Just got this from Google: We're writing to let you know about the upcoming launch of interest-based advertising, which will require you to review and make any necessary changes to your site's privacy policies. You'll also see some new options on your Account Settings page. Interest-based advertising will allow advertisers to display ads based on a user's previous interactions with them, such as visits to advertiser website and also to reach users based on their interests (e.g. "sports enthusiast"). To develop interest categories, we will recognise the types of web pages that users visit throughout the Google content network. As an example, if they visit a number of sports pages, we will add them to the "sports enthusiast" interest category. To learn more about your associated account settings, please visit the AdSense Help Centre at http://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/topic.py?topic=20310&hl=en_GB. As a result of this announcement, your privacy policy will now need to reflect the use of interest-based advertising. Please review the information at https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=100557&hl=en_GB to ensure that your site's privacy policies are up-to-date and make any necessary changes by 8 April 2009. Because publisher sites and laws vary across countries, we're unfortunately unable to suggest specific privacy policy language. For more information about interest-based advertising, you can also visit the Inside AdSense Blog at http://adsense.blogspot.com/2009/03/driving-monetization-with-ads-that.html. -- What should we do as publishers ? Disable it from Adsense My Account ?
If we don't, we will destroy our niche websites ? Because the ads appearing in our websites will not be related to our niche but to users habits ? Anybody can give us more information on this ?
Confused? So what exactly do we need to add to our privacy policy? Can anybody make a general statement that we can all use? That'd be great. -Taylor Thompson
Just add this... Maybe this too.... why should that be... from content-targeting, it would now shift to user-targeting....wouldn't that mean better chances of getting clicks..?
My current privacy policy has the following clause: Third Party Advertisements To try and bring you offers that are of interest to you, we have relationships with other companies that we allow to place ads on our Web pages. As a result of your visit to our site, ad server companies (such as Google's Adsense) may collect information such as your domain type, your IP address and clickstream information. It could also access and set cookies in your browser, use web beacons as mentioned above. For further information, consult the privacy policy of Google (Adsense) So,I guess I just need to add information related to DoubleClick DART cookie. BTW, the second para related to "third party advertisements" [cited in Adsense Help] is only a suggestion. I guess this should already exist in most of the Adsense publishers (sites') privacy policy. We just need to add information related to DART cookies. Let us see how "interest-based" advertising works!
Still I don't understand how this will work for us publisher? What should we do as publishers ? Disable it from Adsense My Account ?
You need to add a "privacy policy" page [probably in footer] in your websites displaying Adsense ads. In this page you need to state that your site is using third party advertisements and they may/ will place cookies/ web beacons in their (user's) system. As per the Online privacy Law - website owners need to inform such information to users.. This law may change from country to country.[/B] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BTW, there are still some unanswered questions from the perspective of Publishers a) Will the interest-based ad system override the content-based ad system? b) If an user's interest is identified/categorized to a low paying niche [based on his previous visits] even if you run a site targeting high paying niche - you may not earn good money. c) Specific Interest of an user may be tracked based on cookies. What if an user is using public computer [or] sharing his computer with his family members/ friends? [I know this is not a drawback of the Ad technology but of the Internet technology itself.]
i am totally confused!!! what these guys (Google) are doing. I can't find any advantage of this. can any one say its advantage clearly?
In marketing terms - When you target a consumer based on his/ her interests your chances of making Sales increases. Adsense Advertisers can get more leads/ sales depending on their ad campaign. Adsense's revenue would increase as the CTR can improve dramatically. As the CTR improves - We, the Adsense publishers should see a hike in our revenue (as far as we dont see 1 cent/ 3 cents cpc) Hope that makes sense...
And just how will you know what your users interests are? I doubt Google will be sharing what your users have been clicking on. Content based ads definitely let you target specific people but this way there is no way for you to know what ads Google will be showing the users.
I agree with your point. But what are we gonna do by finding out what user's interests are? Its just for the adsense's ad-serving technology to better target users and benefit their advertisers. Even now we are not getting info on what our users are clicking on (for adsense ads).