VGOF Newsletter and Giveaways Suspended

[allingeneral]

Most of VGOF's operating revenue is generated through advertising. We were recently notified by Google that we were not allowed to run Google Adsense ads on VGOF due to their "No Guns" policy. Running Google ads on VGOF (and AIG Tactical) were violations of Google's terms of service.

Upon receipt of this notification, I immediately removed all Google advertising from VGOF and AIG Tactical in order to prevent my entire account from being deleted for breach of their TOS. Thankfully, my other websites have not been affected, and I am still able to serve Google ads on my non firearm-related websites.

Unfortunately, this has affected the ability of VGOF to sustain some operations including our email newsletter (I pay a monthly fee for this service) and any and all giveaways.

I've already asked for donations on quite a few occasions, and received some much needed assistance when the yearly bill came due for the server (thanks to all who support!). However, I'm not really interested in continually begging for donations to keep things running around here.

The VGOF revenue model has changed from Google AdSense ads to commission-based advertising via Amazon.com, Tire Rack, Sportsman's Guide, Northern Tool and a couple of others. Please consider using the links here at VGOF make purchases from any of these merchants, as any such purchases help to pay the bills around here.

VGOF also offers direct advertising for gun shops and manufacturers (please email me - rick@vgof.net - if you own a business that would benefit from advertising on VGOF) and we get a couple of dollars if you join or renew your NRA membership through our affiliate link.

Please consider supporting VGOF in any way you can - not just through direct donations, but through any of the methods listed above and displayed throughout the pages of our community.

Thank you for being a member here at VGOF, and thank you for being a supporter of the Second Amendment and our other Constitutionally protected freedoms.

Regards,
Rick

[SHMIV]

Damn Google! Does Bing or any other search engine do advertising?

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[allingeneral]

There are other Cost Per Click (CPC) advertising programs, but they aren't nearly the revenue generators that Google is due to Google's intelligent ad targeting. Also, many of them have the same restrictions to firearm related content. It's sad, really.

[gfost1]

Howdy, Rick,

How can the 2A community respond to these escalating attacks on our ability to access markets and financial services? I'm ready to dump my Google browser and search engine, but it strikes me that a more effective course of action is called for. Suggestions, anyone?

Regards, George

[allingeneral]

Howdy, Rick,

How can the 2A community respond to these escalating attacks on our ability to access markets and financial services? I'm ready to dump my Google browser and search engine, but it strikes me that a more effective course of action is called for. Suggestions, anyone?

Regards, George

George, I honestly don't know. Let's say you stop using the google search engine and/or dump the Chrome browser...does that really matter to Google or to anyone else other than you? What if 5,000 people stop using google? Do they care? I doubt it. If the 2A community could somehow come together and truly start boycotting companies that don't have the same beliefs as us, then maybe a couple million people dumping a certain product or a certain website would make a statement. But good luck getting that many people to come together on principle and make it big enough that it hurts.

All we can do is work around it and hope that the general culture changes in the media at some point, I'm afraid.

[RO73]

What I don't understand is how they are just fine monetizing my YouTube account which consists strictly of gun reviews, but somehow have a problem running ads on a gun forum. Color me confused.

[38superfan]

I'm done with google. I'm going to start shifting my email to another provider and not using the google search engine. I'm also going to express my distaste and ire at their policy through other social media venues.

[FiremanBob]

Search engine: startpage.com . It does not log your IP address, and if you use its Startingpage.com version it anonymizes you for Google but gives you Google results.

In Noscript on your Firefox, never allow googleanalytics.com to run java on the pages you browse.

I don't know why all these tech geniuses don't turn their intellectual skills to an understanding of politics for the 15 seconds it would take for them to realize how evil the Left is, and how they have been duped by its propaganda.

I'm pretty sure that Google's public motto, "Don't be evil," is a disguise to hide their real agenda.

I wish Windows phones weren't so lame.

[allingeneral]

I wish Windows phones weren't so lame.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, the wealthiest American, said on “some days” he wishes the U.S. political system were like England’s, so that President Barack Obama could have “slightly more power.”

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/14/bill- ... z2UsN6tp9y

[Bags30]

What I don't understand is how they are just fine monetizing my YouTube account which consists strictly of gun reviews, but somehow have a problem running ads on a gun forum. Color me confused.

Probably only a matter of time before they start killing gun videos. Very sad.

[Jakeiscrazy]

What I don't understand is how they are just fine monetizing my YouTube account which consists strictly of gun reviews, but somehow have a problem running ads on a gun forum. Color me confused.

Probably only a matter of time before they start killing gun videos. Very sad.

Yeah, a lot of youtubers are wondering how long that will take. I think for now guns and gear are large enough amount of the community that google isnt going to touch it. Sorry to hear about the trouble Rick this forum is getting bigger and bigger everyday. Hopefully more sponsors will be interested like Sterling, Red Stitch, and such.

[dorminWS]

What I don't understand is how they are just fine monetizing my YouTube account which consists strictly of gun reviews, but somehow have a problem running ads on a gun forum. Color me confused.

Probably only a matter of time before they start killing gun videos. Very sad.

Yeah, a lot of youtubers are wondering how long that will take. I think for now guns and gear are large enough amount of the community that google isnt going to touch it. Sorry to hear about the trouble Rick this forum is getting bigger and bigger everyday. Hopefully more sponsors will be interested like Sterling, Red Stitch, and such.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Maybe they're using it to compile a list of people with "unwholesome interests".

What we need is some kind of add-on that would defeat the cookies or whatever Google uses to gather the information that drives their intelligent ad targeting. Then use the fact that NSA is after Google's info to incentivize people to install it and protect themselves. Tech dinosaur that I have become in the last 10 years, I'm probably just showing my ignorance, but does that make any sense?

Meantime, I'm going to check out startpage.com I've been looking for an alternative to Yahoo for a long time due to their liberal bias.

[tinner666]

Between running CCleaner often, having java disabled, and cookies disabled, except for IE's selective site feature, Google isn't so able to track everything. No G history shows up either. But, i do have the G toolbar and I know it can track, somewhat.

[MNMGoneShooting]

Tips: don't sign into google, and use hot shield.