Monday, November 17, 2008

Adsense, Nonsense and Harris Tweed

Those readers who are still awake may have noticed that I have now introduced adverts onto the main blog following a successful trial on the Daily Photo Blog. You may think that this is a response to the difficult economic conditions, but no, it is all part of a long-term research project. Earlier this year I decided to investigate whether it is possible to make money on the Internet with a minimum of effort (this is all part of a life-long research project to discover whether it is possible to make money from anything with a minimum of effort). For the current stage of research I decided on three strategies for making my fortune : (i) Establishing my own Internet book shop; (ii) Selling advertising space on my various blogs; and (iii) filling in YouGov public opinion surveys. The introduction of advertising on the News From Nowhere blog - via Google Adsense service - is part of the roll-out of the second strategy. At this early stage, I don't want to give any indication of the likely results of the research : I will issue a press release when properly audited results are available. However, I do feel I should comment on the workings of the Adsense service.
It is quite clever really. The computer programme Google uses searches through the blog posting for some key words and then selects adverts which fit in with the identified words. Thus, currently there is an advert for a landscape gardening service following my last posting which commented upon my brothers' garden which has been opened to the public. The relationship is, however, not always that obvious : the advert currently featuring on my Daily Photo Blog is for Pole Dancing lessons. I have spent some considerable time over recent days, searching through past postings to this blog trying to find the link, but I can't. Perhaps if there is no link it is left to my old friend serendipity.
I have to confess that I have becoming addicted to seeing which advert will emerge following each post. It has become a game between me and the Google computer. Today I set it a challenge by incorporating a nice red herring. Whether it is a smoked herring or a herring-bone Harris Tweed jacket I do not know. Let's see what nonsense, Adsense can come up with.

3 comments:

  1. Did you mention dental implants?! Uh?

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  2. Where did the dental implants come from? On my computer Adsense seems to have picked up Adsense! Adverts for Adsense on Adsense is a bit like that trick with two mirrors where you can see into infinity.

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  3. Which is rather like the global financial crisis as far as I understand it. Or should that be the other way around?

    ReplyDelete

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