May 1 2006

Mango Sauce vs. Google: The Outcome

Scott The Google AdSense Team in happier days

Scott The Google AdSense Team has retreated from the Mango Sauce vs. Google battle without so much as a two-fingered salute. Contrary to the normal rules of combat, this means that he's won the war.

Mango Sauce never crossed the line but the Google AdSense train has sounded its mighty horn and I have no choice but to stand clear. Despite my run-in with Scott, I remain a "valued" program affiliate and an AdSense-funded successor to Mango Sauce is already on the drawing-board.

Watch out for a new, improved and sparklingly smut-free newcomer to the Thailand web-scene in a few months time. My marketing-guru drinking-buddy tells me that the Mango Sauce USP (unique selling-point) was humour rather than ping-pong balls and he reckons that the new site will attract a wider audience. Let's hope he's right.

I'll post the details here when the new site is polished up and ready for your inspection.

In the meantime, there's plenty of Thailand-related material out there to keep you entertained and I'm sure it's no coincidence that the best stuff is actually written by the small minority of Thailand webmasters who had the decency to help publicise my cause. I'll unfurl the roll of honour in a minute but it goes without saying that the others can bugger-off and jump in the Chao Phraya.

The largest player didn't even bother to answer my email - despite the fact that all he does each day is pick a few pieces out of the Bangkok Post and flick them in the general direction of his forum like dried bogies. The rift between us is now almost as wide as the cracks in the new terminal building at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

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The nicest thing that one webmaster can do for another is to post a link. Those Thailand webmasters who didn't pass by on the other side certainly deserve one.

The last person I expected any help from was my nemesis and arch-rival Stickman but he kindly ran the story last Sunday in his popular Stickman Weekly column.

The extra income gleaned from acquiring a few new readers might allow Sticky to move his shirtless Beer Chang sessions upmarket from the doorstep of 7-Eleven to the more fashionable concrete toadstools outside Tesco Lotus.

Carl Parkes has been nagging me for years to play-down the sex-angle and I guess I should have listened to him sooner. Carl wrote the book on Asia (quite literally) and his eclectic travel-blog, Friscodude, deserves a place on your reading list.

Phil Macdonald over at Farang Affairs is one of Thailand's best-known journalists. Until recently, he thought that being a webmaster was something to do with dungeons & dragons but, since parting company with The Nation, he's become a mighty online warrior giving us the inside track on Thailand's stealthy rogues and powerful wizards - and pictures of scantily-clad event models washing sports cars.

A special mention goes to the boys at travelfish.org who ensured that the Mango Sauce vs. Google story was widely debated on the specialist forums serving the webmaster community. I'm happy to report that Google won few friends.

Finally, I'd like to thank the many loyal readers who took the time to scold Google by email and to publicise the story in their own blogs and forums. Ladies and gentlemen, your efforts are very much appreciated and I hope the Google colossus feels the sharp pin-prick that you managed to deliver.

In a bizarre footnote, some painstaking detective-work on the part of an anonymous reader has revealed the true identity of Scott The Google AdSense Team (well‚Ä¶ sort of).

www.myspace.com/zgod

[Posted to About by David]

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Readers' comments

Mr Thaksin, BKKchat.org says:

Cheer's Davey lad for my fav site to do with LOS's.

get back soon mate.

l'll mention your plight to all those wonkers in bkkchat.org.
Not that many of those knob jockey's listen to good old Thaky.

May 1, 2006 11:21 PM

Doug says:

Good on you...and I'm sure the newest incarnation will uphold the wit and humour so hard to find in Thailand blogs

May 2, 2006 7:21 AM

Andy says:

Great to hear that the blog will go on, David. Death to Google.

May 2, 2006 3:31 PM

tracy emin says:

looking forward to the new + improved site.

that scott character likes his wee girls, huh :(

May 2, 2006 6:40 PM

moss says:

great to see you're back David, still kicking...hard!
that scott character, well, the mascara says it all..

May 2, 2006 8:41 PM

Jon Poulsen says:

I've been in Lao and Vietnam for the last 3 years and have seen enough censorship and "massaging" of infomation to last several lifetimes. So it's great to see the good guys have a victory (even a partial victory) over the forces of darkness and evil.

That Scott character looks to be a right pretentious wanker. Interesting that he has no problems with displaying semi-naked women and cartoon depictions of lesbian B&D on his own website.

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The "Scott site" is real but, before anyone flames the poor bugger, I have to make it clear that he's not our Scott.

I was just having a laugh but it's a sad reflection on the boy that many readers truly believed the site was actually his.

David

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May 3, 2006 12:30 PM

BahtSimpson says:

David,

Love the comments about george at TV.. its a shame we cant start a decent forum that is a bit more interesting than TV and has a worthy webmaster. (email me if you are interested I have a great domain name)

May 3, 2006 12:48 PM

jack says:

You've been "googled", why cave in and googleize" your content/talent? I like your articles, they are real.

Don't be assimilated, it would be a geat loss on so many levels.

May 4, 2006 9:17 PM

DKM says:

not for money, not for fame
the gifted must carry forth the flame
of wit and wisdom and brotherhood of man
Persist, dear Dave, for you are the best in the game

May 5, 2006 7:05 PM

Kirk USA says:

You might find this interesting!

May 4, 10:05 PM (ET)

By FRANK ELTMAN

NEW YORK (AP) - A Long Island politician sued Google Inc. (GOOG) on Thursday claiming the search engine leader is profiting from illegal child pornography.

Jeffrey Toback, a member of the Nassau County Legislature, said Google has paid links to Web sites containing pornography involving minors.

"This case is about a multi-billion dollar company that promotes and profits from child pornography," said the complaint filed in state Supreme Court in Mineola.

A Google spokesman denied the allegations and said the Mountain View, Calif.-based company takes numerous steps to prevent access to child pornography.

"When we find or are made aware of any child pornography, we remove it from our products, including our search engine," spokesman Steve Langdon said in an e-mail statement to The Associated Press. "We also report it to the appropriate law enforcement officials and fully cooperate with the law enforcement community to combat child pornography."

Langdon also said Google offers a service called SafeSearch for its search engine "that works to filter out adult content."

The lawsuit, which calls Google "the largest and most efficient facilitator and distributor of child pornography in th world," does not name other widely used search engines such as Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) or Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)'s MSN.

Toback said he filed suit because oversight over Google was far beyond the purview of county legislators.

"This is a proactive step to keep children safe," Toback said in a telephone interview. "We had to go the judicial route."

The lawsuit does not seek specific monetary damages, but wants Google to prohibit "advertising relating to Web sites that display, market or otherwise provide illegal access to pornography."

May 5, 2006 8:48 PM

DKM says:

Not the least compelling reason for Mangosauce to refuse to die would be the wishful and premature epitaph carried by a site stuck-up with political correctness.

May 8, 2006 7:25 PM

Bangkokram says:

I wish that had been Google Scott's web page. He is exactly the type of bloke who would have done a website like this.
David can you tell me what a Love Hoop is, and where do I go to in Soi Cowboy to see them being used?

I think our Scott from Seattle needs a dose of either "Holbrook Miners Welfare" to bring him down to Earth. Or a guided tour around BKK for a couple of nights.

Never let Mangosauce die.

May 11, 2006 8:33 AM

Mow Ling says:

I don't know the details of your disagreement with Stickman although I believe he has made a shift away from the naughty nightlife angle.

Excellent news that you've pulled through as I enjoy reading yours (and stickman's, sorry!) columns.

All the best for the future and enjoy Blighty!

May 19, 2006 2:41 AM

Bruce Mangosteen says:

The board members at PattayaSecrets.com were pulling hard for you. Great to see you have survived, and I will start another thread on there detailing your status.

May 22, 2006 1:14 PM

Dean Barrett says:

David, your site is the real deal. Glad you seem to coming out on top in the skirmish with Google. Don't change your satire, humor and sexy site. And always remember: All human emotions are degrading except lust.

May 29, 2006 10:15 PM

bangkoksexydotcom says:

Sorry i just do not get it. Stickyman and some other forums with more sex then i have ever had in my life can have Adsense but you cant? WOW !

June 9, 2006 1:53 PM