MSN Launches Pay-Per-Click Search Ads

San writes "ZDNet is reporting that MSN has launched its first paid-search advertising application. The system will first be launched in Singapore and will be followed by France in September and a pilot run in the United States in October."

Comments

Invasion of privacy.

[Tontoman]

This sound like a unpleasant invasion of privacy.
According to http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstech nology/2002210022_microsoftads17.html/news article from the Seattle Times,
"AdCenter uses information from customers who registered for services such as Hotmail or who tailored the MSN home page to their interests. It supplements that with data purchased from the Experian credit bureau."

Re:Invasion of privacy.

[Tontoman]

The link seems to lead to a registration page when referrer is Slashdot. Sorry. Here is a link to an interesting blog entry where I originally found the link to the Seattle Times article: http://www.corante.com/mooreslore/archives/2005/03 /17/microsoft_adcenter_ignores_90s_lessons.php/

Re:Invasion of privacy.

[oh_bugger]

If you don't want MSN to have your data, don't give MSN your data. Average Joe User may fuel MSN's userbase allowing them to continue this approach to advertising, but for the informed it's very easy to just avoid these kinds of services.

Everytime I hear that information about myself could and is sold, despite how common this is, frustrates me. it may not be feasible for all but I try to live without attaching myself to many things, such as random subscriptions (check this box to receive mail), credit card(s), intrusive website registrations. Even the link you provided to the seattle times wanted me to register, thank god for bugmenot. Again, it may not be feasible to take every step, but if people were to refuse to allow their information to be used for monetary gain then companies would stop and find another more cost effective way to increase profits at the expense of the little man's personal privacy/rights. [end rant]

On time for once

[the_mighty_$]

They announced this in March and said that it would begin testing phase "within six months." For you math whizzes out there, that means they finally released a project on time!

Re:Um.....

[the_mighty_$]

Isn't this form of ads pretty much dead?

Netcraft confirms it, pay per click is NOT dead.

From the page: "Domain Pay-Per-Click Services Growing Rapidly"

AdWords clone, but potential privacy issues?

[Sv-Manowar]

At first glance, this would appear to be a direct copy of Google's AdWords style keyword bidding on search result pages. However, whats more suspicious is how information on search users is being used to target the ads. If they choose to mine the profile data available to them through MSN passport (and this seems to be in line with their intentions, given that age and gender are already available to advertisers), Microsoft could try to exploit people's personal information to gain a targetting advantage over Google (at the expense of user's privacy..)

Re:AdWords clone, but potential privacy issues?

[spisska]

And Google could very well do the exact same thing with gmail accounts.

Google cannot do the same thing, since they do not collect this kind of information when you sign up for gmail. It's been a while since I got my gmail account, but I don't recall having to give them a single piece of information that I didn't want to (as opposed to Hotmail, which requires entries for things like age, gender, physical location, etc.)

If you took a good look at Hotmail user data (and nothing else) you'd probably be surprised how many 90+ year-old women in Albania are using the service. Google does not have this problem since they never intended any ridiculous implementation like MSN Passport.

Re:Um.....

[robdavy]

Yeh, dead..... Google only made like a billion dollars from it last year...

Do you remember?

[Robbyboy]

Do you remember when developers actually developed software? It boggles my mind that the borg of all things software would still be patronized given the minimal amount of independent thought that comes out of Redmond, WA people would just get fed up and embrace open source.

Windows 98... "Look Johnny, long filenames" (Macintosh had been there, done that)

M$IE7 Beta... "Look Johnny, Tabbed Browsers" (FireFox had been there, done that)

MSN AdCenter... "Look Johnny, Pay per click advertising" (Google had been there, done that)

What further amazes me is that anything M$ does is still news. Why are the masses constantly amazed by the fact that M$ does not have to form independent thoughts and simply hijack everyone elses. Why not take that black hole of thought hovering over Redmond and channel it into something useful.

A Secure Microsoft Product "Look Johnny, A Secure M$ Product...Make a Wish"

Re:Do you remember?

[ScentCone]

It boggles my mind that the borg of all things software would still be patronized given the minimal amount of independent thought that comes out of Redmond, WA people would just get fed up and embrace open source.

So, when Google copies Yahoo, or Google copies MapQuest - and then makes their versions of things, whether improved or not - they don't deserve the same scorn? Or when a Linux distro goes to a lot of trouble to provide users with an interface shockingly similar to Windows, that's innovation? Not every new service has to be a brand spanking new innovation. Otherwise we wouldn't have multiple car manufacturers, musicians, architectural jobs, or any other overlapping producers.

What further amazes me is that anything M$ does is still news

Let's see - millions and millions of users, and a giant new marketplace for ads from both small and large businesses...? It's a shame you don't understand why that might be worth mentioning to an audience that deals, in one way or another, with some of those millions of people all over the world.

Now Yahoo! can sue Microsoft too!

[Alascom]

Yahoo! (Overture) holds intellectual property rights to pay-per-click and bidding systems that grant Web sites higher placement in search results.

Google agreed to issue 2.7 million shares (~$250 million) of Class A common stock to Yahoo, based in Sunnyvale, Calif. In turn, Yahoo dropped its lawsuit against Google and issued a "fully paid, perpetual license" to Overture patents.

I guess Microsoft thinks its open season on Yahoo! patents now... I hope Microsoft's legal team is ready to open the checkbook as I doubt the two Standford search engines (Yahoo and Google) will allow Microsoft to get in on the action for free!

Level the playing field ??

[serutan]

Balan noted that the application helps to "level the playing field" for small and medium-sized businesses

Because nobody knows the "level playing field" concept like Microsoft!

People said google ads were invasion of privacy

[tod_miller]

Adsense and their gmail ads. Still only if you have your google cookie set.

However this microsoft ploy is what one reader 'predicted', if microsoft offer a 'killer' ad program (lets face it, it isn't a sodding technical marvel) with extra data and sod, and then basically give all the money to the people who operate it (read cheap advertising and high payouts) then they will crush google.

Except they will have to imitate google, and perhaps their arrogance (using credit data) has gone against them.

I for one don't block adsense frames, because I find it interesting to see who can get ads on certain pages.

That is how unobstrusive it is. I choose what I watch, and sod the advertisers, I would rather a cheap and nasty ad free internet than a cheap and nasty adfull internet (which we have now).

I will adblock any flash or video ads that encumber my screen, and no visit websites that have 'interval' ign style ads. 'skip this ad'

'Microsoft' have no class, is a statement being passed around by in the hyperswill - and I think this offering, timely after the whole 'I will bury google' release, will show that despite a mountain of cash, they will not be able to topple google.

Internet has shown that inertia is enough of a force with people to let even shit sites (ebay) win through. Google have been pushing for this, and probably on day 1 they knew this would happen, and worked out their game plan.

Microsoft are such lazy uncoordinated bastards, they sit and wait too much, with worked in googles favour.

They are spending all their time on faux blog sites, shitty 'Microsoft are cute and fun' reaching out to developers and crap. Please develop for our platform only, tie in etc.

Now most download sites and 'open' downloads are for linux, 3 years ago it was windows software, and someone please bring it to linux, and now it is 'Windows Version - someone managed to get this to compile, it is 3 versions old, but good luck'.

File in Java (which Microsoft had a game planon how to trash - and failed) and you see where this is going.

One final point fo rpeople who say Microsoft don't innovate:

According to Eva Balan, MSN's international marketing manager for MSN adCenter, advertisers pay a one-time subscription fee of S$5 (US$3) for MSN Keywords. For each keyword, they bid a minimum of S$0.10 and pay for the number of times search users click on their advertisements, which appear as sponsored links alongside search results. The placement of the links will depend on the bid price, click-through rate as well as the types of user profiles captured by the system. [why is this bold not italic? I hate reading italic on screen] ...you are right they are not innovative! Grounds for a google counter sue for their advertising style? pteesh.

To confirm you're not a script,
please type the word in this image: recast

random letters - if you are visually impaired, please email us at pater@slashdot.org