Google Link Unit Ad: "FU_K George Bush" -- It's created by Google!

Oh, so you caught it. Okay, I just got it on a screencap as well. I was not logged in and it was showing up.

That's bad karma.

Yeah I've seen it-the specific F-George Bush all over this morning on different pages and finally clicked on it to see where it led, which was to 10 site links-and not all of the were anti-bush though most (but 1- 2) were Bush related in some way.

Still...not good Google.

Well,
At least Google has the brass seemingly to tell it like it is.
And i thought they worked for him....

If I owned Google I would have had FU_K John Kerry
back in 2004. The people who own it can do what they want.
If we don't like it, we don't have to use Google.

That's the American way.

Will/can it be removed? Not that I'm complaining, but I'm concerned that if this can't be removed, other, more offensive comments will be on my computer screen mocking me.

Words like # and # and Meekrob

Edit: See, this is what I'm talking about



This is even worse

[edit on 15-5-2006 by Rasobasi420]

Originally posted by FlyersFan
If I owned Google I would have had FU_K John Kerry
back in 2004. The people who own it can do what they want.
If we don't like it, we don't have to use Google.

That's the American way.

Long live the American way! BTW, Flyers, i could hook you up with all kinds of terrible Kerry websites

i have just seen the ad for myself now...

i clicked on it and it brought me here...

so, if an advertiser didn't create this, who did???

Originally posted by vinrock

Originally posted by irishmen3g
I didn't want to quote what the sponsor's ad said because I don't want to risk a second warning and dip even further into the negative. Impression I get is that people with negative ATS points don't look too good.

not really. i have negative points, but that's because i keep buying stuff

as for the ads, i see them all the time, but i've never clicked on one. if i see one again, i'll just make like you and send a screenshot, if it's still needed/wanted.

I am seeing it as well - Here are a couple of screenshots.


Screenshot 1

Screenshot 2 - After you click link

Is there some sort of hack that a member or visitor could have used to do this?

Originally posted by karby

Originally posted by vinrock

Originally posted by irishmen3g
I didn't want to quote what the sponsor's ad said because I don't want to risk a second warning and dip even further into the negative. Impression I get is that people with negative ATS points don't look too good.

not really. i have negative points, but that's because i keep buying stuff

as for the ads, i see them all the time, but i've never clicked on one. if i see one again, i'll just make like you and send a screenshot, if it's still needed/wanted.

Yaknow... late last night right before I went to bed I finally realized what you can do with these points (nah, I didn't read everything I shoulda when I signed up).

I was just figuring i'd have to accumulate enough to get into that one 'really above top secret' forum.

[edit on 15-5-2006 by vinrock]

Google doesn't make these ads, they just provide a service called AdWords to advertisers and a service called AdSense to webmasters. Advertisers bid on keywords via the AdWords program and create their own ads, short lines of text or titles that appear in the ad unit when the other end of the Google advertising engine, AdSense detects the frequent keywords that are on so-and-so page.

The AdSense program gives webmasters cash (if someone clicks on the links generated by it) while being unintrusive (as opposed to big flashy banners) and the AdWords program is a keyword driven program that makes it easy for advertisers to track their ads' effectiveness.

It's actually pretty interesting stuff, I've been doing some reading on it and people actually are making quite a lot of money through it, either as an advertiser or a webmaster.

Edit - Changed 'pop up' to 'appear in the ad unit' lest someone confuses the former with those pesky pop-up ads.

[edit on 15-5-2006 by Beachcoma]

This is interesting.

Perhaps because a lot of people google on 'f_ck bush', Google automaticallty displays that query in an adsense link unit ad.

Still, as SO pointed out, a simple filter would remove the word f_ck...

Originally posted by kinglizard
Is there some sort of hack that a member or visitor could have used to do this?

It doesn't seem at all unlikely after the "Falling 1's" incident. I wouldn't have a clue how to go about finding out, but I'm sure SO and the gang are already onto it .

Originally posted by Beachcoma
Google doesn't make these ads, they just provide a service called AdWords to advertisers and a service called AdSense to webmasters.

The ad unit in question here is not a simple bid-space ad. It's a link unit where Google's automated software generates an aggregate text link that provides access to additional, related ads. So in this case, we are indeed pointing out text that was created by Google.

How can I file a BBB complaint with Google?
This is not even acceptable, what sort of business ethics do they have...err don't as it may be blantantly obvious.

Can I ban Google? It's their loss, they broke agreements...

You could always email them at [email protected]
Google also has an adsense discussion board, here: groups.google.com...

there is this now, where those google adds used to be (under the ATS tabs):

--->

thanks SO

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
we are indeed pointing out text that was created by Google.

SO, is there anything being done about this? It is an outrage!

I shall never google again.

Got Firefox? Go to www.customizegoogle.com and get the extension. It allows you to block all types of assorted google poo nobody wants to see anyways.