Is it me, or is Google getting into the Adsense/vBulletin game?

[drumsy]

Just today I started seeing an ad for the following:

vBulletin Forum Software
Spice up your web site with the ultimate community forums solution!

Now, I originally thought that Jelsoft was advertising their product, but after clicking the link, I see the URL http://www.vbulletin.com/?adname=Google at the top. Is Google capitalizing on some kind of referral program with vBulletin to offset their payout for the clicks?

Please pardon me if this has been discussed already, I just noticed this today.

[Wayne Luke]

No... it is Jelsoft advertising our product and adding a variable to know where the user is referred from to measure the effectiveness of the individual campaigns.

[drumsy]

Can you elaborate on how effective AdSense is? This would be the first hand experience I've been looking for as far as results go instead of being on the other side of the arrangement and getting a payout.

[Wayne Luke]

Personally, I wouldn't be able to tell you. I don't have access to that information nor do I believe the people that do would disclose it on a public forum.

Sorry.

[qxh]

Personally, I wouldn't be able to tell you. I don't have access to that information nor do I believe the people that do would disclose it on a public forum.

Sorry.

It is also against the rules to post the exact specifics.

[MarkB]

Surely that's only for adsense users - not those who advertise via Adwords (and, thus, Adsense). If I pay for advertising, I reserve the right to tell whoever I damn well please

[qxh]

Oops, I got confused by "Adsense" in the title.

[Raz Meister]

I've excluded vB from our rotation. It's taking up too many page views and it not really intended for our userbase.

[Wayne Luke]

I've excluded vB from our rotation. It's taking up too many page views and it not really intended for our userbase.

Sounds perfectly reasonable. Would be suitable for tech/internet related sites but not for all of vBulletin's customers who use Adsense as a revenue generator.

[Raz Meister]

I wish there were a way to exclude a category of ads. (Is there??)

Sometimes the ads are pretty accurate, but sometimes it shows technical and hosting sites which would just not appeal to our audience.

[okrogius]

I wish there were a way to exclude a category of ads. (Is there??)

Sometimes the ads are pretty accurate, but sometimes it shows technical and hosting sites which would just not appeal to our audience.

An alternate solution is to make sure the keyword vbulletin does not appear on your pages unnecessarily. That means (at least for vb3) is removing the generator meta field, changing default meta description, and making footer unspiderable (be it putting the vb copyright in an image or simular sort of thing).

[ehjay]

all good ideas, except putting the vbulletin copyright into an image violates their terms. it must be in the footer template. as text.

[Icheb]

all good ideas, except putting the vbulletin copyright into an image violates their terms. it must be in the footer template. as text.

No, it just has to be readable.

[ehjay]

no, i'm sorry you're incorrect.

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88304&highlight=copyright+text

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=86080&highlight=copyright+text

those're as recent as a couple months ago. in the second one especially, it address an image for the copyright text. and Steve again reminds licensees that you may not use an image for the copyright. it must be in the footer and in the bare minimum read:
vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2003, Jelsoft Enterprises Limited.

[IDN]

Well then should i now flood their piracy system with all the sites that use pre made templates that use an image?