Got an email from Adsense team that says - "Previously, users could click on the background and full text of an ad, but now users can click only on the title and URL of a text ad." An illustrated example here - Adsense earnings may drop
If this is true it's a classic case of Adsense becoming too big for their boots. As the article said, if you were not able to click in the whitespace area at all, then it might be partially acceptable. But if visitors can still click in the whitespace, but those clicks are not registered, then it's not acceptable.
any source saying is true? if so, then it is going be bad for adsense users and good for adwords users.
It's fair - they protect from clicks by event, but it'll decrease CTR much and also earnings... This + $ going down + less and less per click - do they want to become bankrupt ?
It is better for everyone because there are more revelent clicks. Yes, for the publisher you will have less click, but they will have to pay more per click.
It can increase earnings because all clickers are legitimate so the ROI will be better for AdWords users and we won't get smart priced from accidental clicks.
I wonder what's in store for us next, probably a timer that limits how long visitors are able to click on the ads.
I really do not see this affecting earnings. If someone sees the ad and wants to click on it they will still do so. It's good news for adword users because it should cut down on mistake clicks. Adsense should not be your only sole source of income. Use other affilates products and text based ads. Amazon, Widget Bucks, Kontera, adbrite, use them all
I never received any such email either. In my opinion the blank area should not be clickable if there will be no payment.
Yes, if the entire rectangle region is clickable and Google pays publishers only when visitors click on the title and URL, than it will be a very bad move. You cannot simply keep the entire region clickable and pay only when a click is registered on certain pixels.