I'm Back....Or Am I?

Yes I am still middle-aged and yes I am still having my mid-life crisis.  And yes, I still bump into all those rude, stupid, self-important, entitled people.  Who doesn't?


I have been on a bit of a hiatus. I first strayed due to the AdSense scam and my inability to find a more deserving venue.  I stood on my principals for a while, but eventually those principals got tired of holding me up, and let go.  It felt more like a bite off your nose to spite your face thing after a bit.  I mean really, Google doesn't care whether I am out here or not.  Then my absence was more about time, or I suppose if I am honest, priorities.  I stopped writing because I was focusing more on that job that I scorned in my last posting and yes, it is still all those things and less.  But, it pays the bills, well some of them anyway.  What it doesn't due is allow me an outlet for my frustration or validate that frustration like you all do.  So I am wondering, do you miss me?  Should I come back?  Will you forgive my extended absence and follow my rantings once again, or will you snub me like you might a misguided lover and leave me to wallow in my own inadequacies?  Let me know if you are out there and if I will be granted a second chance.  I have postings and will work for validation.  After all, I am not working for much more than that at my other job.

Are you &**#*(@ing me?

Once again, I have to subject ignorant employers to reality and to a long walk down a short plank on the ark.  I mean really people, get a clue!

So I have to post again about my wonderful job search, which is now going on 18 months...that is right 1 1/2 years since I was laid off.  If you've checked in before, you know I have been looking, and looking and looking, as has my husband also going on 18 months.  I have looked in my old industry, explored new ones and even been offered a job...yes, but don't get too excited.  Because after 6 years of college and working hard on my thesis to get a terminal degree (sounds dangerous doesn't it?), which I obtained over 15 years ago and thus I have plenty of experience, the job I was offered is part time and pays minimum wage.  A fact they concealed pretty well throughout the interview process.  But it has potential for full time, which still pays crap, but gives myself, my husband and our three little chickens the health insurance I need.  Only problem is, I need to work up to that and it could take 9 months to a year.  In the meantime, they want me to guarantee that I won't take a full time job and leave after they spend so much time training me; paid training they said to entice me.  When interviewed, and before being told how much this job actually paid, I agreed.  But really, are you %^#%#*ing me?!  You want me to commit to working maybe, MAYBE 8 hours a week at $8.00 and expect me to cease looking for something that would say actually cover the cost of the gas it takes to get me there.  I mean really, my babysitter costs more than I make so how can I commit to something so ludicrous.  I took the job. I need something flexible and if my husband gets hired anytime the near future, the job is rewarding if you look at it like slightly subsidized charity work.  But seriously people....

The Short List

Okay so all of you are no help. I thought maybe one of you might comment on a good blog host that doesn't rip you off, but apparently not.  And because life is so hectic with my constant search for some sort of employment, which includes numerous attempts at reinventing myself, I just can't find the time to find a new home on my own.  So before I explode from all the pent up rants, I decided to just continue on here until, well, until I don't. 

Anyway, today I decided to institute a dress code on the ark.  Now, as someone who at times dresses somewhat eclectically occasionally sporting a short skirt and cowboy boots, other times wearing leather pants, or an authentic witch's cape, but more often donning a pair of jeans and a sweater, I am the first to say you should wear what you want...within reason.  

Today, I am sitting in Starbucks (I know again) and in walks this 40 something woman in a very short black dress, and I mean VERY short.  Either she bought it in the junior's section or she is wearing it as a dress when it is meant to be more of a tunic with leggings.  She forgot the leggings.  Tights would have still been obscene, but better, but she seems to have forgotten those too.  Hell, she wasn't even wearing nylons.  Now I never wear nylons; they aren't my thing, but naked legs under this way too short dress?  She was just begging for attention.  Well she got it.  I was staring and so were many others, but not in the "look at that hot thing with the nice legs?" way, but in the "Whoa, what the hell were you thinking?" way.  And yes I am sure even the guys were thinking that because the man next to me who brought his son in had a horrified look on his face, and the older gentleman in the corner was shaking his head.  I just looked at her with a disgusted expression on my face and started this blog. So here is the dress code:  If at any time in any position in a public place on the ark, we can see something that God gave you that was only meant for private eyes, you’re off the ark, probably via the railing at the side.

AdSense Scam Forces Move

My research has provided me with numerous examples of people in the same spot as I am.  AdSense uses our intellectual collateral to promote their customers ads and then trumps up phony charges against us to avoid having to pay us for hosting their advertisements.  That is not cool with me so I am moving my blog.  Where you ask?  I am not sure yet.  I am looking into wordpress as an option, but was hoping for some suggestions from all of my readers.  I haven't had any yet, so if you use a format other than blogger and have been pleased with it, please let me know.  I will keep you posted.  I am also trying to figure out how to erase this blog so it is not on blogger anymore, but that seems as difficult than getting paid by AdSense.  What a scam google is running all around huh?

AdSense Scam Widespread

Ah ha, I was right.  If you google AdSense this site comes up in the top ten.  Check it out for more on their unethical business practices.

GoogleAdsense Business Practices Are Unethical

For all of you out there who have been screwed by GoogleAdsense, I am on a mission.  Below is the ONLY information I received in my correspondence with them.  The first e-mail arrived a day or two after I inquired into a check they were overdue in sending me.  I hit a threshold in July and they did not mail my check.  I hit a second one in August and they did not mail my check.  I inquired in September and on September 15th they sent this first e-mail.

Hello,

After reviewing our records, we've determined that your AdSense account

poses a risk of generating invalid activity. Because we have a

responsibility to protect our AdWords advertisers from inflated costs due

to invalid activity, we've found it necessary to disable your AdSense

account. Your outstanding balance and Google's share of the revenue will

both be fully refunded back to the affected advertisers.

Please understand that we need to take such steps to maintain the

effectiveness of Google's advertising system, particularly the

advertiser-publisher relationship. We understand the inconvenience that

this may cause you, and we thank you in advance for your understanding and

cooperation.

If you have any questions or concerns about the actions we've taken, how

you can appeal this decision, or invalid activity in general, you can find

more information by visiting

http://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=57153.

Sincerely,

The Google AdSense Team 

This is wrong on so many levels.  First of all, WHAT is it they think I did wrong?  Define invalid activity?  They give you no specifics just point you toward the generic agreement telling you what you can't do, not what they accuse you of doing.  Then there is this appeal form:

11_ExampleUrl: www.weneedaflood.blogspot.com

12_DisablingMonth: Sep

13_DisablingDay: 14

14_DisablingYear: 2010

15_AlreadyAppealed: no

16_OtherAccount: no

17_OtherAccountList:

18_WebAudience: Moms and the General public

19_UserGeography: I assume the US

20_UserAccessMode: how would I know?

21_ScrapedContent: no

22_ContentSources: me own writings

23_NumAdmins: 1

24_UpdateFrequency: about twice a week

25_BoughtTraffic: no

26_UsePayTo: no

27_TrafficSources: I visit other sites and comment and also word of mouth

28_AdvertiserValue: Because it targets their market and people often click

on ads and rememebr seeing products they see on a regular basis

29_UserIncentive: I have a few friends that check me out regularly but  

other than that not that I know of

30_ViolatedTerms: No

31_InvalidActivity: I have no idea what invalid click activity you are  

talking about.  No specifics were given in the e-mail.  It also seems  

coincidental that I JUST sent an e-mail asking why I hadn't received my  

check from August then I got this e-mail in return.

32_SuspiciousData: I don't usually check them so I don't know how to tell.

I am fairly new at this blog thing.

If you can read it you'll see that they ask you to defend yourself without ever telling you what you are accused of.  How can anyone do that?


"No officer, I didn't shoot that man."


"We know that mam, we brought you in because you forgot to sign your taxes."


I mean really?  Can they do that?  Is anyone out there a lawyer who knows whether someone can use your services for two full months, place their ads and get them seen for two full months, have people patronize the advertising companies for two full months and then choose not to pay you without so much as a specific explanation?  There has to be a law against that.  There have to be a number of people to whom they have done this.  It has to be illegal.  It is certainly unethical.  It is stealing and I bet there will be a class action suit sooner or later.  If they don't give me an explanation soon, I bet it will be sooner. (Do you think they read any of this material?)


So I do my best to defend myself against my non-charges.  I tell them that to my knowledge I have done nothing wrong. I have a friend who checks my site regularly. (Who doesn't?) But I even checked with her and she told me she only clicks on ads relevant to her and has even "patronized" a site or two.  So if she is doing more than just looking, isn't that what advertising is about?


And so I fill out that stupid generic form which asks you to address specifics they never give you and submit it and THIS is their response:

Hello,

Thank you for your appeal. We appreciate the additional information you've

provided, as well as your continued interest in the AdSense program.

However, after thoroughly re-reviewing your account data and taking your

feedback into consideration, our specialists have confirmed that we're

unable to reinstate your AdSense account.

As a reminder, if you have any questions or concerns about your account,

the actions we've taken, or invalid activity in general, you can find more

information by visiting

http://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=57153.

Sincerely,

The Google AdSense Team

Really?  WHY NOT?  What did you investigate?  What did you find? Did you even read my response?  Why didn't you answer my questions? Address MY concerns? Doesn't the accused have a right to know what she is being accused of before being convicted? Did a person even look into this or is it a computer generated e-mail?

By the way, while I am jumping ship and taking my ark into more legitimate waters, does anyone else have a suggestion as to where I should go?  Thanks for all your help readers, I wouldn't be here without you.

No Cents out of AdSense

This one’s easy; today’s rant is about kicking GoogleAdSense off my ark. 

How annoying are they?  So according to my payment history, I hit my next hundred-dollar mark back in July and then again in August.  Since it is now September 15^th and I haven’t received either check, which their information reads I should have received over a month ago, I sent them an e-mail (because God forbid they have a phone number where you can inquire about anything) asking them why I hadn’t received my payment.

No response.

No acknowledgement of my inquiry.

Until today when I get an automated e-mail telling me my AdSense account has been disabled.  What a coincidence; I go looking for my very late payment, and they terminate my account…hmmm? No response to my original inquiry.  No explanation.  No information at all.  So I spent a while surfing around trying to find a way to contact them and ask them WTF?  But there is no phone number, no live chat, and no direct e-mail.  No way to deal with disputes at all unless you count filling out a generic appeal form, which asks a bunch of questions I don’t have the answers to and gives you a short space in which to tell them about why you think they are wrong.  Well how the hell would I know? They never told me what the problem was so how can I dispute it?  If they had said I was clicking my own ads, I’d say no I wasn’t.  If they said I was altering the ads, I’d say no I wasn’t.  If they said I was auto-generating clicks, I’d say no I wasn’t.  But they said none of those things; they didn’t give a reason, so how can I refute their reasoning?  Besides, how does one prove a negative?  I could possibly prove that I did something (if I was more computer savvy than I am) but how can I prove I didn’t do something?

I’ve heard of this happening before.  I have read other complaints about the fact that Google doesn’t give you any way to interact with them directly.   Now I understand those complaints.  Perhaps it is time to find a different host.  We’ll see how quickly they resolve this issue.  They owed me over $200.  If they reinstate me soon and I get paid, I’ll stay.  If not, look for a post giving you my new address.