The Turtle Section: Google AdSense and Etheric Links

Turtle 31
Google Ads and Etheric Links

    June 2006

Turtle Main Page - Exploring Ascension - Recent Changes

A few days ago I met a woman who has been running a spiritual web site for a number of years now. A while ago she decided to add so-called 'google-ads' to most of the pages on her site. Since she has a quite popular site for the topics she deals with, she makes around 500 euros a month, just because there are advertisements that look relatively 'friendly' and don't stand out too much.

First I was rather appalled by the idea to earn money from a spiritual site, but then I got interested because of the possibility to almost 'live' from the work that can be found on your site. Wouldn't that be a kind of balanced giving and receiving: I give spiritual information and I get some money in return? Let's look at some arguments.

ETHERIC LINKS AND ATTACHMENTS
In an SSoA-excerpts page dealing with etheric cords (see Etheric Cords), you can read about the possibility that our etheric body has got numerous attachments mostly to other human beings, but also to many objects that we cherish. Many false gods, theocrats from the astral planes would try to tap into etheric bodies in order to nourish themselves (see Afterlife, Why Support Biological Ascension? and Monroe Bands).

In order to ascend it would be necessary to pay more attention to these attachments, these cords between your etheric body and others and objects. You would need all the energy you can get in order to sustain a body resonating at a higher vibration, and when having a body that is full of attachments, it is virtually impossible to keep your energy indoors. That is why detachment is quite a necessary part of the ascension process. Fortunately I have found that this detachment process is rather natural and it doesn't need to be forced: some attachments simply lose their value (like watching a lot of TV, playing computer games, reading newspapers/books).

The google ads you can see on this page in my opinion are like signs saying: "Please plug your company into my etheric system and give me some money in return". I really don't like this idea. That's one of the reasons why you won't see any other ads on this site.

MEANS AND ENDS
Another important reason is that having to do with 'Means and Ends'. The google ads work in this fashion that they put in advertisements on web pages based on the contents of that page. If you have a page on 'how do cows produce milk?' you can expect google-ads to be placed on your site dealing with 'Try this milk of brand X' or 'Would you like to have a cow in your garden? Click here'.

If you allow this mode of thinking into your system (and I tried it a bit), it would lead to thoughts like: "Hmm, shall I use this word, for it might lead to more interesting ads on my site, which people may click upon, leading to more money for me", "let's write another page and put many links to other pages, so I am more likely to reach more people", "If I write this or that it might lead to a higher 'google rank' and this would result in more people clicking on the ads on my site, making me receive more money'.

Before I would realize it I would no longer be exploring ascension, but I would be filling web pages in order to have more chances of successful adds that are clicked upon by visitors. I think this is a terrible way of working and I prefer not to fall prey to such a mode of writing.

My goal is to explore ascension and others worlds and to write about this journey, and not to make money out of it.

ARTICLES FROM OTHERS
Another aspect of this 'means and ends' think would have to do with the work of others that write articles on this page, especially Ken and Monique. They share their articles with me and the world for free. If I would put google-ads on their site, it would soon feel as if I was exploiting them for my own wallet.

In a page on the ethics of Emmanual Kant I read the following part: Exploitation means treating others as means rather than as ends, as things rather than as persons. Exploitation even violates one's own humanity, for treating others as means or things goes against the moral law. (Kant: the Ethical Imperative: the Good Will and Respect for others)

I don't like the idea that I would 'use' the creative flow of others for my own good. I don't want to have one single thought that says: "Thanks for the article: it will attract a lot of readers, and they might click on the accompanying adds with will create a flow of money towards me". Sharing any revenues with those writing the pages is like creating even more etheric links that I deem unwanted.

DISTRACTING
The last major reason for not having any google ads on this site is that it is simply too distracting. I don't know about you, but it is harder for me to remain focused when I see ads like these on a page. I think that we are already overwhelmed and inundated with distractions throughout the day. Too many factors that tend to pull our attention away from our inner world towards the world outside. One of the aims of this website is to provide some information that might be useful to work constructively on exploring your inner world, for I tend to believe that it is our thoughts that are crucial, so they should be attended to carefully.

How credible would a site on the exploration of this process of biological ascension (and related issues) be when you see links to pages dealing with 'mortgages', 'travel agencies', 'internet providers', 'free ringtones', 'get teeth whitening now', 'free screensavers', 'interior decorating', island life style products'? 'Cheap Conference Calls'. I wouldn't think it to be trustworthy.

Google adds a program that makes it possible to preview what kind of advertisments are likely to pop up on your pages, I tried that out and got topics like the ones mentioned above. Exploring ascension leads to 'travel agencies' and the ascension construction islands to 'island life style products'. Quite funny for one page. Even though the google ads are not blinking or too annoying I prefer not to put them on my site. There are ways to just have some small ads on the site, but I am going to stick to what I have just written.

Perhaps I'm wasting a chance of earning some money through this site? I could decide to only put some of the ads at the bottom of the pages...they won't harm anyone there, would they? The idea is luring, dollar signs in my eyes...

So much for this topic. I prefer to invest energy in the non-financial development of this project, and I like your thoughts better than the money I might receive when anyone clicks on these ads. I need to find other ways to earn my daily bread.


Gibbon,
June 2006

UPDATE JUNE 2006: I decided to start a new 'random thoughts' section that contains articles that DO have some small ads at the bottom of the pages. Updates from that section will not be included on the updates pages or in any of the other pages. From that page onwards you can read more about the backgrounds for that section.
- A while later I shifted a bit more, thinking that these new pages from this section really are worth reading, that's why I added them on the updates-page. To read more about the backgrounds on this change of perspective read Ripening of Thoughts.

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