The image is to draw attention to the ads right? It says in the terms that using graphics to draw attention to the adverts is against the TOS.
Background images are used on hundreds of websites with AdSense, there are websites making $$$ just from selling background images, therefore there either all agaisnt TOS, or not.
Looks cool, I would need confirmation first before i used it. A google ban could seriously effect my pocket money
If AdSense said it's against TOS to have images "beside" the ads even if you have a line between them (written in their blog) then having an image as a background for the ads (it's not all over the page only for the ads) is surely against TOS!
I'm sure you could make an argument that there's no graphics POINTING to the ads or anything like that. I doubt they'd even notice unless you were a very popular site. And if you were, you wouldn't need to use tricks like that. Use at your own risk, I suppose?
He didnt modified the adsense code... It's a CSS tweak. Anyway im also thinking it's against the ToS because it's drawing too much attention to the ads with a such background
That post was written in October of 2006. Back when having images next to ads was acceptable. times have changed.
Well if you use a single heart may be against TOS. But if you actually use a sidebar full of hearts will still be against of tos?
It all DEPENDS on your site. If you have OTHER content in other hearts as well (it's part of a design) then there's not a problem (at least I think) But if you just have ONE heart on a page, with google adsense in it, then of course it's against the TOS, as your drawing attention to the ad.