AdDetector will make sure you never mistake a sponsored story for a real one

#GNN Tech - Sponsored news stories — or what are more politely known as "native ads" are becoming a fixture of the web, yet it isn't always so easy to tell when an article is sponsored.

Google engineer Ian Webster is now trying to solve that problem with a browser extension called AdDetector, which searches out native ads and drops a bright red bar over the top of the page announcing that what you're viewing is a paid promotion.

The extension doesn't work flawlessly, but it did detect most of the sponsored pages that I tested it on. It's been set up to work with a close to 50 sites already, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed, several Gawker Media sites, and two Vox Media sites, including The Verge.

Advertisers are drawn to native ads because they fit in with the rest of a site's content and are, to some extent, less obtrusive.

The problem for news organizations is that, without prominent labeling, sponsored stories can be easily be confused with actual articles from the publication, especially if a reader doesn't know to look for them.

Making the situation worse is that different sites handle labeling in vastly different ways, so it isn't always clear where you should even be looking.

AdDetector's huge red banner probably isn't the solution that any site will decide upon, but it'll certainly make native ads very hard to miss.

VIA ENGADGET
SOURCE ADDETECTOR

Amazon Now Piloting CPM Ads With Select Amazon Associates Publishers

#GNN Tech - #Amazon has launched a display ad network, in the form of Amazon CPM ads, to members of its online affiliates program, Amazon Associates. Select members of the program have recently been invited to test the new advertising option, which will feature both display ads from Amazon as well as other “high-quality” advertisers.

The program is currently in a pilot testing period – some of the Amazon Associates have seen the option appear in their online accounts, while others have not.

Dave Zatz, who runs the popular website, Zatznotfunny.com, was one of the first to be invited to join the program, and blogged about the details, explaining that he has been a member of Amazon Associates in order to post the occasional link to the site or tweet, in order to help generate revenue and endorse worthy products.

According to Amazon’s description of the new CPM ads, the ads are tailored to the user using Amazon’s personalization technology. You’ll be paid for each impression you serve, and you can specify a target CPM minimum. If Amazon can’t meet the CPM target, your ad request will then be “passed back” to your specified ad network.

Zatz tested the new feature for a couple of hours, and found that there were still some kinks to be worked out – there were a few periodic rendering issues where his logo didn’t show, or the ad font settings were inherited by other areas of a page, for example, he says. In addition, Amazon didn’t appear to honor his target CPM ($2).

Unlike Google AdSense, which is primarily pay-per-click, Amazon CPM Ads are impression-based, Zatz also notes in his blog post.

The ads are offered in a variety of formats, including 728×90, 300×250, 300×600, and 160×600, but Associates users are not able to block or choose which advertisers show up on their websites.

CPM payout minimums will be the same as those for the Associates program itself, but will be issued separately from other program earnings, says Amazon, in its online documentation.

The website also confirms that participation in Amazon CPM ads is only available by invitation currently.

Amazon has not responded to our requests for more information on the program or when it would be more broadly available, but if it chooses to do so, we’ll update with those details. However, much about how the new CPM ads work can be found in the Q&A here.

Secret Update Removes Photo Library Access As It Faces Renewed Claims It Isn’t So Anonymous

#GNN Tech - Secret has a new update out for Android, with an iOS equivalent arriving sometime next week. The app changes include the addition of Flickr image search, which requires the “exchange” of the ability to use pics from your photo library, in a move clearly designed to limit users from sharing potentially damaging pics of people they know. You can still take a pic on the fly and share it, but you can’t dip into the archive, which could help stop users from sharing images of their exes in the buff, for instance.

Other updates going out in the new version include the ability to poll contacts via a “Yes or No” poll, as well as more new tools aimed at shoring up the potential for the anonymous social network to do damage to individuals and their reputations.

The analyzing process implemented by Secret to detect names has been improved with the power to detect keyword, sentiment and photos of people who might also be questionable. The app will present its warning when it finds these new types of questionable content, and if the poster proceeds, the post will be flagged for review by Secret to make sure it’s safe.

Secret is also going a step further with its real name policy, and isn’t just warning users against posting, but is actively blocking posts with the names of individuals when it can, and are devoting resources to improving this aspect of its app.

These updates are timely, for a couple of reasons: First, Secret faces legal action in Brazil, where a judge has granted a temporary injunction against it being made available in either Google Play or the App Store. This has resulted in Apple blocking its availability in its mobile software store in order to comply with the order.

The problem in Brazil was sparked by at least one user claiming that pictures of them were shared on the network by an anonymous poster, including their personal details, so the update here seems designed directly to address that through blocking of the camera roll and automatic detection and deletion of real name posts.

Second, Secret faces renewed scrutiny about the actual anonymity of its app after a new Wired report reveals that simple hacks (more like address book tricks) can reveal Secrets attached to a specific address book.

Secret has responded already, saying it has plugged the gap, but the workaround resembles ones we’ve seen before, so it raises the question of whether a permanent solution will ever render posts anonymous in a lasting way. For its part, Secret says these exploits have never resulted in a significant outing of user identity, and they are always addressed as soon as they’re discovered.

The company has been pretty good about responding to issues quickly, which is key as it operates in clearly sensitive territory. The question that remains is whether it can stay out ahead of these recurring issues while also pushing the product forward in a meaningful way.

Amazon Reopens Its AWS Loft In San Francisco

#GNN Tech - Earlier this year, #Amazon opened a space for developers in San Francisco to come and talk to AWS engineers, get training, network or simply hang out.

This “Pop-up Loft” was open for four weeks in June. Today, the company announced that it is re-opening the space this Fall after tweaking the concept a bit to “make it even more valuable for you.”

Back in June, Amazon clearly said that it was only going to keep the original space open for four weeks. This time, it has not announced a closing date, but we’ve asked Amazon for clarification and will update once we hear more.

Similar to the experience in June, developers will be able to go to “The Loft” (not to be confused with LOFT) to get one-on-one help from AWS experts, as well as to learn about AWS through product sessions and to attend instructor-led technical bootcamps at the venue. Amazon will also use the space to give developers access to self-paced, hands-on labs to learn more about AWS.

In the evening, Amazon plans to use the space for networking events and talks from startups. Previous speakers include representatives from Twilio, CoreOS, Coin and Hearsay Social.

Over the years, AWS has expanded into a very complex system and while it’s often easy enough to find more information about it online, that’s not always the best way to learn about the service. With this space in San Francisco as well as its annual re:invent developer conference in Las Vegas and online certification training Amazon has started to address this need.

Developers will definitely appreciate the fact that they can go to the space to get some one-on-one time with AWS engineers. This kind of training is always a major part of re:invent, so it’s no surprise that when it first opened its pop-up loft in June, Amazon’s Jeff Barr called it “re:invent on crack.”