Comments on: Project Wonderful vs. Google Adsense: 6-Week Review http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/ Free Wordpress themes, blog templates, blogging tips and tricks for non-geeks Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:58:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Rico Zuniga http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-41 Rico Zuniga Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:16:13 +0000 http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-41 Nah, the highest I've bid is 70 cents. I'm now just focusing my advertising efforts on one site which gives me some incoming traffic, www.macuha.com. So far things seem ok. Nah, the highest I’ve bid is 70 cents. I’m now just focusing my advertising efforts on one site which gives me some incoming traffic, http://www.macuha.com. So far things seem ok.

]]> By: Yvonne http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-39 Yvonne Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:56:06 +0000 http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-39 Have you tried bidding some outrageous amount to see what happens? Have you tried bidding some outrageous amount to see what happens?

]]> By: Rico Zuniga http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-36 Rico Zuniga Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:39:28 +0000 http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-36 Guess what, the bid on the ad space I was talking about in my earlier comments came back down to $.05 (and stabilized) when I opted out. Is this just a coincidence? I think when a real living flesh & blood advertiser (me) puts ads on the space some sort of mechanism detects this and automatically blows up the minimum bid. But when he leaves, the min bid goes back down to the original set by the site owner. I guess those ads that remain are just placeholder ads. Or am I just too suspicious for my own sake. Guess what, the bid on the ad space I was talking about in my earlier comments came back down to $.05 (and stabilized) when I opted out. Is this just a coincidence? I think when a real living flesh & blood advertiser (me) puts ads on the space some sort of mechanism detects this and automatically blows up the minimum bid. But when he leaves, the min bid goes back down to the original set by the site owner. I guess those ads that remain are just placeholder ads. Or am I just too suspicious for my own sake.

]]> By: Rico Zuniga http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-35 Rico Zuniga Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:13:28 +0000 http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-35 I think (probably) they have deals with bulk advertisers. A kind of wholesale advertising deal thus automated. This could be the reason why the same ads keep cropping up on unrelated random sites and in the process derailing ads by small time individual advertisers like me ;) I don't think I'm gonna be on PW for much longer if this trend continues. I think (probably) they have deals with bulk advertisers. A kind of wholesale advertising deal thus automated. This could be the reason why the same ads keep cropping up on unrelated random sites and in the process derailing ads by small time individual advertisers like me ;) I don’t think I’m gonna be on PW for much longer if this trend continues.

]]> By: Yvonne http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-34 Yvonne Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:42:20 +0000 http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-34 Yeah, that I couldn't tell you. I'd hope that all the bids are legit! I manually approve all ads before they're posted and they do all lead to real web sites, not that that's a guarantee of anything. Yeah, that I couldn’t tell you. I’d hope that all the bids are legit! I manually approve all ads before they’re posted and they do all lead to real web sites, not that that’s a guarantee of anything.

]]> By: Rico Zuniga http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-33 Rico Zuniga Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:35:36 +0000 http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-33 Yup it does make sense. But my concern actually is if the bids are genuine and not artificial. Are all the bids done by real people and are not machine generated to artificially blow up the minimum bid value of the ad space. But I guess these qualms of mine are quite standard for sites with some form of electronic bidding. Yup it does make sense. But my concern actually is if the bids are genuine and not artificial. Are all the bids done by real people and are not machine generated to artificially blow up the minimum bid value of the ad space. But I guess these qualms of mine are quite standard for sites with some form of electronic bidding.

]]> By: Yvonne http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-32 Yvonne Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:56:19 +0000 http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-32 Hi Rico, I haven't actually advertised my own sites on PW yet, but I think what you're seeing is a function of the auto-bid system. From what I can tell the infinite auction works like eBay. You set a max bid for an ad. The system will bid the lowest amount it needs to in order to win the bid for you. If you are outbid, it will automatically increase your bid, up to your maximum bid, to try to win the ad back. So if the current bid is sitting at $0.05 and you bid a max of $0.06, you could win the ad slot. But if the current ad actually has a max bid of $0.10, then the system will automatically increase the other ad to $0.07 to beat your bid of $0.06. You lose because they have a higher max than you do. Does that make sense? Hi Rico,

I haven’t actually advertised my own sites on PW yet, but I think what you’re seeing is a function of the auto-bid system. From what I can tell the infinite auction works like eBay. You set a max bid for an ad. The system will bid the lowest amount it needs to in order to win the bid for you. If you are outbid, it will automatically increase your bid, up to your maximum bid, to try to win the ad back.

So if the current bid is sitting at $0.05 and you bid a max of $0.06, you could win the ad slot. But if the current ad actually has a max bid of $0.10, then the system will automatically increase the other ad to $0.07 to beat your bid of $0.06. You lose because they have a higher max than you do.

Does that make sense?

]]> By: Rico Zuniga http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-31 Rico Zuniga Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:45:32 +0000 http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-31 I just started using PW for advertising my shareware game and I personally found the bidding system to be a bit suspicious. For example, I started advertising on this site with a stable $.05 bid. As soon as I put my ad on the site the minimum bid rose to $.10 in less than half a day! Note that the other ads in the site look like "generic" ads I see on other unrelated sites with low bids (and they stayed even after the increase in the min bid). So I just canceled my bid in frustration, I'm not getting any incoming traffic anyway. The funny thing is, the bid again stabilized at $.10 after I opted out.. What do you think? Are those "generic" looking ads some kind of bots? And when a "real" advertiser puts his ad a "bidding war" system is triggered? Am I just imagining these things? Or... I may simply be frustrated to be constantly outbid by other advertisers... I just started using PW for advertising my shareware game and I personally found the bidding system to be a bit suspicious.

For example, I started advertising on this site with a stable $.05 bid. As soon as I put my ad on the site the minimum bid rose to $.10 in less than half a day! Note that the other ads in the site look like “generic” ads I see on other unrelated sites with low bids (and they stayed even after the increase in the min bid). So I just canceled my bid in frustration, I’m not getting any incoming traffic anyway. The funny thing is, the bid again stabilized at $.10 after I opted out..

What do you think? Are those “generic” looking ads some kind of bots? And when a “real” advertiser puts his ad a “bidding war” system is triggered? Am I just imagining these things?

Or… I may simply be frustrated to be constantly outbid by other advertisers…

]]> By: Yvonne http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-30 Yvonne Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:41:39 +0000 http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-30 Funnily enough, your question is answered right in the post. Did you read it? Funnily enough, your question is answered right in the post. Did you read it?

]]> By: James http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-29 James Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:38:39 +0000 http://www.facesofyve.com/advertising/project_wonderful_google_adsense/#comment-29 If it is so wonderful, why do you have adsense plastered all over this post? If it is so wonderful, why do you have adsense plastered all over this post?

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