectposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            You really didn't miss anything - only if you have special taste for yeast infected human organs and skin..

            replyreport
            1. 59

               paradigmsearchposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Yeah, I saw the later post. I dodged a bullet.

               replyreport
         2. 86

            IzzyMposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            I saw it and reported it. It wasn't the topic, it was the images that accompanied it. It left nothing to the imagination.
            I sympathise with the OP, and think that hubs on banned topics  or partly written unpublished hubs on 'iffy' topics should carry a warning, long before the author might think of hitting the publish button.
            Would save a lot of anguish.

            replyreport
   2. 88

      Simone Smithposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Wasteless Project.
      
      I am sorry to hear you have had this negative experience with us.
      
      You can find more information on our ad policies here: http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/rest … d_22757266
      
      When it comes to ads, it is not really an issue of what *we're* OK with, but what *advertisers* feel comfortable being associated with.
      
      That section of the guide also includes instructions for having ads reinstated, if you think they were removed by mistake. Do have a look!

      replyreport
      1. 87

         Wasteless Projectposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you Simone,
         
         I read the site. I understand that hubpages is not making the rules alone and again - no one wants dubious articles around anyways. I just think that a whole class of other relevant issues will also suffer from these rigid policies. As far as I have understood my article falls under 'medical content related to the reproductive tract' so even though it is just a harmless article about everyday home remedies I don't think it has a chance to get its ads reinstated. Anyways, thanks for the response, but I still hope that there will be a discussion about it in future to determine how much we want ad-sellers to rule our common knowledge base..
         
         Best wishes, Helen

         replyreport
         1. 87

            Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            You have to remember that HubPages is a platform designed to enable writers to make money from their writing.  Therefore it IS driven by advertisers, because that's our source of income.  No amount of discussion will ever change that - HubPages is a business which needs to make a profit, not Wikipedia.
            
            The advertisers (specifically Adsense) sets the rules, and they enforce those rules by using automated filters ("robots") to monitor sites.  Robots can't read context - all they can do is look for "rude words".  So unfortunately, it's difficult to write about anything which could be considered a rude word - I know one person who had ads disabled because she used the word "butt" (she was talking about barrels...).
            
            We do have to take this seriously.   Wizzley, one of HubPages' competitors, lost all its advertising for several weeks recently because Adsense disapproved of an image uploaded by one of its members.  The whole site and all its members lost income for that period - and if Adsense hadn't relented and reinstated their advertising, the site would have had to close down.  Would you like that to happen to HubPages?
            
            I know these are serious issues that need to be discussed.  However it's also important to protect our income.

            replyreport
            1. 87

               mistyhorizon2003posted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Lol, I suspect that was me Marisa as I wrote a hub about installing a water butt (barrel) in the garden, and it had the ads disabled until I got a manual review done by HP.

               replyreport
   3. 87

      mistyhorizon2003posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Unfortunately HP is full of examples of articles that have Google adverts but are on  prohibited topics. Sadly you are one of the ones that has been caught out, even though I reckon a quick search using the search box inside HP will reveal many articles by other authors that are on the same type of topic and still have adverts on them (try it). I had an article unpublished a couple of years back on the medical condition Vaginismus, but if you do a search for 'Vagina' on HP you will find plenty of articles which still have adverts on them that are on similar medical topics/problems.

      replyreport
      1. 74

         WriteAngledposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         You also have extremely educational items on HP about vaginas such as:
         
         http://kea.hubpages.com/hub/Synonyms-for-the-Vagina
         
         http://mrpooper.hubpages.com/hub/As-A-M … -For-A-Day
         
         http://adamb1.hubpages.com/hub/If-I-Had-A-Vagina
         
         http://cherrycrime26.hubpages.com/hub/V … na-Jeweled
         
         http://marko13.hubpages.com/hub/Jenna_J … her_vagina
         
         Regardless of whether they carry ads or not, they are not really suitable for what is supposedly a family-friendly site.

         replyreport
         1. 87

            mistyhorizon2003posted 10 years agoin reply to this

            I don't know, as a confused teenager I would have been really grateful to find an article that explained Vaginismus to me. As it was at the time the Internet didn't exist, so I had to write to a newspaper agony aunt to get answers that explained what it was and how to prevent the problem. Remember how Barnados children's charity came about, it was because a young girl got her first period and thought she was dying because she didn't understand what was happening. She committed suicide as a result, yet with proper information and such subjects being openly discussed this could have been avoided. Dr Barnado started the charity as a result of this tragedy. This sort of stuff is openly taught in schools in sex education classes, so I see no reason why it shouldn't be readily available online for those who are too embarrassed to ask other people about it face to face.
            
            Edit: Lol, just read those links and see you were being a little 'tongue in cheek' as none of them are 'extremely educational'

            replyreport
2. 94

   SmartAndFunposted 10 years ago

   Wow, Wasteless, you weren't kidding about the explicit photos in that other article! Yikes! Consider this a warning to anyone who goes to check it out -- the photos are very explicit and not for the squeamish, although I imagine a small, disturbed percentage of the population would find them a turn-on. Yet, there are ads on that hub, including those annoying, scrolling, 100%-HP-revenue "related searches" ads, with links to "Candida Remedies," "Yeast Infection," "Yeast Candida," etc., so apparently advertisers selling remedies for this medical problem are happy to tack their ads onto this topic. I don't know when the hub was published; I'm assuming it was published before the QAP. The only comment is from 10 months ago.
   
   I don't blame you for being upset, Wasteless.

   replyreport
   1. 91

      Jean Bakulaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I was just curious and went to the other hub you mentioned, the more explicit and badly written one. It's down now. People who wrote or tried to write book reviews on Fifty Shades of Grey had the same problem. It's only a love story, but one character has preferences Google doesn't like!

      replyreport
      1. 87

         Wasteless Projectposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks Jean for sharing. That's exactly what I mean - how can Google overrule us like that? Hubs are written by humans for humans, but I guess we are mainly supposed to be consumers/human resources. Who needs a love life then?

         replyreport
         1. 59

            MelissaBarrettposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Try using the phrase "infected area" or even "affected area"
            
            It's also more inclusive, as men get yeast infections as well.
            
            You likely aren't going to change the system, so you might as well try working with it.
            
            I actually like the fact that HP is wicked strict about it, I like my adsense account.

            replyreport
            1. 87

               Wasteless Projectposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Thanks for the tipp Melissa, I was thinking about changing all 'v-words' into colorful paraphrases, but I am not sure yet, if that really makes the article better and if I am up to playing such games...

               replyreport
3. 59

   paradigmsearchposted 10 years ago

   Then again. Maybe I was lucky it was gone.

   replyreport
4. 94

   SmartAndFunposted 10 years ago

   Might I add unshaven human parts, lol. EXTREME closeups!

   replyreport
5. 68

   tamronposted 10 years ago

   I just published a hub about being born the wrong S** and being rejected at birth.
   
   I am interested if it will publish.  If not I will publish on my blog.  No Biggie

   replyreport