The Facebook versus Google war continues: Developer Michael Lee Johnson is ticked, the former-Facebook advertiser continuing to spread his feelings of ill will about the social networking site that's yanked his ads--and disabled his ability to post ads permanently--after the guy tried to garner some Google Plus contacts.
Apparently people aren't just concerned about the number of 'Friends' on their growing list. They also want to up that number of Google + Plus connections. Michael Lee Johnson was looking to expand his circle -- to whomever, it seems, would take him -- when Facebook is accused of suddenly banning his paid ads that appear on its website.
Johnson had posted a social ad of sorts online, after Google + Plus' recent release. That 'ad' read something like this: "If you're lucky enough to have a Google + account, add Michael Lee Johnson. Internet Geek, App Developer, Technological Virtuoso"
Translation: 'Please take me'.
It didn't go over so well with Facebook, which meant it didn't end too well for Johnson himself.
Despite Johnson's claim of expertise, he's obviously not enough of an "Internet Geek" or "Technological Virtuoso" to realize the huge error on his behalf: Facebook doesn't like Google too awfully much -- and vice versa. Both companies are widely known to strip users of rights that either sees as a violation of what seem to be increasingly vague Terms of Service. The companies kind of view ads that supposedly promote a competing product as off-limits.
In other words, they'll ditch your ass in a second. That power all falls under those lengthy and loosely-defined TOS docs.
The outcry over what's seen as a Facebook abuse of power has quickly racked up over 1200 'pluses' for Johnson on Google. Ironically, it's also been shared on Facebook in just about a day -- and now has about 500 comments.
What was Johnson was told by Facebook? He got one of the infamous form letters so commonly distributed by both the social networking site and Google:
"Your [Facebook] account has been disabled. All of your adverts have been stopped and should not be run again on the site under any circumstances. Generally, we disable an account if too many of its adverts violate our Terms of Use or Advertising guidelines. Unfortunately we cannot provide you with the specific violations that have been deemed abusive. Please review our Terms of Use and Advertising guidelines if you have any further questions."
Just in case Facebook didn't get its point across, it's permanent -- kind of like when Google decides to yank its Ad Sense accounts without providing specific reason for the ban via its 'courteous' communication.
The Google-Facebook war, and the number of stabbed advertisers and Ad Sense user casualties, continues.