Google AdSense is one of the best ways to monetize website. Its one of the most successful programs ever created. Webmasters can get some money for their hard work when creating a website.
But every stick has two ends. Is it really as good as it looks?

Here are my 2 cents from my personal experience:

1. Google AdSense is really a good program, there is no doubt about that. But I got bad articles about me just because I'm AdSense publisher.
And the people who are posting about me BAD things are partially right. I cannot disagree with their point of view. And from the other side I have lack of options to choose to correct this problem.
whats happening? When I'm adding Google AdSense code to the websites I don't know what kind of ads will be published over the time. Google doesn't disclose AdWords buyers and this process is not controlled by webmaster. Lets say that I can check what ads are at the moment and filter them before the launch, but webmaster doesn't know what kind of buyers will emerge after 10 minutes, after 1 hour, after 1 day.. etc. Its impossible to look at all the possible advertisers on site/sites at once. So it can be the way it was with me:
one day i found the article – I'M supporting Spyware, not protecting from it. WOW! That was new to me. The title got my attention and I started to read how I'm supporting adware and spyware. And I found that its easy to get hit like that. Lets say spyware company purchased some Google AdWords and woila they are starting to appearing on my site. lets say I filter them using AdSense filter… Woila another one appeared under different domain and they are appearing again and again and again… SO!!! Yes visitors sees the ads and by clicking on them they are going to the other site where spyware might be installed… So people can treat that I'm supporting it, because when they click on the Ad on MY site, they go to another Site and Get the parasite to their system… The same situation can be in any theme with any webmaster…
How to fight this? I don't know. Individual webmaster cant do anything. Its Google problem, they accept anyone to their programs and sell keywords to anyone. They Do not select advertisers carefully.
Maybe someone know the cure from this?

2. Content… What is content? What is unique content? You don't need to know anything about internet to earn money. There are lots of tools you can use to create the sites. You can take any free CMS and start your own site. And you can use some tools to snip the content from other sites… Lets say you want the site about models. No problem, lets find out the sites about them with the help of some tools, lets take few descriptions from them (its automatic process) and publish the list of model sites with descriptions. Woila!! you have modeling site / resource site. So lets add Google AdSense program and woila again – you are starting to earn money!! The most hurtful is the fact that these sites competes for the same keywords in serps and they win!! The site with no unique handwritten content becomes higher in serps than original sites…
Is this normal? Lets think about the future.. These sites we call scraper sites, so lets start just create these site, content doesn't matter, you just can snip it from anywhere without infringing any copyrights. Lets infest the web with million of these sites. Its so easy. No programing skills, no content writing skills, – nothing. lets just infest the web. Will the internet be interesting place to visit?
This is another Google AdSense problem. They approve almost everybody to their program, anyone can publish the ads. Year ago then there wasno AdSense it was hard to monetize the website because it was very hard to be accepted for the program. Participating sites were carefully reviewed by the editors. Now things changed. IMHO to the worse side.

We can say: First Google made internet Better, then Google made internet worse.

Another one update from Google.
Allegra was bad to lots of sites, or it seemed like this. Our sites were not affected by Allegra mostly. One of sites was hit on post Allegra update. We thought this update will be recover to us..
We were wrong…
Bourbon update took away the remaining Google traffic from that site. Now it get very few referrers from Google, and still has good positions in MSN and Yahoo.
Other sites are not affected by bourbon yet.

We are not alone who suffered consequences of this update. As We read various forums, we see that lots of old sites were hit again, and the sites which suffered in end of march are suffering now by the same pattern.

Google.. Its not funny anymore. We even cant find ourselves by our unique site name…

Update

Painful to look at the top refferers. Google used to be at 60% (with all other Google tlds at 80%)

Yahoo! Web Sites 59.11%
MSN 14.19%
Google 9.74%
AltaVista 4.17%
Yahoo! Web Sites Canada 3.48%
All the Web 1.25%
Yahoo! Web Sites U.K. 0.83%
Overture 0.83%
Yahoo! Web Sites Singapore 0.83%
MSN Australia 0.70%
Dogpile 0.70%
Search.com 0.56%
Yahoo! Web Sites France 0.56%
…

2checkout.com dumped our site www.jurgita.com. Everything was OK for few years, but they decided not to provide payments anymore. The reason: they don't want to provide merchant account to the site which displays so called Pre-adult content.

What is pre-adult content???

We are reputable modeling agency here in Lithuania. We work with children, we have the right to work with children. Our models works successfully in in high Fashion modeling industry.
For example Laura Muraskaite, she presents the collections in All known Fashion shows in Paris, Milan, London, Barcelona. She presents collections of the most known designers of the world. (Jil Sander, Ghost… etc) But she is 15 at the moment. Most of the models start their carriers at 14, 15, not at 18 years old. !8 years old model in Fashion modeling industry considers OLD model and its late to start the carrier at that age.
I don't quite understand what wrong they see in the content. This is our speciality, we don't provide any pornographic content and we follow all
Europe Union laws. We cant do otherwise, because we will loose the license. There is no even any Nude content at all. It doesn't matter if the model 18 or not, We do not accept any nude content and try to verify every photo.
But 2-chechout sees something Bad with the content and treats it not acceptable to them. I understand that its their site and they can do whatever they want, but still I find this a bit weird and not professional.
When I wrote this letter to them, I got following explanation: "This decision was made by our upstream provider of processing services
who instructed us to immediately cease support of any type of pre adult content. We sincerely regret their decision but, as they have the
ability to terminate our services at any time, we're left with no choice but to comply with the notification we received."
In other words – Negotiations and further examination are not acceptable.
After this "Adventure" I can not recommend 2checkout.vom as a professional service. Think about before taking it, you can be dumped particularly for no reason.

Update 21/05/2005

When jurgita.com was dumped, 2-checkout.com manager told that the rest of money will be sent after 60 days. There were about 2000 usd in the account.
After 60 days we contacted the 2-checkout.com again and asked for our money. Surprisingly we got the answer that our account was cancelled and all money confiscated ! WHAT!!!! They changed their conditions and they confiscated legally earned money!!!
We sent more mails, asked to clarify, and none of further emails were answered.

So I can clearly call 2-checkout.com rogues. They simply Stole our money. DO not ever trust this payment processor!! I'm not alone who tells these kinds of things about 2-checkout.com. They are stealing money from lots of people without any explanation and reason.
read reviews about 2checkout.com in alexa reviews.
jurgita

Today I saw one new article about me. From time to time I see stories about me created from nothing. Here is the latest example:
http://www.webhelper4u.com/nontransponders/jurgitasites/jurgita_2-files_com.html

Webhelper calls himself a professional in spyware and security field. This article proves his unprofesionality.
It is said there that our sites runs ADWARE installs. The title says that 2-spyware.com 2-FILES.COM. runs IBIS adware installs.
But neither 2-spyware.com nor 2-files.com has anything related to IBIS except its removal instructions.
If you read the article you see that the story is about far different site – 2-free.net.
Yes its one of our sites too.

Lets analyse 2-free.net site:

Yes its the site with some tasteful nudity. If you are offended with this kind of nude wallpapers then just don't go there. This has nothing to do with spyware or adware and of course no relations to PORN.

In the article you can find screenshots with so called proves of IBIS install from our site 2-free.net.

2-free.net doesnt host any active x components or scripts. There is only GOOGLE AdSense code over there. Google is controlling what ads to deliver, not the webmaster.

So this "expert" pressed the advertisement which was delivered by google and found that this new page tried to Install IBIS toolbar.

So that's how the myth emerged once again!!

Now because Google delivered bad advertisement to the site 2-free.net, all other sites developed by us, even those which fights against spyware and has very strict policy regarding adware became sites which supports adware. Can this deduction be called professional? you decide.

Anyway we asked this "expert" to send us the domain name which delivers install of IBIS toolbar. We will report it to Google AdWords and ban it in the Google AdSense program. From our IP range we don't see any graphical ads delivered from google, only text ads.
until now – no response.

UPDATE:

Webhelper updated his thread and stated that webmaster can control his adverts, but he forgot to mention that webmaster can't think out the names of all possible fraudulent sites. Fore example maybe webhelper itself will install IBIS in his site and he will purchase some AdWords related to desktops, so his site will be shown on our site and of course we will be able to block it only after we will see it, NOT BEFORE.

domain: http://screensavers.funutilities.com/ was added to the Adsense filter.

So After all its a story about nothing.

–
Just to know who is creating tales from nothing here is the Whois information of domain webhelper4u.com:

looks like fake information, name with the mistake, phone doesn't exist. This person tries to hide himself. He didn't provide us clear contact details.

Organization:

webhelper4u.com

Partick Jordan

PO BOX 130 – 5317 Fruitville RD

Sarasota, FL 34232

US

Phone: 941-111-0000

Email: pjordan@syncon.net

Registrar Name….: Register.com

Registrar Whois…: whois.register.com

Registrar Homepage: http://www.register.com

Domain Name: WEBHELPER4U.COM

Scott Arpajian, Senior vice president and chief downloader, CNET Download.com recently annouced that download.com will not support any adware bundled software.
quote:
“Dear Downloaders,
When it comes to fighting unwanted adware and spyware, CNET Download.com has always been in your corner. During the past few years, we’ve brought you the best tools and tips in our Spyware Center, and we’ve maintained a strict policy toward adware by allowing only software that discloses advertising partnerships during installation.
This week, we’ve upped the ante: we’re launching a new zero-tolerance policy toward all bundled adware. That means every time you download software from Download.com, you can trust we’ve tested it and found it to be adware-free–period.”

ant they changed the policy for software vendors. in short – NO ADWARE. They test software with various removal tools. In their blog they say < ...> “We are using a variety of antispyware tools to scan new programs for adware. If Spyware Doctor or Spy Sweeper says that it’s adware, then we won’t list it. “< ...>

way to go download.com