Anyway, so it was only just now that I got to log back in to that site. Looks like there isn't anything new from the admin. At least, I didn't see any new articles on the CEO's profile page. Looks like nothing much has changed either in terms of traffic and earnings. The bank page is, sadly and unfortunately, still at a complete standstill :-(.
Anyway, I came across this article that said that there were no more Google AdSense ads on Bubblews. Sure enough, the article in question didn't have any ads. There were Viglink affiliate links though. But there were no ads anywhere.
I refreshed the page but still didn't see any ads though the Viglink links were still there. I checked another article on Bubblews, but it was the same thing - no ads anywhere. Anyone know anything about this? Wonder what's going on?
Now, admittedly, I didn't check every single post there (no time), but the few that I've checked didn't have any ads, so, well, don't really know what's going on, or if there's an issue or something. What do you think? Have you been there lately?
Here are some of the comments from this article, back when it used to be posted elsewhere:
erikalui wrote on February 19, 2015, 1:26 PM
Bubblews today deleted my account as last week I had complained with BBB about non-payment from Bubblews. They found it easier to delete my account. LOL
FreyaYuki replied to erikalui on February 19, 2015, 2:27 PM
What did you put in the BBB complaint form? Did Bubblews respond to the complaint via the BBB? I also filed a complaint (and I got a response from them), but my account on Bubblews is still there. You can continue trying to pursue your complaint with the BBB and tell them what happened and how your account was deleted for no reason.
If your account had just been deleted, Google may still have a cache of it (your articles and profile page), so you can add a link/s to that in your complaint form with the BBB to prove that you are a member of the site and your account was deleted for no reason that you can think of.
SoundNFury wrote on February 19, 2015, 1:50 PM
That's interesting. I was on there checking up on stuff yesterday, but didn't notice anything unusual. I'll have another look.
FreyaYuki replied to SoundNFury on February 19, 2015, 2:31 PM
I only noticed it when I saw the article that mentioned that there were no ads. I didn't see ads on their post even after refreshing the page and I didn't see ads on the other posts that I looked at so I wondered what was going on. I also noted that there's no new update or news from the CEO. Things seem very quiet there at the moment. So, I wonder if anyone knows anything or something since I haven't been there in a while.
MaeLou wrote on February 19, 2015, 1:56 PM
I just checked and I see ads there, maybe it was a "glitch" on their part. They are famous for those so called glitches.
FreyaYuki replied to MaeLou on February 19, 2015, 2:36 PM
Ah, I see. Maybe it was just a glitch that only happened for a short time? I did refresh the page on the article that I read there but the ads still didn't show up. And I noted that they didn't show up even on the other articles that I looked at. Or maybe this is browser-specific or something? Who knows? The CEO and staff there seems to have gone quiet as I didn't see any new updates when I looked at their profile pages so I wondered what was new and what was going on over there.
Porcospino wrote on February 19, 2015, 3:17 PM
I just visited Bubblews and there wasn't a single ad. I don't know what happened, but the ads have disappeared (?)
FreyaYuki replied to Porcospino on February 20, 2015, 9:47 AM
The CEO just posted an article about this. Apparently, they stopped displaying AdSense ads for now because Google said it wasn't all that obvious that the ads were different from the site content. They said they're working on fixing this and I do hope they get it sorted out soon since the members there won't be earning much if no ads are being displayed on their content.
UK_Writer wrote on February 19, 2015, 4:36 PM
You'll probably find the company had a Google Adsense account and didn't understand that either, so got banned. They've so far shown so little understanding of so many things that'd not surprise me....
FreyaYuki replied to UK_Writer on February 20, 2015, 9:56 AM
According to the latest post by the CEO, their AdSense account isn't "in violation" and that the ads "will be back soon". From that same article, they said that Google told them that they should make it more obvious that the ads on the site homepage are ads and not part of the site content, which makes sense since the ads are in square boxes and the posts and the tags are in square boxes too so they all look pretty similar.
UK_Writer replied to FreyaYuki on February 20, 2015, 10:14 AM
Hahaha, in violation...so they WERE banned. N00bs. Google are hot on how you make the ads look on a page.
FreyaYuki replied to UK_Writer on February 22, 2015, 2:52 AM
Oh. Do you really think that they've been banned? I've never had an AdSense account yet, so I don't really know, but the explanation the CEO gave in the latest article he posted seemed believable since the ads on their site homepage really did blend in with the site content since everything was in the masonry grid layout.
But I think some were surprised their account hasn't been banned since there were lots of stories of people whose AdSense accounts have gotten banned for seemingly no reason. I heard Google was really strict about the ads too, so those with AdSense accounts are always careful about following all of the rules since you can get banned for life and appealing for account reinstatement might not always work.
It would be very bad if they lose their AdSense account as traffic and earnings are low enough as it is. They did say they were working on fixing this / sorting this out, but now I have to wonder how long this might take?
AliCanary wrote on February 19, 2015, 5:31 PM
I guess Google got fed up with all the bad reports about them--people are complaining all over the web, and the big G probably doesn't want to be associated with them.
FreyaYuki replied to AliCanary on February 20, 2015, 10:00 AM
According to the latest post by the CEO, Google just told them that they should make it more obvious that the ads on their site homepage are ads and are not part of the site content. So they said that they're working on fixing this up.
I wonder if Google knows about what's been going on though - as in the human people there and not just some automated machine or robot or something since it seems like Google automates pretty much everything and people can't really get a hold of their customer service/support, can they?
AliCanary replied to FreyaYuki on February 20, 2015, 11:30 AM
I've actually spoken with Google customer service--I've caught people plagiarizing my work and posting it on their blogs, and I contacted them about it. Twice they deleted the offender's blog altogether, and the last time the person rewrote what she stole, so I guess they warned her. They did respond to me, as well.
FreyaYuki replied to AliCanary on February 21, 2015, 2:39 PM
This is good to know and hear about as I really appreciate good customer service. I'm glad that Google seems to appreciate it as well. Many times, some just ignore you when you try contact a company or something or they send you some automated response that doesn't help you.
GemstonePink wrote on February 19, 2015, 6:09 PM
I did stop by there today and I, too, saw no ads. Arvind did write a post, but once again, it was vague.
FreyaYuki replied to GemstonePink on February 20, 2015, 10:03 AM
I just saw that post. Yeah, most of it, again, didn't really say much. The last part was where they added the info about what was going on with AdSense though. At least that part was pretty clear - Google just wants them to make it more obvious that the ads on their homepage are ads and not part of the site content. And at least they made it clear that their account hasn't been banned and that the ads will be back soon so people won't have to wonder and speculate about this.
inertia4 wrote on February 19, 2015, 6:34 PM
FreyaYuki The non ads there right now are not a glitch. I read an article from Arivnd himself. They were told by Google that the ads were blending in with the home page and looked like content not ads. So they are working out a way to have the ads stand out more. Thats what we were told anyway. I believe that, since Adsense sucks mostly. They might pay a site but they are way too picky. I once had an Adsense account, but google said I abused it. How I don't know. I never clicked any links, nothing. But they banned me. So they are not worth it as far as I am concerned. But, as long as they are paying the sites we work with, then okay.
nbaquero wrote on February 20, 2015, 7:35 AM
FreyaYuki I did read the same, apparently is a temporary thing and is being resolved between Google and them. Not too sure that is the real case, you know.
FreyaYuki replied to nbaquero on February 20, 2015, 10:21 AM
Thanks for the info. I just saw that post. I think that's really what happened because the ads on the homepage are in square boxes and the Bubblews tags and Bubblews posts are also in square boxes so they all look pretty similar. Some might end up clicking on the ads thinking they're part of the site content especially since they're beside the content itself and the placement seems random.
FreyaYuki replied to inertia4 on February 20, 2015, 10:12 AM
Thanks for the info. I just saw that post by the CEO. I think AdSense has a point on this one since, on the Bubblews homepage, everything is in boxes - the posts, the tags and the ads. This is what you call the masonry grid layout. So, when you scroll down the page, it's possible that some people may end up clicking on ads without meaning or wanting to because they thought the square ads were part of the site content (the tags or the posts).
I've heard many stories about AdSense and of people's accounts being banned. Sorry to hear about your experience with AdSense. Did you try to appeal their decision? Don't have an AdSense account yet but I heard that you can try to appeal if your account was disabled though there's no guarantee that you can get it reinstated. For an alternative to AdSense, you can try Chitika.
scheng1 wrote on February 20, 2015, 2:38 AM
I hope that Bubblews gets their Adsense back. I pity those writers who are still faithful.
FreyaYuki replied to scheng1 on February 20, 2015, 10:24 AM
I just read the latest post by the CEO. According to that article, Bubblews didn't lose their AdSense. They're just working on fixing the issue with the ads on their homepage. Apparently, Google said that they should make it more obvious that the ads on the homepage are ads and not site content.
allen0187 wrote on February 20, 2015, 9:00 PM
Currently on bubble ooze right now and indeed there are no ads available in the site. Could be the last straw before we see the site eventually close down.
FreyaYuki replied to allen0187 on February 22, 2015, 2:59 AM
Yes, there are still no AdSense ads there at the moment though there are Viglink affiliate links in some of the articles. The latest post / update by the CEO said they're working on fixing this issue since Google apparently told them the ads on their homepage blended too much with the rest of the site content. But, now, I have to wonder, if the only problem is with the site homepage, then how come there are also no ads on the post pages? I do hope they get this all sorted out soon.
allen0187 replied to FreyaYuki on February 22, 2015, 8:33 PM
Yeah, saw those links... words highlighted in blue. Apparently, if you purchase any item through those links, a percentage of the sale goes to bubble ooze.
FreyaYuki replied to allen0187 on February 23, 2015, 10:33 AM
Yes, though I don't know if the members of Bubblews share the revenue for any possible sales generated by those affiliate links.
Coffee wrote on February 24, 2015, 9:27 AM
It's such a shame as that site used to be so lively and buzzy.
FreyaYuki replied to Coffee on February 25, 2015, 5:27 PM
Yeah. Now, it seems that a lot of people have left. Traffic and earnings are really slow there right now as well so it can demotivate and discourage some from posting there since the bank page barely moves.
Coffee replied to FreyaYuki on February 26, 2015, 5:49 AM
I think mine has moved about 5c in a month, although I have only posted once over there in that time!
*Notes:
- Image is by FirmBee (Public Domain) from Pixabay
- This was previously published on Persona Paper on February 19, 2015, 12:59 PM
