That was strange. I added adsense less than a month ago. It was up to about $40 in generated income and then I get an e-mail saying the account had been deleted for bad clicks or something. What does that mean? I filled out the appeals process and they denied it, without giving me much of an explanation other than "Your content may have been inappropriate for our advertisers". Is this because I said "porn"? It seems coincidental. Anyway, I guess that avenue is out. Ha!
Here's a strange side-effect of this situation: I'm so paranoid, having grown up Gothard, that my first thought was "Bill must have written google." I know that's ridiculous and that he's really not that powerful but that was my initial though. Or, that somehow my dad had contacted google. I'm such a dork.
Today's going to be a busy one. I'm gearing up for finals and trying to figure out what I'm doing for spring break. I think I may go hike with Harris and another friend. I may do some volunteering at this place I found over Christmas. I don't know. In any case, if the weather holds, I'm going to play put put tonight. I told Harris I was excited because I've actually played put put before! :)
As far as I can tell, they do this to everyone. I has $65 in my account and they deleted my account for "bad clicks", whatever that means.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think they do this to every moderately popular blog. They get free advertising out of it, and since neither one of us is currently wildly popular, they don't lose out by cancelling us.
Jerks.
"had". Yikes. I assure you, I am not an lolcat.
ReplyDeleteBill Gothard secretly controls Google? So *that's* why it's getting so intrusive. :D
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with your finals, and I hope you have lots of fun over spring break.
Ruth, Here is a helpful blog entry on the adsense deactivation.
ReplyDeletehttp://theratracejournal.com/your-adsense-account-can-be-deactivated
Yes, it may be that someone is trying to stop you from making this money. It may also be the fact that you talked about porn on a site that features "family-centered ads." Personally, I think that's more likely. You may want to write to them again and show them that you have taken the word off the site. Use a euphemism or a series of ****. We will know what you mean. No sense in losing even a little money if something can be done. From what I have gathered, they give you opportunity to convince more than one "reviewer." But read the blog entry, too.
About the fear. I understand. For a long time we wondered about the continuing influence of the ATI folks or leadership in our lives. It certainly isn't unusual for those leaving cults to be hounded by cult members after leaving. But it is all part of the control. If they can't convince you that they are right, then maybe they can convince you they are strong. But neither is true.
Yes, they can cause grief once in a while, but they are small. The Lord loves you. Just keep going...
Ruth, you're not a dork! lol. Actually,if I were in your shoes, I would have wondered the same thing.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a wonderful Spring break & beat Harris in putt-putt!
Jean
Ruth - I have limited experience with Adsense, but my best guess as to what happened was that some well meaning blog reader was trying to help you out, trying to help you earn a bit of money, and they came to your site and just continuously clicked on the ads. Google would look at that as fradulent 'clicking' and thus, the deactivation.
ReplyDeleteReaders can click your ads, with all good intentions, thinking they are doing you a favor, but the result of it is getting your account deleted.
A great article that explains it a bit more...
http://theratracejournal.com/your-adsense-account-can-be-deactivated
Oops, guess I should pay closer attention to the other posters - the link I gave is the same one that Dave posted just above.
ReplyDeleteOn your "Dad" post you asked if you missed any questions....I think you did.....
ReplyDeleteYou said your dad met Gothard during the BYC days.
What do you think set your dad apart from the crowd in Gothard's eyes?
I have to assume your dad was just one of hundreds (if not thousands) attending Gothard's seminars.
What made the difference between those who Gothard smiled and shook hands with and those he 'chose' to become a leader in the group?
YAY putt-putt! I totally suck at it (I think my highest score as 13 strokes on one hole) but it is SO FUN!
ReplyDeleteAnd good luck on your finals. =)
Putt Putt...now that brings back memories. : )
ReplyDeleteI'm in an abuse recovery group, and when asked the above question, our counsellor said that an abuser/controller/manipulator type (read Gothard here) can size up a person very quickly but the number of times the person they are interviewing changes their no to a yes.
For example, Mr. G asks someone his opinion on something, or asks him to do something. If the person is firm with their answer a number of times, they are pretty safe. But if Mr. G (or my husband..or your boss..you get my drift) can change your opinion or stance by just saying a few convincing words to you, he's got you.
What they see is a person who is willing to be lead, rather than a person who is confident to "stand on their own two feet".
Interesting, eh?
You don't know me, but I am from an ATI pilot family and I may know you. Can I e-mail you? My name is John. I read your whole blog today an I have to tell you that I could have written your brother's story. I to had a dad who made me court a girl because her business would be a boon to my dad's business if we connected. I married her, we had the same experience as your brother, then we had a child and divorced then I was shunned from the community. Ten years ago I married the love of my life and we want to help you out. Please set up an amazon wishlist with things you need and we can send you those things with you not having to give out your personal information. Please think about it. You're a survivor who needs some help.
ReplyDeleteAgree with the above thoughts on AdSense. They are extremely picky about what they will and will not allow ads on. I highly doubt its anything other than some revenue-minded hack within their corporate structure.
ReplyDeleteAs for John, I hope I don't have to remind you to have the good sense to be very circumspect with your information until you figure out if he is who he says he is or a puppet for your father.
John, if you want to help Ruth you can use the tip jar in the right corner of this blog to send her money. Ruth is saving up money to get her own laptop.
ReplyDeleteAsking Ruth to set up an Amazon account just so that you can send her things from her wish list does smell foul play to me.
Ruth, please be careful!
Ruth,
ReplyDeleteI just want to add to the list of surrogate mothers here and remind you to be careful. John can certainly give as much as he would like to the tip jar without knowing your "wish list" for anything. Even if he means well, there is an element of control that is not healthy or necessary.
I support my daughter while she is a full time graduate student. She is my own child and we have a very close relationship. Still, she is an adult. I transfer a set amount of money into her bank account every month. It is her responsibility to pay her bills and manage her own needs. I do not have her itemize her life so that I can pay piecemeal. This is not healthy.
Be careful, Ruth.
Thank you for filling us in a bit about your father's past. It sounds as if his need for control and structure was well suited for Gothard, which is nothing more than a patriarchal-minded cult.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I too encourage you to donate to the tip jar if you want to help. I'm sure you can understand Ruth's desire and need for privacy particularly after someone befriended her under false pretenses.
It occurred to me that hearing examples of normal parenting, etc., helped me recover from an abusive upbringing that, while not ATI, was so all-pervasive that I was terrified to pick up a self-help book . . . at a bookstore that was clear across the country from the people who had abused me. Having ordinary people talk about what normal responses were like helped me gain a sense of perspective and get out of the "covering" of fear and helplessness my abusers wanted me to cower under.
ReplyDeleteAn example prompted by your story about your earliest memory: I asked my 4yo to take a dirty diaper to the trash and she gagged. I responded normally by setting the diaper aside and asking her to get me a package of wipes instead. I asked her to hold her nose and carefully PUT the wipes down (not THROW and run as she had one time before! :D ) and decided that, well, that made twice she had gagged at the thought of touching a poopy diaper, so she just wasn't ready to deal with that. And I quit asking her to take poopy diapers to the trash.
Because a normal parent teaches her children to take on responsibilities gradually and gently, according to the developing capacity of each child.
Jenny Islander
The same thing happened to me Mine said i was a threat to advertisers Google banned by google for interesting stories lol
ReplyDeletei've never been ati or gothard, but i live a hour away from indianapolis & 'those kinds of people'; have tried to help/ deprogram goth kids that 'escaped', helping them move, writing them HS transcripts, buying them food, telling them God is lotsa stuff besides just hate & judgment & wrath, etc;
ReplyDeletehave been weeping over your blog that i just discovered tonite; read this post, had to comment about your natural feeling that gothard or your dad had tampered with your cash flow....
i was physically abused by my husband... when i finally grabbed the kids & fled, i drove around our town for an hour, cuz i was too scared to leave... cuz i thought he was omnisicient. i thought that the second i got on the interstate, he would shoot me in the head, cuz he always said that's what would happen if i ever left....
lol, but he was at work at the time! he didn't even know i'd left! but i was too scared to think rational like that... abused people build up their abusers so huge that it makes it hard to do anything & easy to fear everything- you are not a dork, you were abused in the worst possible way, legalism is MUCH worse than physical abuse.... & of course you are gonna think stuff like that, just reject it & don't call yourself mean names for thinking it, be nice & understanding to you & what you've been thru!! :D
(& that day i tried to leave, i called my mom & told her i was too scared to leave town, she told me 'just drive 1 hour out of town & see if you still feel like that.' and even tho i expected him & his 9mm at every intersection and every red light, i did that & nah.... he was at work. he didn't even know i was gone till he got home. i was safe. i was able to get all 12 hours away to her house & i was safe every inch of the way, not even a warning shot was fired lol;
& now it is 19 years later wooo! :D BE NICE TO YOU!!! don't call yourself mean names, man i hope that's not something gothards say to each other, i don't mean to tell you what to do, sorry!!! LOVE your blog!!! gonna pull an all nighter & finish reading it, Lord willing!!)