So many of you might have already noticed that we have Google AdSense in our RSS feeds. I'm not going to go into detail on the how or why, at least not yet. But I do want to answer a couple of questions that have already come up:
Q: What is Google doing?
A: I can't talk a whole lot about this yet. I can tell you that this is a pilot program for a new AdSense product that Google is looking into. Like all of their tests, it may disappear for a while, or be discontinued altogether.
Q: Is anyone else currently testing this technology?
A: No. Right now LonghornBlogs.com is the only site running this test. That will probably change in the next few days as their other alpha testers bring their systems online, but for now, we're it.
Q: How are you putting ads in the feeds?
A: I can't talk at all about implementation yet, because the system is not finalized. It's just a test to determine how well the current thought process works, the performance bottlenecks, and to discover any barriers to others using it. I CAN tell you that it isn't using Javascript.
Q: When can I start putting ads in MY feeds?
A: IF Google decides to launch this product, you can expect to see a wider public beta in the next few weeks. I wouldn't waste my time trying to figure out the current implementation yet. It will most likely change, and your AdSense account won't have the proper permissions from their servers to display contextual ads anyways.
The story on how and why this came about is a very interesting one, and is something that I have been working very hard on for quite a long time. When I'm given the OK to talk about it in detail, I'll give everyone the full run-down. For now I just wanted to curtail speculation on some of the things that I am able to discuss. In the meantime, please leave me feedback in this entry if you are experiencing problems related to viewing or clicking-through to any of the ads.