Two of my hubs Violate Terms....

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   David 470posted 13 years ago

   Two of my hubs recently got the "needs revision" on them. It says they violate terms of use. They both are about firearms. Is this against the policy to write about these? I am disappointed cause the one I wrote a while ago and never had any problems. There is no swearing,sexual content,copied,spammed, or anything of that nature.
   
   If I resubmit it for publication will it be accepted? Could somebody just of flagged it? Does it only take one person for this to happen?

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      relacheposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think you understand correctly how Hub flagging works.  Flagging by site users (one or more) brings the Hub to the attention of admin, and it's they who decide if the Hub is in violation of the TOS, and if so, they moderate the Hub (unpublish it).

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      IntimatEvolutionposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      You know recently I had a hub banned that had over 20,000 views, had been on the front page, and was over 11 months old......, but I guess that is not what matters.  It was my Why Thongs are not for everybody hub.  No "dirty" pictures, no fowl language, nothing.........., when I asked why they said it was one of those "gray area" hubs.
      
      Bottomline- if hubpages doesn't like it for whatever reason- they are not going to allow it.  They can say it is up to Google, but I took that particular hub of mine, sent it to the Adsense team for review, they said it was okay and now it is published on another site.  So go figure. 
      
      Therefore, what I'm saying to you is that it isn't the end of the road for these hubs of yours. Like someone suggested before me, publish it somewhere else or start your own blog and advertise on it.  But I'd make sure it is acceptable with Google first.

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         Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         For future reference, how do you send a Hub to the Adsense team for a review?

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            IntimatEvolutionposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I went to the forum, and asked if someone could help me out with a Google adsense problem.  I posted that an article got banned from Hubpages.com and I needed to know if it broke any violations.    A member of their staff named Sandy got in touch with me, I emailed her the hub, and two days later I got the go ahead. 
            
            So if you need help, I highly suggest using the google adsense forum tool.
            
            The article like I said is posted somewhere else, and I have google ads on there.  So...., you know go figure.

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               Arthur Fontesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               I had a hub that was unpublished for violating Adsense terms, so said HP in an email.  I read through all of adsense's rules and found nothing that my hub did that violated adsense.
               
               I did not have the ads disabled. I had the entire hub unpublished.
               
               The hub is happy and content on another site as of now and google seeems to like it.  I would rather have had it remained published here, but I didn't even question HP's decision.  I just moved the entire hub.

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                  IntimatEvolutionposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  Yeah Arthur that is what I did.  Sure did.  I wanted it to stay here.  I mean it had over 20,000 views.  But I wanted to keep on making money too. 
                  
                  But yeah, I mean when we are left with no choice, and the little computer guy making those kind of bad decisions isn't willing to budge on his decision- what do they expect us to do?
                  
                  Hubpages is always my first choice.  I love hubpages.com.  But they got a little hot headed viper in their backroom, who when nobody is looking, is rather mean and hateful.  Well at least he was to me. 
                  
                  I mean when I sent him that note from Google- it is like that only ticked him off even more to be proven wrong.
                  
                  All well.  I didn't mean to make this a rant session.  However, watch my hubscore drop even further.  It always does after these kind of posts.
                  
                  But anyhow, like I said before if Google okay's that guy's gun hubs- well I just wanted to reconfirm what Marisa Wright had said about him taking it someplace else.

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                     Arthur Fontesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     I agree this is HP's yard.  If they do not want me to play baseball in their yard then I will just go play somewhere else.

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                        IntimatEvolutionposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                        Yeah, that is all we can do.
                        
                        So I mean Maddie hasn't came back on again to approach this subject matter further, however, I hope they do realize that this all isn't because we don't want to post something here on hubpages. 
                        
                        But hubpages needs to do what hubpages needs to do, just the same as yourself and myself.  We all have to do what we have to do.
                        
                        And so the story goes on.............

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         IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         That's really interesting to know and thanks for posting
         I've got a hub that I put a lot of research into, and has found itself with banned ads after being up a few months. Because it was a medical hub, it had a long way to go to beat the articles from proper medical sites, but its only now starting to attract google traffic.
         Perhaps I should ask google if they would pass it, and take it down from here to post elsewhere?

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            Maddie Ruudposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            If you manage to get Google to individually okay a hub with disabled ads, we are happy to reinstate ads on it.  No need to run off with it elsewhere.
            
            C'mon, we're not unreasonable human beings.  We are just trying to protect users and the site as a whole, based on the information given to us directly by the AdSense team.

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               IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               That's good to know Maddie, thanks.
               I'll put it on my 'to-do' list because if you've been following another thread here I've been snowed under with work recently trying to fix all my hubs, and my blogs, and write new ones, and there aren't enough hours in the day as it is, but when I get a quiet few minutes I'll head over to the google help forums and see if anyone will look at the hub.
               No hurry, traffic is picking up but isn't phenonemal (if it was I'd be over there right now LOL)

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                  Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  If it's your impotence Hub, I wouldn't waste your time. It's one of those subjects that's being spammed out of sight and is definitely on Google's hit list.
                  
                  Are the Amazon ads really irrelevant or inappropriate?  If you're actually recommending some of those products, move them down next to or under the paragraph where they're mentioned.  You only need one or two recommended products, not a raft of them. You'll get sales.

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            IntimatEvolutionposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Your welcome. 
            
            And Maddie, that is great to know- however, I tried that approach and it was still denied by one of your team staff.  He said that if he did it for mine, then he'd have to do it for everybody else.  It was something like that.  Anyhow, he and I got into a tussle over it.  I sent your team member google's remark and everything.  So again, go figure. 
            
            But please don't take this personal or get this wrong........., I mean if you all are not going to republish something, then we are really left with no choice.  I was sick when after 11 months you all decided to banned my hub.  I would have over 120,000 views now if it would have been allowed to stay.  But you know- it was a very well written hub, about dressing properly and wearing the proper clothing.  So....., I was really left with no choice but to take it somewhere else. 
            
            And it gets good ad traffic.  It is in my top five of major money producing articles. 
            
            But thanks Maddie, maybe the next time I should just email you.

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   WryLiltposted 13 years ago

   You'd be best mailing team@hubpages.com

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   girly_girl09posted 13 years ago

   Google content policy is here:
   https://www.google.com/adsense/support/ … swer=48182
   
   "Sites with Google ads may not include or link to:...
   
   Sales of weapons or ammunition (e.g. firearms, firearm components, fighting knives, stun guns)"

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      Maddie Ruudposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      50 points to girly_girl!
      
      (Oops!  I gave someone else virtual gold stars today for a good forum answer.  Maybe I should standardize my imaginary merit system.)

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      David 470posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Wait so those hubs I made are useless? I am surprised this is a Google policy. I don't understand though if this is against Google's policies why don't the ads just change? 
      
      Does that mean my hunting hubs are in jeopardy too? I can not directly control ads on my hunting hubs can I?
      
      One of the hubs I had was about home defense firearm and another was about a stock for a rifle.
      
      Man this is very disappointing to say the least. I have seen other hubbers write about firearms though.
      
      Is there anyway I can still use those hubs, but have the ads of have to do with the selling of ammunition?

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         Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         It's not about what's allowed in the ads, it's about what's allowed in your text.  Google will not place any ads of any kind on an article about a subject they disapprove of. 
         
         Hubs that break the TOS are found by moderators checking manually, as well as an automated filter, so a Hub can be published for quite some time before it's noticed. So the other Hubs you've seen on firearms may not last long either. 
         
         Your hunting Hubs should be OK, I think, provided you're not actually linking to any other sites that sell guns or ammunition.

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            David 470posted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Okay thanks, I guess I can never write anything on the subject of firearms again. I sure hope my hunting hubs are okay I mean hunting is a big hobby world wide if I get in trouble for writing about that then that won't be right...
            
            I am surprised google is against that content though. I mean I can understand pornography and gambling, but firearms and ammo?

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               David 470posted 13 years agoin reply to this

               I am not really sure what to do about some of my other hubs though....I wrote a review of a hunting gun. I am not sure what I can do about that. Its sort of a hybrid topic....Man this hits me below the belt

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                  Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  It's a lesson, always read the terms and conditions of a site before you start writing!
                  
                  Why not start your own blog about guns and hunting instead?  Then you could find other ad networks or affiliates that don't mind gun-related topics.

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                  Sylvie Strongposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  It's small consolation, perhaps, but you could still rely on Amazon....books about guns or something.  You just need to turn adsense off.  And as someone mentioned, you could device a nice blog about guns, etc., and sell products from a different affiliate program on it.

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            2. STAFF

               pauldeedsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Here is a more complete explanation of what AdSense allows in the area of weapons and guns.  From this you can see that discussions about the sport of hunting are ok, you just can't sell or advocate for the sale of various types of weapons.

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                  David 470posted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  I see. Well it looks my hub on Remington 870  is going to have to be deleted. I am not sure about my Mossberg 535 for hunting though. Its about a gun, but also for hunting.

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   dgicreposted 13 years ago

   You have to realize where Google lives they tend to think a little different there than much of the country...

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   izzychick39posted 13 years ago

   Wow, censorship sucks.

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      David 470posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Indeed

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   IntimatEvolutionposted 13 years ago

   Good luck Izzy.

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      IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks
      They can only say no and that puts me back in the position I am now, with a hub carrying Amazon ads that just looks stupid, amateurish and out of place on what is a serious topic.
      Unlike you, this hub had a long way to go to get serious traffic. I sympathise with your predicament, but am glad your article has found a home where it is wanted and cherished and has those all important google ads.
      
      As an aside, while we all understand why Hubpages tightened their rules on what is permissable content and what isn't, in the case of a Hubber getting written approval from google, as IntimatEvolution did, should there not be a general rule that the hub will be approved upon proof of this written approval? Or have we all got to write to Maddie individually?

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   thisisoliposted 13 years ago

   It's not really censorship.  Hubpages isn't stopping you from saying stuff elsewhere.
   
   A comparison would be going in to a Chinese restaurant and being annoyed because they wouldn't cook you up an Indian meal.
   
   There are restrictions on Hubpages, but it is just to avoid some of the major problems that many large article directories have faced.  If hubpages won't accept the content of your article, there are other sites that will, and building up a network of sites is never a bad thing.

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