| If you haven't noticed, with Google buying | | | | money from the big ad networks, and |
| Double Click, AOL buying many different | | | | encouraging even smaller publishers and |
| companies, and now with Microsoft with a new | | | | advertisers to get in the game. Its like |
| announced billion dollar acquisition, the big | | | | eliminating a hidden "advertising tax" on the |
| boys are very serious about having control of | | | | internet that you have to pay by |
| the internet advertising market. There is a | | | | participating with Google, Double Click, or |
| lot of money at stake for each of these | | | | whoever the big ad network is. There have |
| companies, and now there is a new thing for | | | | been several attempts at a good open source |
| them to fear: Open Source. Open source is | | | | ad server, and for small publishers, Php Ads |
| nothing new, but the impact of open source | | | | New has been around for a long time, with |
| technologies impinges itself on every sphere | | | | many people contributing to the project. Just |
| of influence, especially on the internet. And | | | | recently has opened as Open Ads, with over 5 |
| now the big advertising boys are looking a | | | | million dollars invested in its further |
| little worried. What is an open source ad | | | | development. It is potentially troubling to |
| server? And why should you care? Basically, | | | | see open source projects like PHP ads new and |
| if you have a blog, or own a website you can | | | | MYSQL morphing into something different than |
| sign up for Google Adsense and make a few | | | | people toiling and generating code for a pet |
| pennies. But if you own any kind of a | | | | project in relative obscurity, but if you |
| website, its important at some point to get a | | | | believe in free markets, you also believe |
| little better control over your advertising, | | | | that something valuable will be turned by |
| so that you can monetize it more effectively, | | | | somebody into something that is worthwhile, |
| or at least test out different ad networks. | | | | and in the free market economy, worthwhile |
| All those ad networks comprise millions of | | | | means profitable. Open Source projects |
| websites, with billions of impressions per | | | | however, generally have something more in |
| day, most of them with fortune 500 companies | | | | mind than just profit, and the stated |
| using them to advertise. If you have a tool | | | | intention of many of them, is to provide a |
| which will allow you to test different ad | | | | free alternative to a patented software that |
| networks against each other, you can see | | | | anyone can use. Obviously, this is not |
| which network is going to pay you more. There | | | | greeted warmly by the likes of Microsoft, and |
| is also a benefit to the consumer as well. | | | | even Google tends to step very carefully over |
| All the big ad networks like Doubleclick tie | | | | this issue, because truly open source is not |
| advertisers to a specific ad platform, and as | | | | in the best interest of the profits of any |
| an advertiser you don't just pay for the | | | | publicly traded company. I for one am |
| advertising, you pay a fee to use the | | | | thankful to see some alternatives for both |
| platform. An Open Source ad server eliminates | | | | web publishers and advertisers and am hopeful |
| that fee. In theory, all advertisers and | | | | that in the future, viable options will |
| publishers connecting via an open source ad | | | | emerge that allow web publishers to keep "The |
| serving network will give internet | | | | terrible trio" at arms length! |
| advertising a big boost, by taking away some | | | | |