Clicks and Bits

On my My Yahoo! page today:

(the abbreviation for Nebraska is NE, not NB)

Whoa. $3.1 Billion?

This ought to give them a nice catch-up on Yahoo from the ad display perspective, but also an advanced ad management platform that could be rolled out to independent publishers. Let’s not forget Performics, which is one of the fastest growing affiliate networks right now.

Plus, they blocked Microsoft.

Google changed the terms and conditions of the AdSense program this week causing mass panic throughout the web.

1. Google removed the stipulation that other contextual ad programs could not be used on the same page.

2. Google added terms that prohibit other contextual ads not only on a per page basis, but on a per site basis, when such ads mimic the look and feel of Google AdSense ads.

3. Google now prohibits the collection of data for referral products. Which should close down those sites which were using Google’s free products to collect email addresses and other biographical information.

4. Google now prohibits the use of images next to ad units. Effectively clarifying the vagueness that existed over this issue.

There has been a bit of controversy surrounding #2, which basically puts almost every site owner who was using both YPN and AdSense with similar color pallets in a position where they are forced to choose one program or the other. No more A/B testing between programs to find the best payouts. I’ve always made it a standard practice to rotate between YPN and AdSense on a 50%-50% basis and tweaking the display percentage as time went on in favor of the ad group generating the better revenue numbers. With the latest change, I was forced to run through the last 60 days of revenue figures and forced my sites to one program or the other.

In the long run, Google’s change might only end up being a blip on the radar of inconvenience, but to a marketing guy who is always testing and tweaking, this takes a tool out of my toolbelt.

Interesting. PayPerPost buys select assets of Performancing.

Reading further, the deal does not include the Firefox Blog Editor or the Ad Technology, but was primarily for Performancing Metrics - a stat analysis package - and Performancing Exchange - essentially a classified section for bloggers.

I wasn’t overly impressed with Metrics, mainly because I’m more comfortable within my custom-tuned tool-set. As for the Exchange, I can’t say I’ve been there in a while, but it makes sense for the audience PayPerPost is trying to reach.

As for the general implications of PayPerPost, everyone is trying to monetize the blog space but I’m not really in favor of a clearing house approach to paid promotional posts. On a number of sites I’m involved with, we accept advertorials, but we find the opportunities and negotiate directly. Typically they provide more impact for the advertiser at a better price and are more in tune with the blog’s audience. And, we adhere to strict labeling policy indicating all paid advertorials.

Hilarious advertising parody tied into cheesy 70’s porn flick. Reach & Frequency was a video produced by the now-defunct agency, Elvis & Bonaparte, for the Portland Ad Federation Rosie awards back around 1999/2000. I thought it was lost to the ages, but it recently resurfaced.