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Two companies are looking to combine two tech trends -- the growing revenue from Internet advertising and the popularity of Really Simple Syndication (RSS) content distribution -- to open Web advertising to more users.
Search advertising company Kanoodle and content aggregator Moreover Technologies announced today they will partner to provide a self-service, integrated RSS-feed advertising service called BrightAds.
RSS is the primary publishing distribution mechanism for blogs, which have become extremely popular among all kinds of Internet users.
The companies claimed the service would open up revenue-generating advertising to small-scale content publishers including bloggers, who will be able to insert sponsored links into their RSS feeds using the service. Kanoodle, which promises ad relevancy through its topic-based technology, also said publishers could build their audiences using the service.
'Entirely New Model'
The move was described by one industry analyst as significant.
"You're accessing Kanoodle keyword advertising and putting it on Moreover," Basex CEO and chief analyst Jonathan Spira told TechNewsWorld.
Each by itself does "not amount to much," he said, but "when you put them together, it's an entirely new model, which could represent a sea change in how we look at, distribute and pay for content."
Spira, whose New York consulting and analysis firm is publishing a report next month on blogs, RSS feeds and the collaborative Web sites known as wikis, said similar attempts to harness RSS advertising opportunities are likely on the way.
Building Blog Potential
According to the companies, the new RSS service will be part of Kanoodle's BrightAds automated publishing network, which includes BrightAds Content, a monetization tool that maps and serves Kanoodle ads to publishers' content pages. The service will also rely on RSS feed hosting and distribution from Moreover, which announced its FeedDirect RSS Ads service simultaneously.
"By combining Kanoodle's advertiser base and publisher tools with Moreover's distribution expertise, we are enabling more publishers to monetize their quality content while at the same time expanding the reach of their sites," said a statement from Lance Podell, Kanoodle's chief executive officer.
Jim Pitkow, CEO of Moreover, said the deal 
would create "the first integrated RSS feed delivery and monetization service."
RSS Revenue
Basex analyst Spira said although some content publishers are already putting advertisements on blog pages, RSS advertising has the potential to produce revenue more efficiently.
"RSS is a key way of distributing information without requiring the user to understand complicated content publishing," he said. The blog represents "a very malleable Web page" that is ripe for revenue opportunities.
"This creates a level playing field for small content providers," Spira added. "Typically, you have had to bring people back to your site. With this solution, you don't have to bring them back to your site to make money. You're sending the means of monetization over the wire, so to speak, and that's all the difference in the world."
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