Okay, not really. I'm poking fun at the new Ad Link feature Adam just gave to the premium members of theOtaku. If you don't know what I'm talking about, click on this link and find out: New Premium Feature: Ad Links
Now overall I don't find that actual concept all that bad. Everyone likes to promote themselves a little so I can see why Adam would offer this. However (and yes, that's where the butt... comes in) allowing people to pay and shove advertising links on my own personal world blog.... Key word here PERSONAL, then it becomes nothing more than spam.
Now a number of these links, I've saved three to show you, are nothing more than glorified... Come and visit my world! links. Which seems to contradict this little document here: Terms of Service / Guidelines - theOtaku.com
I'll save you the trouble, the parts I'm referring to are this under the rule for commenting and such. And yes I know commenting isn't quite the same as advertising, but the principle is the same.
No posting for the sole reason of promoting your own sites/contests.
No comments / guestbook entries can consist entirely of: "I added you as a friend, can you add me as a friend too?" Make friends by having intelligent conversations, not by just spamming people about it.
Members may not sign guestbooks, send private messages, or post comments on other people's sites with the sole purpose of advertising their own sites.
So apparently, so long as you PAY Adam, you can toss part of the site terms out the window and spam your fellow members about visiting your site. Sure you can argue that people don't have to click on the link. But realistically, it falsely represents me. It gives the impression that I actually know and endorse these locations that are being linked to when I do not.
Oh like these three that I mentioned just a moment ago:
I'm too young to even be a member!
You know you want to see this one!
I don't even have anything to advertise so I'll just use it anyway!
Aaryanna does not support spam. kthxbai ._.
Real advertising in the form of promoting premium, art of otaku or any legitimate sponsor of the site is fine by me. But letting other members do this? I'd rather NOT see it on my world blog. I don't care if it's just a tiny link or not all that intrusive, it's still spam.
So I sincerely hope Adam considers moving it to somewhere other than my personal world. Sure we had advertising on our myOtaku pages before it switched to this version. But those helped pay for the site so I didn't mind. This... this is just stupid in my opinion.
