Go Go Gadget Ads


Last week Google introduced a brand new ad format to their AdSense collection - the Google Gadget Ad. It differs from existing formats in that it's interactive, allowing the person viewing it to play a small game, perform a search or similar. The idea is that they'll provide better value to AdWords advertisers and benefit AdSense publishers by keeping visitors at their site for longer.

An example gadget ad.

Thankfully gadget ads are governed by the same high editorial standards as standard ad units, so there'll be no irritating smilies saying "hello" and tapping on the inside of your screen. I hate those!

If you're ready to start displaying gadget ads on your website you can increase the chances that they'll be shown by making sure you're opted in to image ads and using one of the image ad formats. Please note that the most popular sizes for gadget ads are the rectangle, leaderboard, and skyscraper formats.

Get the full story by visiting Inside AdSense.

AdSense Goes Mobile


Great news for AdWords advertisers that they are now able to deliver their ads to an even wider audience browsing the web on their mobile phones. Of course the new AdSense for mobile service will be of benefit to any AdSense publishers displaying ads on mobile-optimised sites too. The new service uses the same targeting technology that the conventional AdSense uses.

To implement AdSense for mobile ads you need to do the following:
  • Sign in to your AdSense account.
  • Select the 'AdSense Setup' tab and click 'AdSense for mobile'.
  • Follow the onscreen instructions.
Publishers are currently allowed only one AdSense for mobile unit on each site. Also, don't forget to include the URLs where you are displaying AdSense for mobile ads in your list of allowed sites.

Get more on this story by visiting the official blog, Inside AdSense.

EFT For Mexico


Great news today for AdSense publishers in Mexico. Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) is now available giving them the option of receiving their earnings directly into the bank. Read more about the different AdSense payment options in our earlier post. Gone are the days of waiting months and months for a check which, in some cases, never quite arrives! Sign up for EFT today to get your hands on, and AdSense's hands off, your money even quicker.

More on this story at Inside AdSense.

Blogger Play


Today the Blogger team introduce a great new gizmo called Blogger Play. This new Blogger site allows readers to view, in real time, the images that are being uploaded to Blogger blog posts across the network. It's a very similar idea to the new version of YouTube embeds that have been springing up over the past couple of months. The new system uses Google's SafeSearch technology in an attempt to weed out potentially offensive images. Why not head across to Blogger Play and have a play yourself to find out what all the fuss is about.

There's more on this story at Blogger Buzz.

Enhanced AdSense Security - Allowed Sites


Google has just announced another weapon in the war against AdSense fraudsters - a list of allowed sites. Each publisher will have the ability to register the URLs of sites displaying their AdSense ads. Only earnings from those listed sites will be credited to the publisher's account, giving them piece of mind that they won't be penalised if their code is used in an unauthorised manner.

For some time there has been concern that unscrupulous webmasters (or troublemakers in general) could steal the information of their rivals' AdSense accounts, use it for illicit purposes and potentially have their rivals penalised, through no fault of their own, for violation of the AdSense TOS.

To register your own allowed sites just click the 'Allowed Sites' link under your 'AdSense Setup' in your account. This great new feature should seek to reassure AdSense publishers that Google are taking seriously their concerns about account security. Read the full story at Inside AdSense.

Don't forget to update your list of allowed sites today.

Blogger Malware


The Blogger team have issued a rebuttal to recent media speculation that the system has been hacked and used for malware. According to Blogger what actually happened was the machines of some of their users were infected with a Trojan horse. The affected bloggers had their mail2blogger email addresses in their PCs' address book so when the malicious software spammed every address in their address book, a copy was also posted to their own blog.

Blogger is recommending that any user exposed to the automated spam download the Google Pack anti-virus software and scan their machine for nasties. The same action is recommended to anyone who has clicked a link in an offending spammy Blogger post.

The GPhone Cometh


Like a bolt from the blue and after months of speculation (Engadget, TechCrunch et al) it appears that Google is poised to release its very own mobile handset. The GPhone will come ready equipped with the corporation's VOIP system, Google Talk, allowing users to make very cheap (maybe free) voice calls over the web. It is believed the handset, complete with iPhone-like touch screen technology, will retail around the $100 mark when it is released in the US later this month.

Google also recently expressed interest in placing a $4.6 billion bid for a licence for part of the US airwaves - an asset that could be used to roll out a wireless broadband internet network. Stay tuned to the Official Google Blog for the latest GPhone developments.

Competition Closed

The competition announced last week is now closed. Looks like I am the winner because no-one entered! Stay tuned for more opportunities to win with AdSense4Dummies.