Update on micro advertising:
I’ve set up a email list at Yahoo Groups for the discussion of microadvertising. Already 14 members strong!
Guan and I have registered microads.org and are developing a prototype of a service for micro advertising. Hope to have something cooked up by wednesday night!
BBC: Net guru’s fragmented future.
The first interview i’ve seen in a long time with Negroponte - interesting as always if read by a skeptical mind! Especially likes his “3G is a dog” statement…
Instant Micro Advertising - a way to make niche internet publishing profitable?
I believe something profound is happening in the publishing space. It isn’t rich media advertising or big obvasive ads and it isn’t getting any attention from the mainstream media/advertising/publishing community. The basics are:
Instant
The possibility of booking, creating and paying for advertising space instantly through a web-based system with payment by credit card. No need to call sales for a quote, calling the agency for creative development, paying invoices, etc. - a cumbersome process that easily can take weeks. Spend 5 minutes and you’re up and running.
Micro
It’s all about targeted micro buys of advertising space - the old principle of getting the right message in front of the right group of people. Buying 10,000 impressions of your message in front of a very targeted audience for a low fee. Micro since hobbyists can spend 10$ on getting their message out about their personal site and the small startup can spend 100$ getting the message out about their new product. It’s all about having 50 small advertisers on your site instead of four large companies. No need to hire a salesforce or hire a company to represent your site - just advertise the possibility of buying adspace on your own site. Convert the readers of your site to advertisers on your site.
Basic
The pioneers are using very simple text-based ads or very basic banners. Since the message is so targeted there’s no need for animation and fancy stuff!.
The basic format levels the playing field and makes it possible for everyone to create a simple message/ad.
The pioneers
The true pioneer in this space is Google with their Adwords program. Early adopters Metafilter with Textads, Fuckedcompany and Blogger with “Blog*Spot Banners”.
The Doubleclick of Micro Advertising?
There’s definitely a need for a “doubleclick-style” company in this space that would handle the infrastructure - basically supplying the simple technology, billing/creditcard verification and bundling of independent sites together in attractive packages. A business of 30% commission on revenue.
No IPO dreams here!
This isn’t about the next ipo or hype wave, but about creating a revenue stream for smaller sites that makes them stay around. Giving the creators an incentive to keep developing and working on their sites and paying for hosting, etc. 200-2,000$’s of revenue per month would keep a lot of sites up and running. Instead of asking for donations you build a win-win system for both parties - you support the site and get some value in the form an ad back in exchange.
But the model should also be applicable for some of the larger sites, since it basically is about streamlining the advertising process through a web-based platform.
So - let’s forget about micro payments - let’s get some instant micro advertising instead! ;_)
What do you think
Update:
Kaplan from Fuckedcompany is trying to become a service provider in this field with httpads [link courtesy of evhead.com
Evan had a post about the same ideas reflecting on why slashdot.org hasn’t explored these options.
Evan points to the Metafilter discussion on Metafilter Textads.
Oliverwillis.com wrote about some of the same ideas a couple of days ago
Jakob Nielsen wrote a rant on creating textads some months ago.
Guan is planning to build a prototype of a system like this in the weekend. Great!
Ideas/observations from conversations on this subject:
Since the ads are so targeted they infact seem to become attractive content - they end up adding value to the experience the individual reader experiences.
Banners are the symbol of mainstream dotcom-culture. Textads are counter-culture!
Could micro advertising have saved suck.com, plastic.com, feedmag.com, etc.?
Heath Row, social capitalist of FastCompany, is on the road again. And apparently also blogging…
Apple is starting the big spin machine for the upcoming release of a digital appliance. My mac-literate younger brother suggests that the HAVI standard somehow will be involved in the new product. Looks interesting!
Hip-Hip-Hurra!
Dave wins the tech renegade award from Wired. Ironic that the magazine that a couple of months ago published an article calling him a “dead software guy” now recognizes Dave for his great contributions the last couple of years - and not only for his pioneering work in the 80’s.
Disclaimer: Awards are awards and should offcourse not be taken too seriously imho - but what’s interesting is to watch what the winners use all the recognition/acceptance/energy for in the future - empowerment!
Just too bad that Evan didn’t win too - it could’ve been a “The Bloggers take it all” night…
How to stop innovation!
Pictures of the new Messenger 4.5. (Link courtesy of 090978.org). This is a killer-app that will stop most innovation/competition in the “live collaboration” market. Great example of Microsoft using it’s monopoly’s bundling power to conquer a market.
The new issue of Fastcompany is online
ThinkCycle. Interesting project…