Content Ads Guide

RSS readers are very important to monetize your blog. So it couldn´t come at a better time that BidVertiser officially launched their RSS/ATOM feeds ads as a way of putting ads on your feed, as Feedburner did already.

Now you can display the BidVertiser CPC ads in your feeds, as well as get access to our various multiple-subscription Feed Widgets that will help you publicize your new feed.

If you already have an account just choose the “RSS public beta” option under the “Publishers Center” tab. You might want to add the site to your account first, but you can also do it on the fly. Next you need to get your “old” RSS feed URL and name your new feed. You will also need to confirm ownership of the feed by writing a post with your feed verification code in it. You can’t start to monetize your feeds too soon - register now and make sure you publicize your new feed address as soon as possible!

The final step is replacing the feed URL on your blog with the new BidVertiser RSS feed URL.

PDF has been an appealing format due to its ability to preserve the look and feel of a document, while providing it to others in an easily accessible way. The free Adobe Reader became a fixture on computer desktops as adoption of PDF increased.

Yahoo has managed to score a significant win by beating ad competitors like Google and Microsoft to the opportunity to mine the PDF space for advertising revenue. Adobe and Yahoo announced the new program for delivering dynamic contextual ads in PDFs this morning.

The opt-in program pulls ads from Yahoo’s network to place in a panel next to the PDF content. Each time the PDF is opened, the ads will be refreshed to keep timely and relevant ones in place.

Publishers gain the ability to track their ad performance in the PDFs. Yahoo Publisher Network senior VP Todd Teresi called this a “previously untapped opportunity” for advertisers to gain exposure, and publishers to derive revenue from these documents.

The program picked up some big name participants for this initial beta. CondeNast’s Wired, IDG InfoWorld, and Reed Elsevier were among those named in a statement from Adobe.

To participate, publishers register and then upload their PDFs so the ad functionality can be enabled for the document. After that has been completed, the publisher distributes the PDF as usual.

InfoWorld’s participation is of particular interest. The long-time trade journal scrapped its print magazine in opting for an online-only, ad-supported presence. If profitable, we expect to see other print publishers express interest in trying out the program.

Another interesting possibility comes to mind with the PDF advertising. The hot Amazon Kindle electronic book reader has the capability to pick up PDF content, a feature Amazon currently lists as being experimental in its ability to convert them for readability.

If Amazon works out PDF conversions, the EVDO network supporting wireless content delivery to Kindle could work as a conduit for the PDF ad program too. Since Amazon has its own interest in delivering ads, there could be issues with this idea, however.

Microsoft ContentAds have started showing up in digg.com and Facebook. These ads are only showing up for users in Internet Explorer. If you use firefox you still see Adsense Ads. This means either Microsoft’s ad serving doesn’t work for non-IE or they don’t have the inventory needed to supply Digg at this time. Or perhaps it is still in roll-out phase.

So I think publishers will have to wait some more time so Content Ads are fully functional and available worldwide.

Online shopping service Mpire today introduced WidgetBucks, a new e-commerce advertising network that helps publishers, affiliates and bloggers earn three to four times more money compared to traditional ad networks.

WidgetBucks serves Web publishers who are looking for better performing online ads and ways to make money from the exploding widget market. In August 2007, 239 million widgets were used by Internet users in the U.S., where it is estimated that nearly half the online population — over 87 million people — use widgets, according to comScore.

Using patent-pending technology called MerchSense, WidgetBucks displays contextual shopping widgets in publishers’ advertising space. Additionally, WidgetBucks is the first ad network to support general Web publishers, as well as be offered as an ad unit within popular social networking sites, such as Facebook.

Over 2,000 publishers and partners, including InfoSpace, RockYou, SixApart, Whateverlife, BuddyTV, WidgetBox and ePage, as well as content partners eBay and Shopping.com, have tested WidgetBucks during the recent private beta period.

News Facts about WidgetBucks

• Automated, scalable ad units complement other networks such as Google AdSense and Yahoo! Publisher Network
• Product offers from 30,000 merchants, including top brands such as Amazon, Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, NewEgg, Macy’s and Gap
• Publishers and bloggers earn money every time consumers click WidgetBucks ad content on their sites and are linked to a merchant’s offer
• MerchSense automatically matches products with editorial content, meaning consumers receive more engaging, meaningful and relevant ads
• Flash-based widgets, presented in part as top 10 lists, cover 100 different categories, 300+ configurations and buying trends of 100 million online shoppers
• Constant monitoring auto-optimizes widget rotation based on success rate
• For a limited time, publishers and bloggers receive a $25 sign-up bonus

About Mpire
Seattle-based Mpire is an award-winning meta-shopping service that brings together thousands of online stores and marketplaces, such as eBay, Amazon, Shopping.com, Target, WalMart and Gap. Mpire’s universal shopping experience combines proprietary pricing analysis for both new and used items, coupons and reviews, as well as distributed shopping features such as the Mpire Plug-in, shopping-trend widgets and Web service APIs. Founded in 2005, Mpire is backed by Ignition Partners and former eBay executive Richard Rock.