Google Operating System reported they are now seeing the Google AdSense for Feeds option in their AdSense account set up screen. I noted at the Search Engine Roundtable that many folks are buzzing about the new feature at several discussion forums. It appears to me that this beta offering is now open to all, if not most Google AdSense publishers.
In short, Google AdSense for Feeds allows publishers to add AdSense ads within their RSS feed distribution. In fact, Google has been making it easier for those with FeedBurner accounts to easily integrate AdSense for Feeds in their published RSS feeds. The other day, I broke the news at the Search Engine Roundtable that FeedBurner is not accepting new publishers into the FeedBurner Ad Network. A few days after that, Google pushes out the AdSense for Feeds to virtually all AdSense publishers.
-
7:35 PM
Edit this post
Some blog sites are reporting that Google has added the Adsense for feeds option in their Adsense accounts’ Setup menu. Checking out my Adsense account validated these reports. Right after the Adsense for Content and Adsense for Search options in the Adsense Setup menu is a new option labeled “Adsense for Feeds”. Google says it allows users to place relevant ads in feeds Google manages for them.
With the lack of official announcement yet from the Inside Adsense blog, I log-in to my Adsense account and saw the new option to create Adsense for blog feeds. Why you choose this option the Adsense account manager brings you to Adsense for feeds set-up screen. (Note: You are allowed only to set up one Adsense for Feeds ad unit) Once you’ve used up your single option, clicking on the link to Adsense for Feeds will just bring you to a blank page.
After this, you’ll be prompted to specify your blog’s url or feed url. Once you’ve done this you can start customizing your Adsense for Feed unit. However, if Google could not find a valid feed in you site, it will ask you to verify your Adsense for Feeds ad units and what its verified you can start serving your Adsense units to your blog/site’s RSS feeds.
If the system could not find a valid RSS feeds on your site, you will be asked to generate one right within your site to enable you to serve Google adsense units .
This is a welcome development for those Adsense publishers who are still earning a lot of money from their blog/sites Adsense units. While those who don’t want to go throuh the process of verifying their blog/sites will be asked to create their blog/sites’ Adsense units for Feed.
As for me, I might give this new Adsense feature a try.
-
9:44 PM
Edit this post
Behavioural targeting of ads is the in-thing on the internet right now. It's when an ad company serves advertisement based on a profile they have created of you. You might have noticed something similar on Facebook, which serves future-ads based on your feedback on the current ads: it's a system that learns what to serve based on your personal interest, which is in turn based on inferences drawn from either your declared personal information ('I like this band') or your actions online ('I bought this CD').
It is obviously a grey moral area, as it involves tracking you over the internet, as well as tracking your purchase and/or behaviour as a potential or active consumer. Most of this happens unknown to us.
The practice raises privacy concerns -- how many of us know that we are under such scrutiny and surveillance? Is our privacy too much to expect while surfing the internet from our own homes?These concerns have caught the attention of the U.S. Congress and the Federal Trade Commission; steps have been taken to investigate these doings. Senator Daniel K. Inouye, in a congressional hearing expressed his concerns over behavioural targeting stating that "privacy is a treasured right, but it is also a right that seems to come under regular attack." He also added concern that people "assume they are in the privacy of their own home and that this privacy will be respected. Unfortunately, this is not always the case."
These hearings seemed to have made some impact on the ad policies of at least two major online players. Google yesterday, through a blog post titled "New enhancements on the Google content network" slipped in an opt-out option for cookies that serve both AdSense and DoubleClick ads. A cookie is what does the behavioural tracking mentioned earlier. Now that Google has acquired ad-network DoubleClick, the company will place an additional DoubleClick cookie on our browsers. This will allow advertisers to leverage Google's existing Adsense network to push more display ads. But at least now, we can opt-out of the ad-Blitzkrieg.
Yahoo, took a similar stance. This other giant in our online room will also allow you to opt-out of 'customized' ads on Yahoo.com. Yahoo already allows you to opt-out of such served ads served on third party networks.
Customized, here, is just a euphemism for behaviourial targeting.
What these announcements amount to is a skirting of the issue. How many of us will take the time to opt-out of a service? How many are even aware that there is an issue here? Do we need to click on a button, or fill a form to actively defend what should be an obvious right to privacy?
During the congressional hearing, Facebook pointed out [PDF] that "receiving information that is likely to be relevant... leads to a better online experience". The issue here is the word likely, and the steps taken to refine that likelihood. It would be an even better online experience if we had the option to opt-in to these services, rather than opt-out.
You can opt-out of Yahoo's cookies here, and Google's here.
It is obviously a grey moral area, as it involves tracking you over the internet, as well as tracking your purchase and/or behaviour as a potential or active consumer. Most of this happens unknown to us.
The practice raises privacy concerns -- how many of us know that we are under such scrutiny and surveillance? Is our privacy too much to expect while surfing the internet from our own homes?These concerns have caught the attention of the U.S. Congress and the Federal Trade Commission; steps have been taken to investigate these doings. Senator Daniel K. Inouye, in a congressional hearing expressed his concerns over behavioural targeting stating that "privacy is a treasured right, but it is also a right that seems to come under regular attack." He also added concern that people "assume they are in the privacy of their own home and that this privacy will be respected. Unfortunately, this is not always the case."
These hearings seemed to have made some impact on the ad policies of at least two major online players. Google yesterday, through a blog post titled "New enhancements on the Google content network" slipped in an opt-out option for cookies that serve both AdSense and DoubleClick ads. A cookie is what does the behavioural tracking mentioned earlier. Now that Google has acquired ad-network DoubleClick, the company will place an additional DoubleClick cookie on our browsers. This will allow advertisers to leverage Google's existing Adsense network to push more display ads. But at least now, we can opt-out of the ad-Blitzkrieg.
Yahoo, took a similar stance. This other giant in our online room will also allow you to opt-out of 'customized' ads on Yahoo.com. Yahoo already allows you to opt-out of such served ads served on third party networks.
Customized, here, is just a euphemism for behaviourial targeting.
What these announcements amount to is a skirting of the issue. How many of us will take the time to opt-out of a service? How many are even aware that there is an issue here? Do we need to click on a button, or fill a form to actively defend what should be an obvious right to privacy?
During the congressional hearing, Facebook pointed out [PDF] that "receiving information that is likely to be relevant... leads to a better online experience". The issue here is the word likely, and the steps taken to refine that likelihood. It would be an even better online experience if we had the option to opt-in to these services, rather than opt-out.
You can opt-out of Yahoo's cookies here, and Google's here.
-
9:44 PM
Edit this post
Google is doubling down on cookies. I like cookies as much as the next guy; I've got a box of linzer tarts next to me as I write this. But when a company as powerful as Google starts force feeding you with tracking agents, some might see that as unpalatable.
Much of Google's revenue is based on targeted advertising based on the browsing habits of searches of its Web database. This was accomplished through its AdSense network, which places a cookie on the systems of anyone visiting a site in its AdSense network. Now, Google will place aDoubleClick cookie too, as it integrates that Web pattern tracker's network with its own. The strategy was announced in a Thursday post on The Official Google Blog:
•
•
•
•
Today we're announcing some key enhancements on the Google content network (partner sites for which we provide advertising) that will offer a better experience for users and better value for advertisers and publishers.
Some of the capabilities to be enabled "in the coming months" according to the blog include frequency capping and reporting, which allow advertisers to control the number of times a user sees a particular ad and access pertinent reports. Advertisers also will have access to "view-through" data, which helps show ad effectiveness by reporting how often people visited their sites after seeing an ad. Google also claims improved ad performance of its content network.
•
•
•
•
We are enabling this functionality by implementing a DoubleClick ad-serving cookie across the Google content network. Using the DoubleClick cookie means that DoubleClick advertisers and publishers don't have to make any changes on their websites as we continue our integration efforts and offer additional enhancements.
To be fair, Google's opt out policy permits users to choose not to accept the cookies with a single click. Personally, I don't really care if my Web patterns are tracked; I have nothing to hide. Hey, you might even benefit from being shown stuff you didn't know you needed.
Much of Google's revenue is based on targeted advertising based on the browsing habits of searches of its Web database. This was accomplished through its AdSense network, which places a cookie on the systems of anyone visiting a site in its AdSense network. Now, Google will place aDoubleClick cookie too, as it integrates that Web pattern tracker's network with its own. The strategy was announced in a Thursday post on The Official Google Blog:
•
•
•
•
Today we're announcing some key enhancements on the Google content network (partner sites for which we provide advertising) that will offer a better experience for users and better value for advertisers and publishers.
Some of the capabilities to be enabled "in the coming months" according to the blog include frequency capping and reporting, which allow advertisers to control the number of times a user sees a particular ad and access pertinent reports. Advertisers also will have access to "view-through" data, which helps show ad effectiveness by reporting how often people visited their sites after seeing an ad. Google also claims improved ad performance of its content network.
•
•
•
•
We are enabling this functionality by implementing a DoubleClick ad-serving cookie across the Google content network. Using the DoubleClick cookie means that DoubleClick advertisers and publishers don't have to make any changes on their websites as we continue our integration efforts and offer additional enhancements.
To be fair, Google's opt out policy permits users to choose not to accept the cookies with a single click. Personally, I don't really care if my Web patterns are tracked; I have nothing to hide. Hey, you might even benefit from being shown stuff you didn't know you needed.
-
9:44 PM
Edit this post
One of the most sought after payment options for Google AdSense publishers is the ability to be paid via Western Union.
Google had announced at Google Groups and WebmasterWorld that they have expanded Western Union payment to the following five countries:
* Bulgaria
* Egypt
* Lithuania
* Morocco
* Taiwan
Western Union payments are also currently available in other countries, including Argentina, Chile, China (Mainland), Colombia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines and Romania.
If you are in any of these 14 countries and would like to receive payment via Western Union, follow these instructions. You must also be set up as an "individual" publisher to qualify.
AdSensePro Ashley added that "payments will be made in US dollars, but your Western Union agent may be able to convert your payment to your local currency."
Forum discussion at Google Groups and WebmasterWorld.
Google had announced at Google Groups and WebmasterWorld that they have expanded Western Union payment to the following five countries:
* Bulgaria
* Egypt
* Lithuania
* Morocco
* Taiwan
Western Union payments are also currently available in other countries, including Argentina, Chile, China (Mainland), Colombia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines and Romania.
If you are in any of these 14 countries and would like to receive payment via Western Union, follow these instructions. You must also be set up as an "individual" publisher to qualify.
AdSensePro Ashley added that "payments will be made in US dollars, but your Western Union agent may be able to convert your payment to your local currency."
Forum discussion at Google Groups and WebmasterWorld.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
- Advertisement - 
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement - 