Now, the amount is more or less what this blog earned via Adsense last month. An amount which I haven't received yet, because my Personal Identification Number (PIN) haven't arrived yet. Now, due to the Milenyo storm, I didn't went online for a while. However, a month a has passed and the PIN has not yet arrived so I requested the PIN for the second time. I've e-mailed them:

I am happy that you've sent me my pin.

However my pin is taking too long to arrive via standard mail. Can I receive my pin via DHL instead? I am willing to deduct the cost of the courier on my AdSense payment.

And this is Google's reply:

Hello Michael,

Thanks for the email. I've reviewed your account and I've found that a
Personal Identification Number (PIN) was mailed to you via standard mail
shortly after it was generated on October 19th, 2006. While I understand
you would like to receive your PIN earlier, unfortunately we don't send
PINs via DHL.

You should expect to receive your PIN within 2-4 weeks of the mailing
date, but please keep in mind that in some unusual cases it may take
longer to reach you depending on your location. I also wanted to assure
you however, that before you enter your PIN, your account will still be
accessible and you'll continue to be able to show ads and accrue earnings.

If for any reason you don't receive your PIN, you're welcome to request a
new one three weeks after the original PIN was generated.

Sincerely,

Kento

The Google AdSense Team

Fine, at least I'm talkin' to a human, I hate it when I get canned answer. But it's been almost two months since I first requested the PIN, and I'm not holding my breath. I've searched around and apparently some countries, including ours, are not Adsense friendly, in that they have a skewed postal system. This is apparent and true, as what Abe Olandres reported almost a year ago.

The amount of check of course has since been piling up. It has been a truism in criminology, that the higher the amount, the higher the possibility of fraud, so knowing this, I've opted to receive my check via DHL.

So while writing all this, I have come up with a solution that Google can implement. If any Google personnel is reading this, please consider the possibilities:

1. Send all PIN via DHL. The very looong months of waiting is counter-productive. As a blog on google has pointed out, if Adsense didn't exist there will be less innovation.

2. Send all Adsense Checks securely via DHL. Apart from speed, and productivity, this will drastically eliminate bank and mail fraud. Why? Because post office personnels who has ties to syndicates will be bypassed. Better yet...

3. Send all Adsense Checks via money transfer institutions such as Western Union. This is even more secure than the DHL, because the money transfer company will be liable, and will eliminate the fear that the check will fall on the wrong hands.

As more, and more Filipinos are earning money from Adsense, and as the trend to the jump to the problogging scene accelerates, Google who earns billions of dollars from Adsense, would only benefit to listen and consider this little things.

After all, as Malcolm Gladwell, and Steven Levitt pointed out: little things can make a big difference.

• The Unlawyer


• Jepoy