Readership is down by 50% since Blogger instituted the new age / account requirements. On the one hand, it makes sense. They're ensuring that regulatory bodies won't find that it's easy for underage folks to view what is considered Adult Material. On the other, it doesn't; it feels like greed. They're forcing people to set up a Google account, which boosts their bottom line and increases stock value.
Even if all this blog had were words, it would still have to be behind the Sensitive Content warning because, well, because I don't mince words here.
Despite a plethora of monikers,
Here, a cock is a cock is a cock.
A boner is a boner.
Or "wood."
I guess we can't grouse too much. At least I haven't been shut down (again). Though it appears the algorithm is removing individual posts on some blogs for "violating community guidelines." Though those are pretty broadly scripted.
Fellow Bloggers, have you noticed a difference in readership?
Readers, have you needed to establish an account to read?
24 comments:
Yes, I've noticed readership is down, but it won't stop me from posting.
I have not noticed any changes, yet interesting - I am not required to log into Google before coming into the site. Just the attestation click button to say "I understand" the content.
@ Rick - It won't stop me, either. Just more weird stuff from Blogger.
Et oui j'ai du me connecter récemment à mon compte google au moins une fois pour accèder aux blogs...
Jeff (Bordeaux France)
Needed to establish an account.
Should point out it does nothing to stop underage users. *sigh* So goes.
I use wordpress, but used to use blogger. I used to be able to comment on blogger blogs with ease. Now I have to log into my Google account each and every time I try to comment on a blogger blog and it’s really annoying, so I don’t comment as much.
FYI: Love your blog!
Sassybear
https://idleeyesandadormy.com/
So far, no change or me.We are drifting steadily toward censorship.
As we established since the new Google's rules were set in place sometimes around 31th of January, I still can see up to an average 30% less daily views of my posts.
The sole thing that worries me is that it means a huge lot of our usual visitors are now deprived of accessing our blogs, only because Google went aggressive on extending its database of registered users.
Meanwhile I noticed that several websites I visit on a regular basis - commercial ones, not related to Blogger - are now showing a pop-up upon each visit engaging me into downloading/using Google's browser Chrome. As if...
The way I see things is that the GAFAM industry has been suffering value losses over the past year, starting with Facebook whose stocks have been kind of plummeting, and Google making (exagerated) announces about their quantic computing advances in order to desperately keep the market's confidence about their ability to remain the most profitable company there is.
Suffice to say that Facebook's Metaverse raises but a low interest among potential users, and the scientific community knows better than Google's marketing attempt at letting us believe that a reliable quantic computer is at hand.
Anyway an for that matter, it is no surprise that Google has decided to reinforce some of their policies. Back to the basics, some would say: let's make money in the way we're good at and from where it's been flowing from the start.
Once again they're making a rule from what Bruce Willis said in a movie: "If you are not paying for it, you're not the customer; you're the product being sold."
@ Laurent - It somehow seems like gouging to me. But that is the way of the world now, I guess; money-hungry and greedier than ever.
@ Anon - You're right, at the most they need mom or dad's credit card, at the least just crank in a birth date.
I haven't noticed any difference in reading your blog. I do have a google account (came with my phone), so that may have greased the skids.
.
I've always though the name "schlong" most adequately describes that portion of a man that is sometimes extra long, plump, and makes a noise when you stroke it!
.
--PaulMmn
So where do folks go instead? Even with a significant reduction, are you getting the readers you want? Seems your Blog is unique, I suspect many will find their way back in time. Hugs and Bisous
P.S. I have almost always signed in via Google.
I seem to have the same readership (lurkers and my regulars) but I cannot see my blog sometimes from some browsers. It tells me I have to log on google.
As BT said, it's google, trying to recoup money. And he's right, if we're not paying for the service, then we are the product...
XOXO
We only need to check that we are aware of the blog and want to read it.
I quit because I use my account for work and was afraid of cross pollination, so to speak. Then when I had to make an account I was offered the ability to create a new email account and hiding my other accounts, so I am able to prove my age without, in theory, that account being linked with my other email accounts. So I am back.
Instead of dumbing down the internet so it doesn't frighten the horses, why are we so worried about underage people accidentally seeing natural things they are going to see when they are older anyway? If they don't understand what they see, it will go right over their heads and if they ask questions about it to understand, what is so bad about that when they will be confronting it soon enough anyway?
It's too easy not to educate children about the real world or to not encourage children to ask questions about the real world and then it becomes a more confronting experience when they are finally exposed to real life anyway.
I'm still fucked up over hearing my parents having sex when I was a youngster and thinking my Father was hurting my Mother and then for them to say everything was okay and go back to sleep when I called out expressing my alarm and knew "something" was going on. It wasn't easy to accept the truth when I finally found out because of my own internal conflict between what I heard and was told I didn't without further clarification. It's equivalent to telling a child they aren't feeling something when they are and it results in that child distrusting their feelings instead of understanding the possibility of misinterpretation.
Hell, viewing Event Horizon or Hellraiser is not that difficult for underage people and its far more disturbing than they will ever see on any porn site they accidentally come across as porn at least presents real human experiences (even if exaggerated reality).
View->Page Style->No Style in Firefox bypasses verification, although it does remove any fancy formatting.
I've always had the account (for about twelve years). I haven't noticed any differences.
Hello there. Long time reader.
Yes, I had to finally establish a google (gmail) account in order to be able to complete the age verification step of accessing these "sensitive content" blogs.
I've noticed that you have to initially allow google to place the "blogger.com" cookie in your browser. If you delete it, you must again log into google and it must again be able to place the cookie. I leave that cookie but delete the other google ones regularly.
I already had a g-mail account so I sign into that and I'm good to go for all the blogger sites. I usually sign out just to lessen the chance they're tracking me all over the place.
Hello from West Seattle
I use Firefox as a browser. If I am not using Chrome (automatically on my phone) I have to log in now to see Blogger sites. If I have already checked my mail or logged in elsewhere it knows all that, and I don't notice any difference visiting here than before. But I now need two-step verification log in, using the cell phone, if I have not given a nod to Google that I'm already being tracked by their system.
Since I have not joined Instagram, TikTok, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, etc, I have found ways to view their content without an account. Over time I find that all these services are turning the screws to lock it all down and require an account. Google is getting sharper elbows.
By simply clicking through some popups one could easily see Tumblr. Then the protected content came in. Now several of the sites will lock me out after a short time, while other tumblrs will not. To avoid all that I use Tumbex.com. It gets past most Tumblr.com restrictions. Nitter.net gets past Twitter's adult content barriers for those without an account. I use Gramhir.com to view Instagram accounts, that lock one out after a shorter and shorter time period.
I find that even tho I am the product being sold to others, Google now wants even more from me. They want to charge me money for what was originally promised as Always UNLIMITED data on Gmail forever. That's why I signed up. Google now tells me where I have been, how long I have traveled in a car, phone call usage by minutes used etc etc. They know my search history, what porn I watch, how long I spend on the computer, and what YouTube videos I watch. Yet they need more money, and we will lock you out without it.
They have undermined their search engine function by giving us too many adverts gumming up the search results. For many things it's now useless. Try to find the sweet little old lady in Sweden who grows 150 varieties of pelargoniums. Whithout an exact address, she no longer exists. Without the Ad-Blocker on FireFox you get adverts on YouTube interrupting the video many many times, and more ads than necessary. They have shoved too many adverts into every possible space available. My email's inbox now has three or four of them instead of one, and now they put them anywhere we want within my account.
Google: Please fix how you have ruined your beautiful clean Seach function. Please stop being so manipulative and maybe people would stop avoiding you and stop cancelling your accounts.
Do we boycott Google or Blogger to stop them closing their grasp over my dillusions of perceived of privacy? Since they are everywhere it is impossible to do so.
Oh, and "GET off my LAWN" yells the old man screaming at clouds!
Week days I'm down 25% - weekends have actually picked up. When it first happened? I was down 50%... but things are a bit better. February was bad. But I'm back on track this month. I think links to other sites are at the root of most of the blocked posts. For me, that has been the case. Hope all is well.
@ Jean - I think my readers have stayed. It's the random drop-ins searching for specific topics that have decreased. I think. Hugs and bisous.
Very upsetting this new google rule to access your blog. I hope you make regular backup of your data content, in case blogger/google decide to block it. Their policies are nonnegotiable and individual have no power in front of them. Some other plateforms are certainty more regarding toward their content creator !
First time I'm positing here after year of visiting. I came at first for the pictor and rapidly came regulary for texts and comments. And pictures are style nice ;)
Great week-end !
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