Since yesterday's blog (self) realisation that I am not a homophobe because I blogged about the fact I am not a homophobe, I have been trying to think up other good (therapeutic) reasons for blogging. But I can't think of any, other than the fact that my blog quite often makes me laugh...oh bugger. I'm breaking another of my blogging rules about writing about blogging on a blog, which is kinda up there with wanting to stand on the pin head with the angel, or googling yourself more than once every three months.
Speaking of Google, a friend pointed out that they (Google) had allowed some mad right wing church to advertise on my blog yesterday, presumably because I had the word homophobe in it and they have some sort of cross check for anti-gay sites so that they (the advertisers) can seek out new recruits to their 'godly' evangelical mission. Hey, traffic's traffic, but I object to this sort of match-making. It doesn't allow for irony...duh. Google is American. As was the church. But let's not revisit the irony/USA thing again just now.
Anyway, let's try it out again. (If at this point you never hear from me again, it will be because I have been openly trying to work out how Google thinks, which is apparently not only a 24 occupation for many many people, but also anti-Google = probable banishment from using their blog sites. So if I type in things like homosexual, mixed marriage, Judas Priest, pre-marital sex, and I hate rodeo, we will see what sort of match-make Google makes with the advertisers. Check it out. It will be both random and connected.
Which is kid of where the whole search and match and web 2.0 seems to be going at the moment. Neither one thing, nor the other, until we are told what is was going on later down the line. Which is not sufficiently web 2.0y for me. I do genuinely want to connect with people who are interested in the stuff I am interested in. I do genuinely want to hear from advertisers who have stuff they want to sell that match my interests - well not really. But I do genuinely want to be able to write about homophobia without effectively being coerced into advertising some nutszo right wing church in Utah.
I am actually interested to see what happens next. Do I get a Google black mark? Do they start advertising penis enlargement products on my blog? Do they start tracking you in case you have read Catcher In The Rye?
But of course I will never find out. although I do ultimately blame myself for signing up to the adverts in the first place. Way back when I started househusbandnot, I did actually think I would make some money out of the advertising. (Although I hasten to add that this was not the primary reason for doing the blog. That was so I could self-validate on stuff.) But having earned approx 10 bucks in advertising - half of which the Wauch claims I owe him because he proofs my blog every day - I now just see the adverts as a distraction rather than an opportunity. And a distraction that I hope does not distract you from the fact that I am not a homophobe. Honest. I read about the fact that I'm not on my blog yesterday.
the ongoing saga of pretending to be a house husband in the new millennium
Where's Vinderama?
5 comments:
hhn might be cheered to learn that clicking on his current ad didn't take me to church - my browser wouldn't allow it. I persevered, however, and found an evangelical mission. Are they 'nutzo' or 'right wing'? Well, it's not how they describe themselves obviously but is an evangelical Christian by definition right wing? I'd find that assertion rather facile, notwithstanding the anti-gay/lezzer schtick that seems to go hand in hand with evangelism. ( Care to comment, Styx? )
It may be a little adolescent but I quite enjoy the randomness of the google ads. ( Altho' today is the first time I've clicked on one, not actually being much of a fan of advertising, you understand. ) I mean I find it quite entertaining when hhn's wit and wordsmithery is accompanied by an advertisement for orthopaedic slippers or somesuch thing.
A friend of mine who used to work at AOL writing about music also had to cope with 'random language syndrome'. If AOL detected words like 'fuck' or 'bugger' they were, predictably enough, expunged. References to bombs, Bush, Iraq etc. were also picked up and examined. Others words and references which one might expect AOL to object to and censor, however, slipped through. I learned about this during a conversation about the art-rock band Selfish Cunt. AOL didn't like the word 'cunt' any more than they enjoyed references to blowing up the White House. My friend and I considered the AOL 'random language blacklist' and came up with a band name that AOL would be fine with: Jihad Minge. So far we haven't released a record but once we do expect it to get an enthusiastic thumbs-up from AOL.
One last thing: does the content of hhn's comments page have any influence on Google's choice of ads?
Is HHN a homophobe? I used to think so, but now I don't.
When I asked him why he wouldn't read "The Swimming Pool Library" or "Line of Beauty", he said these novels were "too gay", which screamed HOMOPHOBIA! to me.
But the fact that HHN likes to hang out in public swimming baths watching other men flirt and masturbate is surely suggestive of closet homosexuality, rather than homophobia. Indeed, his very name, "House Husband NOT!", leads one to believe that the bearer has some gender identification issues.
Seek professional help.
BTW
"half of which the Wauch claims I owe him because he proofs my blog every day"
Looks like the WauNch has had a day off.
PPS
Blokewho
"So far we haven't released a record but once we do expect it to get an enthusiastic thumbs-up from AOL."
This is very poorly punctuated. You, sir, are obviously a commaphobe!
Er...I was hoping the Waunch proofed everything. I'm not usually a commaphobe -comma- although I'll admit to being more of a colon man meself.
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