FSK is Investigating Other Ad Networks

AdBrite looks like a straightforward AdSense ripoff. However, I've seen other people using it.

Chikita is another one I've heard. I'll consider that if text-link-ads doesn't go anywhere.

I'm leaning towards text-link-ads, which was what DixieFlatline originally suggested as an alternative to AdSense. I already set that up.

Text-link-ads has a non-compete clause in their clickthrough agreement. I can't participate in similar competing ad networks. That's a reasonable restriction. However, reading the fine print of the contract, the non-compete applies *FOREVER*, even if I terminate my relationship with them. I doubt that's the way they intended it, but you never know. However, I doubt I'd get sued by text-link-ads trying to enforce that.

I liked this article, about text-link-ads getting banned from Digg.

For text-link-ads, I get paid just for hosting the link, and not based on clickthroughs. One appeal to the advertiser is that you're buying PageRank by buying incoming links.

Also, the amount text-link-ads values my site is based on Alexa rank, # bloglines subscribers, technorati rank, and # of incoming links. I haven't put any effort into "gaming" any of those metrics. For example, I could create 30 blogs, have them each link to each other, and my Technorati Authority would rise by 30.

Text-link-ads pays me once I reach $25. With AdSense, I had to earn $100 to get a check (and I never got paid at all).

I guess it depends on "Are people buying the text-link-ads for traffic?" or "Are people buying them for the PageRank boost?"

Some people said "Google trashed my blog's PageRank and SERP once I participated in text-link-ads." When people refer to "SEO", they usually mean "Google".

The discussion of "Google penalizes sites that participate in competing ad networks" sounds a lot like "Google is abusing its near-monopolistic share of the search engine market."

I only need a page eCPM of $2 to make $20/month, which is what I need for hosting costs.

I'll go with text-link-ads for now. I can always change later. (Text-link-ads does require a 30 day notice if you drop out.) Ideally, I'd like to directly sell individual ads.

Text-link-ads has some neat features that are only available if you're using WordPress. You can put links in your RSS feed. You can sell ads for individual posts. That's only an option if your blog is running WordPress. That's neat. On Blogger, I'm restricted to "basic" features.

Text-link-ads appears to work in Blogger by adding their link page as a "RSS Feed". In WordPress, there are more options.

Anyway, it's worth an experiment. My Google AdSense experiment ended abruptly. I'm disturbed at how dependent I am on Google (Google Reader, gmail, Blogger, Google Analytics). The AdSense incident makes me realize that I should make my life more "Google free". The first step is getting my own domain and moving away from Blogger.