Ads withdrawn

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   Kathryn LJposted 13 years ago

   Hi guys, a hub that I published in October of last year has suddenly had its ads withdrawn as it may contain unsuitable content.  I am a bit confused as it has been on hub pages such a long time and the piece is meant to be funny, not offensive.  The author of this hub is a dog who hates women.  I kind of thought that people reading it and any advertisers would 'get it' especially as last time I looked, I am a female writer.  Although the piece does allude to sex, it is purely from a procreation standpoint in the animal kingdom.  It might be because I posted it on the gender and relationship section last week in order to refresh its readership.  The comedy guys seemed to get it.  Please advise.  Hub is called 'Sex, procreation or a female ploy for world domination?  An introduction to the world according to Zoidberg

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      pisean282311posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      interesting topic...but google robots see red when word sex comes into their radar...

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   Website Examinerposted 13 years ago

   Everybody of authority who has spoken out on this says that it is due to an automatic content filter, which looks for specific keywords only - not "getting" the context or intent. Remedy: To find the offending keywords/tags and replace them with something else.

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      Kathryn LJposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Ok thanks for that, I will review the key words and tags this weekend.

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   Website Examinerposted 13 years ago

   You are welcome, a shame it is...

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   Shadesbreathposted 13 years ago

   I've had a few of those types too, as I also tend to write comedy pieces and satire that confuse simple-minded spiders. The HP team has been really good about getting ads turned back on (with advice for me about terms to watch out for too).   
   
   For what it's worth, here's some things I learned from them on this:
    
   1. Having a hubs ADS TURNED OFF does not necessarily mean that the hub is going to be unpublished.  That is something different, so don't sweat that.
   
   2. They DON'T let the spiders have the final word.  The HP peeps totally get that spiders are what they are.  They're getting to the flagged hubs as quick as they can.
   
   If you think it's taking too long, you can send them an email too at: http://hubpages.com/contact_us/ and they'll have a look.  They've been very reasonable and totally helpful on mine and my hubs are always somehow using some inappropriate SEEMING words.

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   Website Examinerposted 13 years ago

   In spite of Shadesbreath's refreshing optimism, it is still my impression that many words are non-negotiable. I should have mentioned that if in doubt, it is a good idea to contact the moderators.

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   Kathryn LJposted 13 years ago

   Many thanks to you both and thanks for your support Shadesbreath.  I have deleted all the tags and have added the least offensive ones I can think of.  I'm glad this issue is just automatic screening rather than someone being offended.  I will now wait and see what happens next.

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      Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Kathryn, don't dismiss it just because it's automatic screening.  You need to learn from it, if you have an Adsense account.
      
      HubPages has this screen because Google Adsense doesn't allow its advertising to appear on sex-related sites, serious or otherwise.  If you publish articles on "forbidden" subjects with ads on them, Adsense could decide you're breaking their rules and ban you forever. 
      
      Once you've lost your Adsense account, they'll probably never accept you again.
      
      So that's why HubPages has this screen, to try to protect you and the whole site from being banned by Adsense.  Obviously it's much safer to not write "illegal" articles in the first place, so that's something to bear in mind for the future.

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         Kathryn LJposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks Marisa, the hub isn't about sex in the traditional sense but I take your point.

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         katiem2posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I hear this happening more and more we just must be aware and choose different wording.  Thanks for the heads up, not so sure I don't have the word sex in some of my hubs, I'll check that. 

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   Website Examinerposted 13 years ago

   Like the lyrics go in the Judas Priest song Worth Fighting For:
   
   "From what I knew before, some things are worth fighting for..."
   
   The freedom of expression is one of them.
   
   Writing about anything that involves physical activity with clear sexual ramifications - like dancing, horse breeding, and cosmetic surgery as just some random examples - cannot and should not be against Adsense per se. If it is, then I'd happily waive goodbye to Adsense, this site, and the lot.
   
   Intelligent people will know how to find the appropriate balance. They do not need The Thought Police to tell them how  and what to think, what to say, and what to write about.
   
   A lot of hubbers are upset and confused about these new rules. We ought to be helping each other with compliance, ensuring a maximum freedom of expression, not with dissuading one another from publishing on topics that interest us.

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      Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      The point is, WE, that everyone is fighting HubPages - and that's pointless.  If you and others want to launch a free speech campaign, take it to the only people who can change it - Google.

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         Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I haven't uttered a word against HubPages, nor have I "stood up" for anyone whose hubs ran afoul the rules. In my opinion, each Hubber - as a publisher - is responsible for their own compliance. I do, however, hope they will do so skillfully so as to maximize their freedom of speech within the confines of the rules.

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   Eileen Hughesposted 13 years ago

   I wrote an article on another site that checks article before they are published.
   
   And the article was about birds finches to be exact, And I mentioned "The anal area may be swollen" from an illness.
   
   Anyway they kept it back until they checked the content that it was not meant in any other way.
   
   Anyway it was cleared and they published it.  So it is there for our protection.  Screening their sight against writers that were not welcome.
   
   So I believe that that particular site does a good job in that respect.

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   funneboneposted 13 years ago

   Well this pretty much puts the final nail in my Hubpages coffin. I have a bunch of hubs filtered now and to go back and change them would be an artistic compromise ( hehe)...if Hubpages wants to go look at them and make changes it is up to them. Otherwise I will continue to post on other sites.

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      ryankettposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Go for it, nobody is stopping you. Almost everybody else fully understands and supports this move.

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      Kathryn LJposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      What other sites are there that you could recommend?

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      Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Dude, you totally know the stuff I write.
      
      It's fine.
      
      I'm telling you.  HP staff will turn the ads back on your stuff as long as there isn't any ACTUAL violations.  They have done a couple for me already. 
      
      They are NOT letting the spiders have the final say.  They are not just throwing the comedy stuff out on auto pilot, and they (actual humans) are actually reading stuff for context.
      
      So, don't be alarmed.  I'm telling you, it's cool.  They're on it.  If they aren't getting to a hub fast enough (which, as you can imagine there's a lot) they will.  If it's a good one that you want looked at and it's been a few days, shoot them an email to speed them along.  They'll look. 
      
      And, they aren't turning off/killing the article.  I think people think that ads off is the same as unpublishing (I'm not saying you think that, but people are misinformed and I'm on a roll here LOL).
      
      Ads off is NOT the same as unpublished or out of searching or whatever.  It's just that, ads off. Like anyone is actually clicking through on ads on most comedy pieces anyway.  God, you should see the ads I get on mine sometimes given how randomly I assemble "facts" and stuff lol.  Nobody is ever going to click an ad on one of mine.
      
      So, no worries.  Patience... or NOT patience, and just email them.

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         Kathryn LJposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Cheers!

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    Amanda Severnposted 13 years ago

    My nudes in art hub had the ads withdrawn for a while, but I eventually e-mailed HubPages and the ads got re-instated. Whilst I fully understood what was going on, I did find it frustrating not knowing exactly what was causing offence. I wish there was a shopping list of terms and images that need to be avoided.

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    Paragliderposted 13 years ago

    Quite a few countries have far more severe censorship. Pages with banned words, especially in the title or url, are completely withdrawn here, and replaced with this:
    
    
    
    It can be irritating

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    Kathryn LJposted 13 years ago

    Been thinking about the censorship thing today as I earthed up rows of potatoes and have become quite ambivalent to what's happened.  On the one hand, I don't think I would be comfortable using Hubpages if it was full of porn and profanity.  And then there's DH Lawrence.  Not that I could ever compare my efforts to such an illustrious literary master.  Personally, I found Lady Chatterlys Lover a bit tedious. In particular, I disliked his use of certain words to describe acts of sex, not because he used them but because he came across a naughty teenager, trying to embarrass a minor cleric, which indeed he did and more besides.  My point is, heck I don't really know what my point is.  Does this mean that advertising decides what is good taste?  Then maybe someone should take a look at the 'One Sheet' advert.  My grand daughter has been bellowing it out for weeks and pronounces it exactly like the ad.  The post woman nearly fell off her bicycle.

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    Kathryn LJposted 13 years ago

    Thanks everybody for your comments.  The ads are back and everything is back to normal, so alls well that ends well.  However, I really appreciate your replies.

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    Finikyaposted 13 years ago

    So your hub had nudes in it?  I heard someone just got banned for having a picture of a girl sitting behind a guitar.
    Wow.
    Rules sure are not enforced very evenly here, are they?
    
    I am in a public library and cannot even publish here for some reason.
    
    Sorry, because of rule violations associated with your account or ip address, permission to publish new hubs has been revoked. You can still edit your existing hubs and save your changes to this hub by clicking the done editing button. Your right to publish may automatically be restored through time and adherence to the HubPages rules. Fixing or deleting existing flagged hubs may also help.
    
    
    I've heard so many good things about this place last year but now I hear a lot of bad stuff and am experiencing it for myself.

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       Kathryn LJposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Give it time, sometimes the rules seem a little incomprehensible but on the whole, I've had a really good time on Hubpages.  No, no nudes, just a very naughty dog.

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          sabrebIadeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          I got my first one flagged tonight.
          It said it was due to a moderator review.
          I went all over the Hub and checked, and cant find anything at all that I think may have triggered this.
          So I e-mailed team@hubpages.com and am waiting for a response.
          I am really interested in this because the Hub appeared very tame to me.
          I mean like G rated.

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             Finikyaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             Remember, it's all about money.  if HP thinks it is going to lose any revenue it doesn't matter how tame your hub is.  Just be happy if they do not ban yo after your first flag.  I know for a fact that some people have lost entire accounts after only one flagging.

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                Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                Did you join HubPages primarily to complain about HubPages? So far, that's all I've seen from you. People have been going out of their way to help you, yet you just keep complaining and spreding these negative vibrations.

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                   Finikyaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                   I have been around for a year so my observations about the monetary concerns of this site are correct.  (I am guessing that I have published a total of almost 200 hubs here in about a year just so you know.) I am just letting her know that she really has to be careful.
                   On the other hand, this is a brand new account so I am not sure how many people you think have tried to help in less than 2 days.  Still, I appreciate help that YOU personally have twice given me in the past so I will simply say that I am not trying to start a fight or spread any negative vibrations.
                   I just think people need to be aware of things around here; that's all.  They need to be careful.
                   I KNOW there are some great PEOPLE here.  THAT'S why I am still here.  that's why I will ALWAYS be here despite the battles I have gone through in the past.
                   Sorry if you got the wrong impression.  I love HP.  I just don't love the way in which the rules are sometimes so unevenly enforced.  (You know, some people get flagged and remain for years and others get flagged once and banned, for example.)
                   FOR THE RECORD:  SOME PEOPLE HERE ARE GREAT!

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                      Website Examinerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                      Thanks for the clarification, that was much appreciated. No, was merely referring to that people were trying to advise you the other day on that thread on a completely different topic. Enough said, I respect your opinion and wish you Good luck with your new account.

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                         Finikyaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                         Well thanks, man. 
                         Sure didn't mean to stir up any sh*t.
                         Perhaps sometimes I just forget about the good when I get hit with the bad.

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                Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                That is preposterous and I think it is a gross disservice to the person you are "helping" here on this forum to spout such absurd and flagrant half-truth or worse.
                
                For one thing, they don't ban based on flags.  Flags merely alert them to potential problems that are reviewed.  To have been banned on a single violation seems completely unbelievable, but if it did happen, the violation would have had to be so grotesquely over the line as to be a huge "good riddance" for everyone.
                
                That said, I would be willing to bet that the real problem came from the attitude of the writer of which you speak, perhaps the sort that seeps from every pore of your remarks thus far on this forum, and I'd be willing to bet that, besides reams of missing information and truth, the more likely reason for a "one flag" ban was a lack of civility on the part of the (cough) innocent victim whose story you "know for a fact."
                
                Just a guess though.

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                   Finikyaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                   Please read my most recent postings before reading this one.
                   Having said that, I understand that if someone flags you because they don't like you nothing happens on its own.
                   I am not speaking about a flagging like that.
                   According to what I have learned, the rules state that multiple violations MAY lead to an account being banned and in the case of this example, this was the first flag on the account.
                   Sorry if I did not make that clear enough. 
                   I could tell you more but I really like some of the people here and I would rather not have to go through what I have gone through in the past all over again.  Telling you MORE would clarify and would help you understand but it could also cause trouble.
                   I would be happy to fill you in on everything I know in an e-mail but not in an HP forum.
                   Trust me.  I love HP.  I have concerns about how the rules are enforced though and that is all I can say here.
                   I've said too much already.  Mark your calendar!  Bookmark my profile and my hubs.  Then see if I am still here tomorrow . . .or the next day . . .

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                Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                Finikya, why do you think the HubPages team created this site?  For the good of their health?  In the interests of artistic freedom?
                
                They created this site to make money.  What's wrong with that?  As a business, they want to protect their investment. What's wrong with that?
                
                If HubPages doesn't take measures to keep its advertisers happy, they won't make money and the site will have to close down.  Do you want that?

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             sabrebIadeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             And less than 24 hours after I e-mailed them, the ads are back on.
             Communication with TPTB is essential.

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