ads

In the wake of YouTube's rollout of a new format, some readers have found it difficult to find them.

In the interest of providing a full understanding of how the ads look and work, I've included four videos that feature ads provided to CNET News.com by Google. After watching you can go to this poll and give your opinion of the commercials.

Remember, you have to wait 10 seconds before the ads appear.

Warner Album Browser running on WMG video

Fox Simpsons running on WMG video

NewLine's Hairspray running on Ford Models

BMW 3-Series Convertible running on KillswitchEngage video … Read more

It's very hard to earn billions of revenue and profit each year. Painful, even! Or so the San Jose Mercury News would have us think about Google. It's hard to be successful!

I assume that Google would rather be in this position than in the alternative position: no one cares about your product/service enough to sue you, reverse engineer you or bother in any way with you.

Google, being successful, has the opposite problem:… Read more

The free spyware-removal software Ad-Aware 2007 helps protect your system from browser hijackers, data miners, and other malware, but it can also wipe your Web surfing tracks for Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera with just one click. Rich DeMuro shows you how it's done.

So, you want to work for Google but you don't have a graduate degree in computer science from an Ivy League school. How about being a Google local search ads sales rep contractor? As such you can earn up to $10 for each business listing that is approved by Google and verified by the business.

According to the FAQ on Google's Web site:

"As a Google Business Referral Representative, you'll visit local businesses to collect information (such as hours of operation, types of payment accepted, etc.) for Google Maps, and tell them about Google Maps and … Read more

If there's one thing that the Black Hat 2007 conference in Las Vegas taught CNET Senior Editor Robert Vamosi, it's that criminals hackers, forgers, and malware chefs are getting more creative in their villainy, not less.

While stocking up on quality security software is an advisable method for keeping your distance from boogie-man code, the antivirus and removal applications are a lot more effective when used correctly. Some programs, such as Hijack This and CCleaner, benefit from deeper instruction; that's where CNET Download.com's security center steps in. Here you'll find guides for getting started … Read more

Apple's iWeb, one part of the iLife consumer apps suite, has received an interesting update this morning. iWeb is Apple's consumer-level Web site creation tool, and it gives users a simple way to drag and drop various Web site elements as well as fill in the included templates. The latest version is getting integration with two of Google's services: AdSense and Google Maps. iWeb users can now sign up for AdSense right inside the application, and pick how they want it to show up on their site. From the looks of the screenshots, it's much easier … Read more

The overall industry average click fraud rate--which represents the number of clicks on online pay-per-click ads that are not legitimate--has jumped, according to a new report from search engine marketing firm Click Forensics.

The overall click fraud rate was 15.8 percent for the second quarter, up from 14.1 percent from a year ago and 14.8 percent from the previous quarter, Click Forensics said. The rate for pay-per-click ads appearing on search engine content networks, such as Google AdSense and the Yahoo Publisher Network, was 25.6 percent, up from 21.9 percent for the previous quarter.

The … Read more

Google's Print Ads program, which lets companies use its Web-based interface to buy ad space in U.S. newspapers, must be going well. The search company is opening the service up to all of its U.S.-based AdWords marketers.

Google launched Print Ads in November as part of a test involving 50 newspapers and a "small group" of advertisers. Now, more than 225 newspapers with a combined circulation of nearly 30 million are involved, as well as potentially tens of thousands of Google advertisers.

Separately, Google says it has renewed its agreement to provide search and … Read more

Microsoft's adManager beta search advertising service currently enables small businesses to buy keywords on Microsoft Live Search and MSN. Now, adManager will also allow customers to buy keywords on Ask.com and manage the pay-per-click ad campaigns through one interface. AdManager is an upgrade service that's part of Microsoft's Office Live set of small business services.