Hello, I have noticed a few things (perhaps others already have, or this has already been discussed), about the coop that I thought I might submit for comment: 1. Some ads are redundant As a for instance, some ads that have a lot of weight seem to show up 2 or 3 times in a rotation of say 5 ads. Is there a way to insure that the same ads do not show up at the same time, ie., identical ads? 2. Text ads vs. banner ads and weight. I think there should be a higher weight for display of banner ads. Displaying 5 banner ads vs. 5 text ads (as I have been told) carry the same weight. However if you look at the differences in a site displaying 5 banners vs. 5 text ads, more emphasis is given on the ads as "ads" vs. "a bunch of links." The banners are more noticeable, and are not something that can be cloaked, which I notice a hellava lot of people do. Further to this, perhaps it might make sense to have three levels of weight: A. Weight for banner ads that are actual banners, carrying the most weight B. Weight for banner ads that are text based, carrying a little lower weight C. Weight for text based ads carrying the least level of weight It just seems to me that in order to continue to keep this "Google" minded and on the path to being a legitimate system, weighting different types of ads differently should help to discourage a perception that the coop is nothing but a link farm. I've been running nothing but the banner ads personally and would hope that I not only see good weight, but also give those people with ads in the coop a fair shake at being seen by more than just a search engine. 3. Cloaking text ads I know that cloaking is not allowed, but what about semi cloaking? What I mean is making the text so small, and color so nondescript, that while the ads are certainly there, they are all but impossible to catch with the naked eye. (I can provide examples if necessary). I see a lot of this, and personally it is an attempt to do nothing other than gain backlinks. There is no conceivable way any visitor is going to click on the links of advertisers. As I mentioned in number two above, the coop should be catering to both the advertiser and the advertisee, not just the SE. 4. Capitalization I notice there are a lot of ads in the coop that violate the caps rules. I can only assume that because there are so many ads, and so little time for one person (Shawn) and volunteers, that these are likely just ads that were already accepted prior to the cap rules being implemented. (I can provide several examples of these as well.) 5. Capitalization Clarifications Can I get some distinct clarification on how ads should be capitalized? I had a banner I submitted that had the proper capitalization and proper spelling for the keyword/title of the site, however it was rejected. For example: "ThisIsTheSite". This is the way it is supposed to be spelled (obviously that example is not he keyword/title of the site), however it was rejected for capitalization problems. How do we deal with unique spellings like this? 6. Using competitive coops While I have no desire to do this, I do wish to get some clarification in the mean time. I have my own set of links that rotate through footers on my pages which I had in place prior to the coop. They are mine, ie., the links, and the sites. The rotation does not function like the coops, and there are no banners, just text links. I am not running a coop type service, or using anyones else's. I would just like to know that my own text links will not be construed as a "competitive" service. I mention this prior so there are not problems or misunderstandings later. 7. New window option. I may have missed this, but is there an option in the coop ad code to make ad banners/links open in a new window when they are clicked on? 8. Fantastic Job - My criticism is constructive in my honest opinion. Just a few nit picky things that may or may not help improve on the wonderful job you are doing with this Shawn.
I'm kinda curious if there are any coments at all on this? I've been preparing some intersting data concerning some issues with the coop that I think, if corrected, will help it greatly in the long run. Lots of duplicate ads, sometimes triplicate ads. Formatting oddities, etc.. Anyway, once I get all the screen shots put together I will post and explain some of the areas that could use some help. Thanx.
Maybe do a hidden board (meaning that only reviewers and Shawn can see the posts) where we can go ask about a denied ad or make corrections like the capitalization issue you posted.
As for number 3 on your list. I think that you should post offending sites that are doing this. We all have to police the sites that participate. With a free, open network like we have, there are always going to be jokers that get in. We have to make sure we all play by the same set of rules.