I'm in Maryland, but I want out [Archive] - Search Engine Watch Forums

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abbottsys

09-24-2007, 08:52 PM

I'm in New York. I work in New York. I log into the internet from New York. My IP address traces back to my office in New York ( I use http://whatismyipaddress.com to check this). So why is adwords serving me Maryland ads? Lots of 'em. What happened to Google's geo-targeting? Google, get me out of Maryland.

Shmuel

09-24-2007, 09:39 PM

Maybe an IP database is out of date. I used whatismyipaddress to see what it said for mine. My office is in the east county of San Diego. It said my location was in north county...a good 30 miles away (not as drastic as NY to MD, but still enough off).

AdWordsRep

09-24-2007, 09:51 PM

Google, get me out of Maryland.abbottsys, I notice this is the third thread on this same basic topic in recent weeks. I wonder if you have contacted AdWords support yet to see if they have any insight or advice for you - or to advise them that you think there may be a technical issue with geo-targeting and provide them with the details that would help them to look into it?

(Please pardon me if you've already answered this question in either of the other two threads.)

AWR

abbottsys

09-24-2007, 10:37 PM

..... I wonder if you have contacted AdWords support yet to see if they have any insight or advice for you - or to advise them that you think there may be a technical issue with geo-targeting and provide them with the details that would help them to look into it?...
Contact AdWords support? I'm busy. As a multi-$billion corporation perhaps Google could afford to hire an employee who's job is to troll the forums looking for problems that can help them debug their ad revenue generating system. And not reply on their paying clients (like me) to do it for them. It's called proactive customer service. We deserve it. We pay Google's bills. We're Google's future. Treat us better. Give us some real service!

Shmuel

09-25-2007, 09:22 PM

Maybe it's because it's late in the day for me, but that seems a bit harsh abbottsys. How would any corporation know if their customers have a problem unless they contact that corporation...even in an online world such as ours.

Tamar Weinberg

09-26-2007, 09:54 AM

I'm with Shmuel on this one. You have to provide Google with personal information for them to investigate this particular issue and doing so on the forums is an insecure way of doing so.

I honestly don't know what AdWordsRep's role is here -- perhaps to communicate with users and direct them to the right department. AdWordsRep might be some customer service representative who can't do the technical troubleshooting. You need to take the initiative and do that yourself.

abbottsys

09-26-2007, 12:25 PM

Re-reading my original post I must have been in a cranky mood! I owe AWR an apology. Sorry AWR.

AdWordsRep

09-26-2007, 04:28 PM

Many thanks for that abbottsys - although it's not really necessary. ;)

For my part, I apologize if my previous post offended you in some way. It was certainly not my intention, but it is pretty difficult to know how one will be 'heard' on forums like this, where all context except the 'print on the page' is stripped away.

Having posted more than 5000 times on three AdWords forums over the past four years, I know I have stepped on at least a few toes without ever intending to do so. And I do apologize if your toes were among them.

Anyway, here's a bit more info on your concern:

We do receive a small stream of emails from advertisers regarding the limitations of targeting by IP and that has continued over the time you have been expressing your concern about a technical issue. I skim a large number of advertiser emails each and every day (both morning and evening), and I have not personally seen a spike in such emails nor any 'out-of-the-ordinary' cases being reported.

Because I of course do not see every email sent, I also consulted with the tech folks to whom possible 'developing issues' reported by advertisers are escalated. They report a tiny up-tick in consults on this subject, but nothing that has allowed them to spot a technical problem at work.

Finally, I pay pretty close attention to three AdWords forums (one of which has 13Kmembers - not sure of membership numbers for the other two) and have not seen an unusual number of conversations about the issue you raise, except for the threads here.

All of which brings me around to my previous post in which I suggested contacting AdWords support. To effectively troubleshoot any issue (whether escalated by me as the result of a forum post, or via an email to support), they will need very specific details regarding what was seen, when, and under what circumstance, to allow them to look into it.

I hope this helps in some way.

AWR

AussieWebmaster

09-26-2007, 05:46 PM

abbottsys

09-27-2007, 10:36 AM

Thanks AWR. I've just reported this geo-targeting issue to support and given them my IP information. For the longest time I was receiving New York ads (correct, I'm in New York, and my IP locates to New York), but a week or so ago all the geo ads suddenly switched to Maryland. Kinda strange. Anyway, let's see what support makes of this.

Tamar Weinberg

10-01-2007, 09:39 AM

hey Tamar..... good to see you getting involved with the board... and where were you for the IMNY dinner last week.

Sorry Frank... I was told the day of the event and I had plans! :(

AussieWebmaster

10-01-2007, 10:51 AM

Sorry Frank... I was told the day of the event and I had plans! :(

Better be coming to the charity event.... tell Barry to buy you a ticket

beu

10-01-2007, 11:42 AM

abbottsys

10-01-2007, 06:38 PM

Are you still in Maryland Abbottsys?:)
Yes indeed. Very much so. AdWords support was not much help. They are still asking for clarification if my problem is with adwords. They simply don't understand the concept of someone helping them debug their system. I'm getting nowhere. And I'm doing them a favor... I spotted a problem with adwords ad serving, and they have no mechanism for me to report that problem. I'm getting the run around, even though I'm spending my time helping them debug their ad system.

Geez, does google really care about us advertisers?

Google, how do we report problems with the adwords system? There must be 3 or 4 good adwords developers who want feedback on their code. I know developers, and I know good developers love nothing better. So, how do we get it to them? Give us a channel and we'll help!

Tamar Weinberg

10-08-2007, 10:39 AM

Better be coming to the charity event.... tell Barry to buy you a ticket

Maybe, but you might fare better with a ticket request ;) My husband works in the city so he might be joining us as well.

AussieWebmaster

10-08-2007, 11:57 AM

Maybe, but you might fare better with a ticket request ;) My husband works in the city so he might be joining us as well.

I did not know you were married.... I want to meet the guy married to such a wild woman!!!

abbottsys

10-09-2007, 05:33 PM

I did not know you were married.... I want to meet the guy married to such a wild woman!!!
Aussie - let me get this straight. You take over my thread (where I'm trying to help google debug the adwords system - without much success I might ad) to flirt with Tamar, only to discover she's married. Tamar, please don't encourage this guy, he's just bad news - and not very good at flirting either :):):)

jimbeetle

10-09-2007, 06:02 PM

and not very good at flirting either
Yeah, I tried flirting with him at the last charity event and got the cold shoulder. ;-)

abbottsys

10-09-2007, 09:40 PM

Yeah, I tried flirting with him at the last charity event and got the cold shoulder. ;-)
Exactly my point. Aussie's love life must be shot to pieces. Luckily he has some solice, he can spend his time moderating this forum, assuming he can focus. Keeps him out of trouble I suppose :):):)

AussieWebmaster

10-10-2007, 11:26 PM

Exactly my point. Aussie's love life must be shot to pieces. Luckily he has some solice, he can spend his time moderating this forum, assuming he can focus. Keeps him out of trouble I suppose :):):)

lol.... you guys are tough....

beu

10-10-2007, 11:40 PM

Exactly my point. Aussie's love life must be shot to pieces.

Not so fast now, from what I hear it seems to have worked for evilgreenmonkey!
http://www.nott.org/blog/seo-wedding-rob-kerry-lisa-ditlefsen.html

Congrats by the way evilgreenmonkey

abbottsys sorry for getting even more off topic.

I'm in Maryland

So, when are you coming back from vacation in Maryland?:):):)

abbottsys

10-11-2007, 10:49 AM

.....So, when are you coming back from vacation in Maryland?:):):)
I contacted adwords support about the ad geo-targeting problems I'm seeing. They quickly got back to me and asked for a ton of tech details, which I gave them. Then... I never heard from them again. That was over a week ago.