Adsense Going Interest-Based, So Update Your Privacy Policy!

Adsense is getting more intelligent, and if you have not received your notification from Google, here it is:

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 show 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 recognize the types of web pages 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 Center at http://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/topic.py?topic=20310.

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 to ensure that your site's privacy policies are up-to-date, and make any necessary changes by April 8, 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 do you do if you display Adsense on your site? Easy - just get your Privacy Policy Updated. Don't have one? Well, you can get one here

New Media - Dont Get Carried Away

Malaysian newspapers are embracing new media like crazy, especially after the dismal performance of traditionally preferred political parties during the March 8, 2008 elections. Many blogs have had a field day, beating traditional online news left and right.

With a revenue model yet to be seen - even Facebook which is into is 6th year is struggling - one wonders how Malaysian papers are making ends meet where Online news is concerned. How much do we invest in preparation of something like new media which has yet to consolidate and show exactly where the dough is coming from? Is it manpower? Facilities? Both? How do we provide the balance sheet to show the investors at the end of the day that we should rightly be in the black than red?

Journalists, too, should pay heed to what they do best - seeking out and writing news. Sure, there are plenty of things to use right now to get your news online. Throw a stone into the internet abyss and you will hit an upcoming, potentially going-to-be-the-hottest social media tool with ease.

Do you start learning every software and using every single bit of stuff out there - perhaps even at the detriment of your own skills as a conveyor or analyst of news? Give me some views.