OK guys. Here is my first rant post – so get ready.
Blogger shut down my blog. It happened without warning. Here’s the events up til now.
I went to upload a new article to my blog on 8/10. I log in through my GMail account so I can access all of Google’s Tools. I then went over to my blogger dashboard. I knew something was off because I got a page to verify my blog. It went on to say that my Blog had been shut down because it was SPAM. I couldn’t believe it. At the time I had 7 articles on it. SPAM?!?!?!
So I thought after I verified my account it would realize I’m not some SPAM-BOT hogging bandwidth. I checked my GMAIL and I get this message:
Hello,
Your blog at http://webdesignsmarts.blogspot.com/ has been reviewed and confirmed as in violation of our Terms of Service for: SPAM. In accordance to these terms, we’ve removed the blog and the URL is no longer accessible.
For more information, please review the following resources:
Blogger Terms of Service: http://blogger.com/terms.g
Blogger Content Policy: http://blogger.com/content.g-The Blogger Team
I couldn’t believe it. SPAM?!?!? I asked myself incredulously. How is my blog SPAM? Without warning they shut the blog down under the most generic non-specific ever created term – SPAM.
Even the email had no recourse available. You would think that a large company like Google would put in a hint of customer service. Clicked on Terms of service I read and re-read the information and I’m thinking there is no way my blog was SPAM.
I kept checking my blogger dashboard to see what recourse I had. I noticed a link that said “Restore.”
Here’s what it said:
Blogger’s spam-prevention robots have detected that your blog has characteristics of a spam blog. (What’s a spam blog?) Since you’re an actual person reading this, your blog is probably not a spam blog. Automated spam detection is inherently fuzzy, and we sincerely apologize for this false positive.
We received your unlock request on August 10, 2010. On behalf of the robots, we apologize for locking your non-spam blog. Please be patient while we take a look at your blog and verify that it is not spam.
Find out more about how Blogger is fighting spam blogs.
OK. Now we are getting somewhere. At least some apology. So I clicked the link “What’s a spam blog?” and I came to this page and I still don’t think my blog was spam.
So now you are thinking what was on my blog. Well here’s the list:
- Adsense
Several ads with which I’m an affiliate which linked to the usual suspects click bank, Commission Junction, etc.
7 articles
That’s it people. That’s all that was on the blog – to me nothing out the ordinary. A small web design firm giving free advice and trying to make a couple of bucks with affiliate advertising.
So as it stands I still don’t have an answer from Google and at this point I don’t care anymore.
And here’s the kicker for me about this whole SPAM mess when you are on the link posted above look to the right under “Recommended articles and discussions,” do you see the last one on the list?
“What is the weirdest shit you’ve eaten?” Under the Help section? C’mon! My blog about web design is SPAM???? Give me a break!
So Long Blogger Hello WordPress!
