AdSense and Nigerian Publishers

In the last couple of years Adsense has seen an increasing number of Nigerian publishers jockeying for approvals for their websites and blogs, and fairly often what we see in the AdSense Help Forum are, sadly, rejections.

The same as any publisher with a rejected website, they wonder why. Most are simply baffled, and not aware of the policies, but some cry foul because of race. AdSense doesn't reject websites based on race or nationality. Most of the time, rejections are based on content suitability, and many of the contents on Nigerian blogs aren't suitable for AdSense.

So it's not a race issue, and it's not even really a country issue, since publishers from Nigeria can be approved for AdSense provided they produce the right type of content. What it probably boils down to is a culture issue. Every country (in fact, even within a country every province) and it's people develop in different ways. Britain is often known for it's restraint (or what some people call their stuffiness); Canada is often referred to as the "polite" or "politically correct" country (frankly, I live here and beg to differ, but hey, that's how people see us), and Nigeria is no different. They have their own unique culture - colourful, boisterous and full of life.

Unfortunately, while they seem to be a really "open"people, they also have no problem publicly discussing the types of topics that aren't suitable for Adsense.

Many blogs we see rejected have contents that have been copied from other news sites, and the majority of sites from Nigeria that are rejected have a similar bent ... copied news, and copied celebrity gossip, much of which often contains contents of an adult nature.  That's frowned on by Adsense and by AdWords advertisers, which is an important fact in whether or not the site can be approved.

I personally don't understand the preoccupation with gruesome news, but I expect it's because they seem to live in middle of it and are forced to endure exposure to things most of us in this area of the world can only shudder at. It's sad, and frightening, but this sort of gruesome content isn't acceptable for Adsense either.

I also don't get the preoccupation with celebrities. They're just people, like the rest of us. I've never understood that, and it's pretty popular in all cultures. But copying a celebrity's images from someone else isn't allowed, and can actually cause you to be sued by the celebrity, never mind being rejected by Adsense.

All sites (no matter where the publisher lives) are expected to comply with copyright laws, including the copyright laws of the US, and the copyright guidelines issued by AdSense.

So although it might not seem that simple to some, the answer really is simple.

1. Write your own contents based on your own personal experiences. Don't copy it, don't edit someone else's articles, don't write about the same thing others are writing about unless you've personally got experience to draw from.
2. Don't copy other people's images. Only use images with permission, or pay a licensing fee to use it.
3. Don't write about gruesome news, don't show gory or disturbing images, don't write about women/children being abused in horrible ways using graphic language.
4. Don't go for the most common information available all over the web. Write something different. BE different ... and be yourself.

DON'T be a follower of all the others around you. Be a leader to others in your culture and break away from the multitude of "same" type blogs. Come up with your very own, very unique ideas and start writing; start photographing; start painting or drawing or doing whatever it is you do best ... as long as what you do best isn't copying others.

posted by J. Gracey Stinson