Discussions

Begging for clicks and money in shoutbox.

Posted by mskat • 12/07/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: ads, begging, click fraud, google, links

Lately I have been getting a lot of messages in my shoutbox from bloggers asking for things that I just find really tacky and tasteless, and wondering if others are too.

Over the last few days, I have gotten and deleted most of these messages, but people are actually asking for me to come to their blogs and click on the ads like Google adsense, (fake clicks is considered click fraud and Google will delete your account) pay per click ads, the links inside of their paid posts, and one blogger actually asked me to come and give her money, to click on her paypal button and give her money.

What is up with this kind of stuff?!
Is anyone else getting these kinds of messages?
What do you think when someone asks you to come click on all of their paid ads so they can make money?
Do you do this?!
Are there groups of bloggers going around and clicking on each others ads and paid links, sort of like a link exchange kind of deal?
Do they not realize that if the companies that they work for and are posting these paid ads and links for, find out all of the clicks are fraudulent, that they can be banned from working again?

Google doesn't mess around with click fraud, and I know that companies like payperpost seriously frown upon fake clicks and have banned bloggers in the past for doing this, and some companies have even filed a complaint with paypal and gotten their money back.

User Comments

12/07/08

PetLvr

aw .. I wouldn't delete these requests -- publish them in the main forum so we can embarrass them to immortalize

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12/07/08

mskat

I would, but there's a couple of rules for posting that say you can't like harass and pick on people.
The read before posting thing, it has rules in it, and I really don't feel like getting banned for posting a stupid person's begging. www.blogcatalog.com/discuss/entry/read-before-posting-1

"No personal attacks: Posts demeaning or attacking another member will be removed & subject you to having your membership removed.
Mean Spirited Attacks
Mean spirited attacks against another BlogCatalog member will be removed and subject you to having your membership reviewed and removed."

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1. 12/07/08
  
  armywife65
  
  I would not think that, that would be an attach for the wrong reasons, you are warning others about this because they are wrong to be doing that in the first place. If anyone does it to me, I will have no problem reporting them and I will tell them I'm reporting their butts. People who try to cheat the system are the ones that are idiots and will never get anywhere in life.
  Good Discussion you got going
12/07/08

mskat

Anyone else getting these types of begging requests in their shoutboxes?
Is it just me?
I can't believe that, there has to be other people getting all of this shameless click begging requests.

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1. 12/07/08
  
  cooper
  
  I just delete them. It's really not big deal, these places tend to be magnets for spammers. I sometimes click the spam button.
12/07/08

loverofjazz

i've gotten a couple of them. i really don't pay them any mind.
there are a fair number here on BC who have no interest in anything other than trying to get people to visit their blogs, so it's unavoidable.

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12/07/08

Anok

I Just ignore them.

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12/07/08

ModelElaine

This really pisses me off when people do this...... once in a while someone comes to my shout box and leaves a message like this..... just like kids playing... begging for click exchanges. Stupid and absolutely bizzare

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12/07/08

chicky401

I haven't gotten any but if I did I would ignore them. There is a chance that I would mess with them, but the proper thing is to ignore them

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12/07/08

thegoodknife

Hit the 'Spam' link under the message. This will help us to remove them from the site.

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12/07/08

SimplyForties

I get them and I just delete/ignore them. I always assume they are from new bloggers who don't know any better.

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12/07/08

wehireu

No, not in my shoutboxes.

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12/07/08

timethief

Yes I also get requests to become a party to click fraud and when I do I follow thegoodknife's suggestion and click the spam button. If I get repeated requests from the same member to be added as a friend, to exchange links, etc. then I click block and that member is no longer able to send me shouts at all.

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12/07/08

lordiwanttobewhole

Why do people ask to be my friend? I just ignore or add them (because maybe it will make their day)?

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12/07/08

Bonnielicious

Thankfully I'm not, must be due to the lack of viewers I get

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12/07/08

MadMadMargo

I've received these shouts as well along with those asking to be friends that did not add me upon asking or wanting me to exchange links. I've been ignoring them - thanks for the advice timethief - this will be my new practice!

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1. 12/07/08
  
  timethief
  
  You're welcome.
12/07/08

mskat

I have clicked the spam link on a few of them, I guess I just need to make that my full time practice from now on.

I guess it just surprised me that people were actually asking others to be party to click fraud.

Thanks for all of the responses and advice on how to handle them!

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1. 12/07/08
  
  timethief
  
  You're welcome. Advertisers have a strong interest in ensuring they're not overcharged for ads placed on or through search engines, particularly given the rising proportion of ad dollars devoted to the Internet. Examples of invalid clicks include: manual clicks on an ad to purposefully increase the ad spend; deliberate clicks on an ad to increase profits by site owners hosting the ads; and automated clicking tools, 'bots, or other deceptive software.
  
  Click fraud became such a problem for Google and their advertisers that Google introduced a tool specifically for the purpose of apprehending bloggers who are breaching the Google Adsense Terms of Service and policies.
  
  The tool, designed for Google's pay-per-click AdWords feature, lets advertisers track the number and percentage of clicks that are unintentional or the potential result of attempts to drive up advertising costs. It's aimed at keeping closer tabs on click fraud, where third parties deliberately inflate the number of clicks received by an ad.
  
  Those who get caught have their Google Adsense accounts banned and they are blacklisted forevermore. I have frequently found that sploggers, who have stolen my blog content have splog sites with Google Adsense on them. As well as making a DMCA complaint to their web host to compel them to remove my content from their site, I report them to Google Adsense, and to every other advertising company that they are dealing with too.
12/07/08

ekim941

On the bright side, it makes it easy to tell right away who the spammers are.

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1. 12/07/08
  
  timethief
  
  @ekim
  Ignorance can be cured; stupidity is forever.
  True - the stupidity factor among them is extremely high.
2. 12/07/08
  
  ekim941
  
  Well, I like the honest approach.
3. 12/07/08
  
  timethief
  
  I value honesty and can't abide willful ignorance.
12/07/08

Empath

Ugh! *I* get them, too. So far, I've just deleted them.

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1. 12/07/08
  
  timethief
  
  Please use the spam button or else they just continue to circulate through our community.
10/05/09

mskat

Here it is, almost a year later, and I am still getting these click fraud requests.
I am reporting user after user to Blogcatalog for this at least once per week.

*sigh*

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10/05/09

shabnam

hi friends
i m also receiving these requests...i wont call it problem or tasteless...in my opinion(& others don't have to agree with me)there r many new bloggers who are struggling for getting traffic to thier blogs & many of them r very good,very good in content,very good in approach, but inexperienced in SEO & traffic catching & when they come here & got this shoutbox oppertunity they want to use this to show poeplr thier blog & get traffic & i dont think there is any wrong in it....when i get these type of requests in my shoutbox i always visit thier sites just to know that whether its worth adding or not & i must say i got some very good blog by doing this...as far as the delete or reporting spam option is concern its always there & we can take this step any time after visiting these blogs if we dont like them...in my opinion its niether fair nor wise to delete these requests without checking them first

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1. 10/05/09
  
  mskat
  
  Asking people to visit your blog is fine, that's not the problem.
  The problem is that people are asking other people to click on their Google Adsense ads and other ads on their sites.
  That's called click fraud.
  If you get caught, your Adsense account will be closed and you will lose ALL of the money you earned.
  Google watches every single click. They know when people are doing click fraud!!
  
  Read this if you and others are "helping" each other by clicking on ads!!
  adsense.blogspot.com/2008/08/defining-invalid-clicks-and-click-fraud.html
10/05/09

ryheanne

well I could say it is part of blogger world..i visited them too.

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1. 10/05/09
  
  mskat
  
  Visiting the blogs is fine, participating in mutual ad clicking is not.
  Asking people to click on your ads and you'll click on theirs is not ok. adsense.blogspot.com/2008/08/defining-invalid-clicks-and-click-fraud.html
10/05/09

scf

If somebody sends a message to my shoutbox, I often will take a look at their blog, and perhaps send them shoutbox message in return. However, there was a case when I got a message, or was it an email, saying the person had visited my site, clicking all my ads, and asking for me to return the favor. The funny thing was, according to Adsense, there weren't any new ad clicks in the previous 24 hrs. So the person fibbed. I did take a brief look at their site anyway, but I didn't click ads, though I might have anyway, if the ads had been about something I was interested in.

I might send another person a message about their blog, and invite them to visit mine, but anything they do after that (including visiting my blog or not) is entirely up to them.

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10/05/09

timethief

Admin has requested that members report all click fraud requests made anywhere on this site.

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10/05/09

Richer44

I have been getting them too. My personal favourites are the ones that say they visited my blog and clicked on my ads so I should go to theirs and click on their ads. I usually respond with a polite message saying they must have my site mixed up with another one since I don't have any ads to click. Then I recommend they check out my site.

If people are looking for friends... I usually add them but I won't be part of their click fraud program.

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1. 10/05/09
  
  timethief
  
  I don't even have advertising but I get claims from those who state they clicked my ads. I report them just as Admin has asked us all to do. IMHO there's no need to keep bumping threads like this one or creating new ones on the same topic. Admin has ruled that those making such requests will be banned. And they have requested that we members report all such requests to them.
10/05/09

acousticguitarist

Yes I got one just before and reported it, if it continues I'll submit the sites to some online places that google hates

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10/05/09

shabnam

comment removed by the community.

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10/05/09

jonyx

Funny that you started this discussion as I got my first similar message today. As much as I like helping out others, I did not ask anyone to do me any favors and therefore won't engage in the same, simply because this person did. Especially if doing so could violate certain rules.

I'd like make money off my sites one day, but let it happen over time. I don't see any point in jeopardizing possible future success.

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