AdNonSense - Alert reader Ed has noted that the Google AdSense advertisements running on this page frequently include a link to "Homosexuality Help" - a site for those wishing to change their sexual orientation. "Kind of nauseating, and a bit insulting too," he notes, and I would agree. The AdSense program works by scanning the website where the ads are posted and matching its content with mini ads that are in some way relevant. For that reason, we sometimes get ads for two-dad adoption -- and we also get ex-gays. In effect, AdSense sometimes completely backfires by matching a site to its opposite rather than its compliment.

If we were the owners of our site, we would actually have some control over this, since the system allows account holders to filter the content of ads placed on their site. However, because Google subsidiary Pyra Labs owns the Blog*Spot site and presumably the Google account, I predict there's little I can do to get them to address this problem. (Aside from paying to eliminate ads, and that's not gonna happen.) As stated in our terms and conditions:

Pyra runs advertisements and promotions on BlogSpot Sites. By creating your BlogSpot Site, you agree that Pyra has the right to run such advertisements and promotions. You also agree that you will not attempt to block or otherwise interfere with advertisements displayed on your BlogSpot site via JavaScript or any other means. Doing so is grounds for immediate termination of service. The manner, mode and extent of advertising by Pyra on your BlogSpot Site is subject to change.

I may send Pyra and/or Google a note just to see what sort of response I get, but I'm not holding my breath. Alternatively, maybe we can get Google to kick us out of AdSense for inappropriate content or click-through violations, although we'd have to be careful not to also violate our Blog*Spot hosting agreement. Failing all that, our dear readers can always patronize the ex-gay sites and tell them exactly how you feel about their advertisements. (Honestly, I'd just rather ignore them.)

By the way, Google has announced that it is planning to use a similar system in connection with its new free web email service. This has caused quite a ruckus amoung privacy experts, since Google will be electronically scanning your email to "match" it with relevant advertising. Privacy aside, if you think ex-gay ads on Beaverhausen are annoying, can you imagine if they were attached to personal emails sent to friends and family?