The new Google AdSense API

RateItAll.com just sent out a press release titled Online Social Network RateItAll.com Integrates Google AdSense via an API to Deliver Revenue Sharing to its Members. This press release is interesting for three reasons:

• It's dated May 18 but was sent on May 30
• It keeps referring to AdSense as “Adsense” (I hate that)
• There is no word yet from Google on the existence of an AdSense API, though we've had clues about its existence

I don't normally do this, but I've included the full text of the press release at the bottom of this message in case it gets pulled because it was sent out prematurely. The press release does not yet appear on RateItAll's own site, I've only found it on the PRWeb site.

Here's the key phrase from this release:

By leveraging the Google Adsense API, RateItAll has enabled its members to create Google Adsense accounts, earn cash for their content contributions, and track their earnings without ever leaving the RateItAll.com Web site.

That sentence succinctly describes what the AdSense API is all about: it's a way for content-driven membership sites, especially social networks, to allow individual members to drive revenue from their efforts. Unlike Squidoo, which is the AdSense publisher and splits some of its earnings with its members, it appears that the AdSense API allows the individual members to become AdSense publishers in their own right.

RateItAll already lets members insert their AdSense publisher ID into the system and earn money. But they had to leave the RateItAll site to apply for AdSense. Now they don't. I imagine that RateItAll would get a referral bonus at a minimum for this, but I wonder if they also get a kickback based on the new publisher's earnings?

I also wonder if AdSense approval will be automatic for RateItAll members, and members of other sites using the API? Will Google Base offer this as well? And Google Pages?

The entry bar for becoming an AdSense publisher is getting lower and lower. When I joined, you had to have a functioning site with many pages. Then you just had to have a blog on Blogger. Now it looks like you just need an account and maybe one entry (or maybe not!) on a site that exploits the AdSense API.

I'll talk some more about this when I know more. We may get an official announcement shortly. I'm sure JenSense will have the full scoop for us, too.

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Eric Giguere is the contextual advertising expert who wrote Make Easy Money with Google and Uncommon AdSense. You can read this blog by mail if it's more convenient for you, just send a blank email to memwg-blog@aweber.com to subscribe.

Original Press Release

Online Social Network RateItAll.com Integrates Google Adsense via an API to Deliver Revenue Sharing to its Members

RateItAll.com, a leading social network and review community, announces that it has leveraged the just released Google Adsense API to enable revenue sharing for its contributing members.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) May 18, 2006 — Pioneering online community and social network RateItAll.com today announced that it had integrated Google Adsense into its service via an API in order to share advertising inventory with RateItAll members.

By leveraging the Google Adsense API, RateItAll has enabled its members to create Google Adsense accounts, earn cash for their content contributions, and track their earnings without ever leaving the RateItAll.com Web site.

“Several months ago I approached Google about our vision of transforming RateItAll into a marketplace for content in which ad inventory was shared by all contributors,” said RateItAll President Lawrence Coburn. “Not only did Google thoroughly grasp what we were trying to, they had already begun development on the API that would help make this vision a reality.”

The program, called The RateItAll Economy, allows RateItAll members to earn cash for a variety of activities including using RateItAll’s Weblister tool to create and manage their own ratings list, adding a new listing to an existing ratings list, creating a profile with a photo, and referring new, contributing members to the community. Soon, the program will be expanded to allow participants to earn cash for writing reviews.

“I firmly believe that if you are going to build a business based on community contributions, you need to be prepared to share revenue with your contributors,” said Coburn. “The introduction of the RateItAll Economy continues our tradition of leadership by innovation in the peer production space.”

About RateItAll:
RateItAll is a vast ratings community and social network built upon one of the world's largest and most diverse collections of consumer-driven opinions, ratings, and reviews. Visitors to RateItAll can earn cash for their contributions, and using free RateItAll Widgets, can choose from more than 20,000 interactive ratings lists to embed on their personal Web sites. Founded in 1999, RateItAll's mission is to enable the structured exchange of the world's opinions.

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