HM2K

Back in 2004, I signed up my old site “hm2k.org” to Google AdSense as an attempt to raise funds for my work.

It’s content was mainly made up of what I was researching around that time, including a few controversial topics such as hacking, trojans and warez distribution. (Oh the joys of being under 18, or at least I was at time of original creation).

Thus, I got a reasonable response saying:

Hello [name],

Thank you very much for updating your account information. I have reviewed
www.hm2k.org and concluded that it does not comply with our AdSense
policy. Our goal is to be able to extend our service to as many web
publishers as we can. Unfortunately, after reviewing your site, we are
unable to accept it into our AdSense program at this time for the reason
listed below:

-Unacceptable site content

Please check for a separate application disapproval email for detailed
instructions on how to resolve this problem. Please feel free to reply to
this email for reconsideration when you have made the changes.

Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely,

Trinh
The Google AdSense Team

And I did understand, it was fair enough at the time…

Since then I had completely revamped “hm2k.org” 2 or 3 times, then finally in January 2007 I decided to completely redo my site, using the wordpress blog system, a whole new domain, a new design, all new content, and a new vision. It’s a whole new site.

Let’s now fast forward to over 4 years later since the original application was submitted, to April 2008…

My blog is getting ever more popular and I wish to cash in on this, but how? My first port of call is Google AdSense.

By this point I’d already had a Google AdSense account for quite some time for my business, which is absolutly fine, this time however, it’s personal.

So, I try and login to Google AdSense using my Google Account that i’ve had for quite some time now, and I receive the following message:

An AdSense account was not found under the Google Account associated with [email protected]. Please check to make sure you are signing in with your approved AdSense login and password. If you’ve forgot your login, click here. If you’re not an AdSense publisher, sign up for an account.

So I try and signup again, using my existing account as per above.

So I click on signup, and go through the steps…

I get to the step entitled: “This is the account information you entered”…

It says “Which best describes you?”

I click: I have an email address and password (Google Account) I already use with Google services like AdWords, Gmail, Orkut, or the personalized home page.

It says: “Would you like to use your existing Google Account for AdSense?”

I click: “I’d like to use my existing Google account for AdSense.”

A login box saying “Use an existing Google Account” comes up, I login…

The page reloads and it gives me an error saying:

A user with the email you specified already exists
Please select a different Google Account login to access this account.

My first issue is the fact that neither of these errors are very descriptive, the second problem is that they are conflicting errors, they don’t agree with each other. I feel like I’m going round in circles and that neither error is telling me what’s really going on…

Not only do I post on the Google AdSense group, I also proceed to contact Google saying that I’m having “login problems”, which is the only way I can describe the problem I’m seeing.

I got no response from the group, but the response I got direct from Google is as follows:

Hello [name],

Thanks for writing in. I’ll be more than happy to help you with your
password issue. Based on your description of the problem, I’ve provided
two options below. If neither of these helps you log into your account,
please feel free to reply and I’ll help you further.

Your login email address is [email protected].

If you know your current password and you’d like to change it, please
follow the directions on this page:
https://www.google.com/support/adsense/bin/answer.py?answer=9915

If you’ve forgotten your existing password, please visit
https://www.google.com/adsense/assistlogin . On this page, you’ll be able
to submit your email address to us. We’ll then automatically send you an
email with a link that will allow you to reset your password.

Additionally, I’m happy to let you know your application complies with our
program policies and has been approved. Please check your email for a
separate application approval message providing instructions on accessing
your account and getting started with AdSense.

Additionally, please be aware that because your application was previously
disapproved, there may be a delay of 48 hours or more before Google ads
begin appearing on your site. We appreciate your patience.

For additional questions, I’d encourage you to visit the AdSense Help
Center ( http://www.google.com/adsense_help ) or the official AdSense blog
( http://adsense.blogspot.com?utm_source=txft ). Alternatively, feel free
to post your question on the AdSense Help Forum (
http://groups.google.com/group/adsense-help?utm_source=txft ).

Sincerely,

Kalpana
The Google AdSense Team

Apart from this email being very unhelpful towards my actual problem, it does clearly say that my application was approved. However, I wait 48 hours and receive nothing.

What’s going on with my account? I can’t login, is it active or not? I don’t know! How could I know?

Browsing my old emails and browsing the web I discover I can have my website appealed, and re-reviewed, but only if you’ve been banned for invalid clicks.

Stupidly (perhaps), I fill out the online appeal form anyway, with limited details, as I’ve not actually been banned for invalid clicks, so I don’t really have anything to provide.

This is the response I get back:

Hello,

Thank you for providing us with additional information. However, after
thoroughly reviewing your account data and taking your feedback into
consideration, we have re-confirmed that your account poses a significant
risk to our advertisers. For this reason, we are unable to reinstate your
account. Thank you for your understanding.

As a reminder, if you have any questions about your account or the actions
that we have taken, please do not reply to this email. You can find more
information by visiting
https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=57153.

Sincerely,

The Google AdSense Team

Google Ireland Ltd.
Gordon House
Barrow Street
Dublin 4
Ireland

Registered in Dublin, Ireland
Registration Number: 368047

It looks like a generic error they just send out when the appeal fails, there’s also a distinct lack of personal touches like there’s been in the past.

I conclude that my appeal application failed because firstly I wasn’t banned for invalid clicks, and secondly because I didn’t supply enough details about invalid clicks, which is mainly down to the fact that I never had an account in the first place to even generate invalid clicks.

I have come to the end of my tether with this…

Will I ever get a personal Google AdSense account?

And just when I think all is lost, I receive a reply…

Hi [name],

Thanks for writing in. I am sorry to know that you are still not able to
access your AdSense account. Please follow the steps below to resolve
this.

1. Please make sure that your AdSense account password is different from
your Google Account password.

2. You can reset it at https://www.google.com/adsense/assistlogin?hl=en_US

3. Once your passwords are different, you will need to log in to AdSense
with the AdSense email and password .

4. Once you log in to your AdSense account, please migrate using
https://www.google.com/adsense/migrate-login-1

Additionally, please know that your AdSense password is different from the
password you use to access other Google services. Our records show that
you have successfully reset he password for other Google services, but the
password for your AdSense account has not been reset. I suggest you visit
the link above and reset your password one more time.

We appreciate your continued patience and understanding.

For additional questions, I’d encourage you to visit the AdSense Help
Center ( http://www.google.com/adsense_help ) or the official AdSense blog
( http://adsense.blogspot.com?utm_source=txft ). Alternatively, feel free
to post your question on the AdSense Help Forum (
http://groups.google.com/group/adsense-help?utm_source=txft ).

Sincerely,

Parvathi
The Google AdSense Team

SUCCESS!

After following the link to reset my password, receiving the email, then following THAT link, entering in a password over 7 chrs long, then returning to the login page, I can login!

I find there is a new set of terms and conditions, last updated 2008-02-25, I understand the gist, so I accept.

I then reach the migration link, as per the above email. I click “Yes – I’m the only one who logs in to this AdSense account” and press continue…

Which best describes you?
> I have an email address and password (Google Account) I already use with Google services like Gmail, Orkut, or the personalized home page.
Would you like to use your existing Google Account for AdSense?
> I’d like to use my existing Google account for AdSense.

Now I get the “Use an existing Google Account” dialogue box, where I can enter my Google Account details.

Final step is “Confirm your chosen AdSense login”, I confirm.

I AM IN! I AM ACTUALLY IN!

Just to check I’m not dreaming, I logout, and log back in, it accepts my Google Account details, no problem!

Once again, Google saves the day!

Problem solved, Well done Google!