Yahoo’s MyBlogLog AdSense Trojan
Steve Poland figures out the real reason Yahoo’s MyBlogLog provides Google AdSense click tracking. It provides competitive intelligence for the Yahoo Publisher Network.
Coincidentally, MyBlogLog (Yahoo) is also tracking information on Google AdSense — how many clicks Google AdSense ads are receiving (on webpages that have both MyBlogLog and AdSense installed), the ad unit size, and what webpage those clicks occurred. Yahoo doesn’t know the CPC for each of Google’s ads, but they do know the click-through rate (CTR) — and can specifically target high CTR publishers first, with their YPN offering.
No wonder Yahoo paid $10 million for the little widget. It’s a trojan covered in peanut butter. Smart.
YouTube Selects Filtering Software
The Mercury News has learned that Google will use technology from Los Gatos-based Audible Magic. That company’s software was mentioned in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios vs. Grokster ruling as evidence that file-sharing services could keep pirated files off their networks.
While I’m all for stupid media shooting itself in the face, let’s hope it doesn’t splatter blood on smart media. If Audible Magic’s filtering inconveniences legitimate YouTube content publishers in any way, YouTube is in trouble.
