I received an email from a sporting goods catalog/website that discussed an interesting topic. I've not really posted something about a business before so I've redacted the name. It's a bit of a long post but here it is...
"A message to our loyal customers,
Lately, we’ve heard through customer calls and comments that everyone’s having a tough time finding ammunition and guns on our website.
Sometimes big companies in charge of creating how things work on the Internet create specific rules. We may not like them, but we have a need to comply by them. And, that’s what’s happening with ammunition and guns on our website.
Recently Google sent us a notice that in order for us to advertise through them, we had to remove direct access related to shooting, namely ammunition and guns. We can sell it on our site but we can’t make it “directly” plain and visible for you when you visit our website. Trust me, it’s something we don’t like, but sometimes you just have to play fair and respect the rules. And, yes, some of you are going to go to our competitors and tell us you’re able to find it easier on their websites. Well truth be told, our competitors aren’t playing by the rules, and that’s simply not what we’re about at ...
But don’t worry, ... will still sell ammunition and guns for all those who love hunting. Want ammunition? Just type in the word ‘ammo’ and you’ll see the best deals we have on the best brands. If you want an over under 12-gauge, just enter ‘over under’ in the search box and you’ll find what you’re looking for without a problem.
So you may have to search a little differently on our website, but you’ll find what you need and we’ll make sure you’re treated with the same friendly service with the best deals on the best products on the Internet that you’ve come to know from ...
Things have changed a lot over the years, but your patronage has made us who we are today. And, now that we’ve explained how to find some of the things you need on our website, we hope you’ll visit often and make us your number one choice for all your hunting needs.
And once again, thank you all for making us who we are today – America’s premier waterfowl outfitter. "
I'm not really sure whether to be upset that Google can influence people like this or be glad that they are trying to make guns a little more inaccessible to people who shouldn't have them.
"A message to our loyal customers,
Lately, we’ve heard through customer calls and comments that everyone’s having a tough time finding ammunition and guns on our website.
Sometimes big companies in charge of creating how things work on the Internet create specific rules. We may not like them, but we have a need to comply by them. And, that’s what’s happening with ammunition and guns on our website.
Recently Google sent us a notice that in order for us to advertise through them, we had to remove direct access related to shooting, namely ammunition and guns. We can sell it on our site but we can’t make it “directly” plain and visible for you when you visit our website. Trust me, it’s something we don’t like, but sometimes you just have to play fair and respect the rules. And, yes, some of you are going to go to our competitors and tell us you’re able to find it easier on their websites. Well truth be told, our competitors aren’t playing by the rules, and that’s simply not what we’re about at ...
But don’t worry, ... will still sell ammunition and guns for all those who love hunting. Want ammunition? Just type in the word ‘ammo’ and you’ll see the best deals we have on the best brands. If you want an over under 12-gauge, just enter ‘over under’ in the search box and you’ll find what you’re looking for without a problem.
So you may have to search a little differently on our website, but you’ll find what you need and we’ll make sure you’re treated with the same friendly service with the best deals on the best products on the Internet that you’ve come to know from ...
Things have changed a lot over the years, but your patronage has made us who we are today. And, now that we’ve explained how to find some of the things you need on our website, we hope you’ll visit often and make us your number one choice for all your hunting needs.
And once again, thank you all for making us who we are today – America’s premier waterfowl outfitter. "
I'm not really sure whether to be upset that Google can influence people like this or be glad that they are trying to make guns a little more inaccessible to people who shouldn't have them.
