強大競爭對手 -- Google Refferal 2.0

Google Adsense不久前推出新了新的Refferal 2.0廣告機制，這表示所有加入Adsense計畫的部落客也能選擇廣告推薦給朋友了!

轉念一想，那...BuzzShare豈不是玩完了?

雖說台灣地區的部落客還得再等廣告商灑錢(目前可以選擇的廣告數量幾乎趨近於0)，我們還能爭取一點喘息的時間，但這無庸置疑是個重大打擊。

捫心自問：你敢跟Google打對台嗎? BuzzShare還很幼小，卻逃不了現實的殘酷。

算算日子，我們idea最早的書面紀錄可追溯自2006年10月，經微調後於2007年1月測試版上線；兩個月後(2007年3月)Refferals beta問世，2007年6月推出正式版本的Refferal 2.0。在Inside Adsense部落格裡，Google這麼介紹「部落客挑選與推薦廣告」的優點：

While some of you may already be familiar with referrals for Google products, this launch will greatly expand the inventory and functionality of referrals for AdSense publishers. Below we've highlighted a few of the key benefits of referrals 2.0:

• Category and keyword targeting: With thousands of products available, it can be difficult to decide which ads will perform best on your site. That's why we give you the option to refer products by category and keyword. You can narrow down the types of ads you want to display and let AdSense figure out which ones will perform best on your site. Whether you want ads for a specific category, advertiser, or product, referrals 2.0 will give you the control to decide.
  
  
• Ad unit optimization: It can be tricky picking the best ads for your site, so we've included ad unit optimization for referrals. When you create a new referral ad unit, simply select the Pick best performing ads option. We'll then compare your selected ads to other relevant ads, and serve the ads we expect to perform best on your site.
  
  
• Better targeting for pages with multiple themes: With standard contextual targeting, ads may not match up directly with the text around them if there are a number of themes on the page. With referrals, you can select unique 「keywords」 for each ad unit to narrow the targeting directly to the theme you want. Better targeting means higher earnings for your site.
  
  
• Greater compensation for high-quality traffic: Since referrals are paid on a cost-per-action (CPA) basis, your traffic matters. If the traffic you send to advertisers is more likely to turn into a completed sale or lead, you will earn more with referrals.
  
  
• Add your seal of approval: Unlike AdSense for content ads, our program policies allow you to make specific references to referral ads on your site. If you endorse the product that you are referring, feel free to let your users know. By adding your personal review of the products you refer, you can help your users make more informed choices.

意義上，上述的「每一點」都是我們簡報時對創投業者、潛在投資人與合作夥伴提出的重點，強調BuzzShare廣告模式的優勢與特殊的市場區隔。但是，用膝蓋想也知道，擁有有多年經驗的專家們怎麼可能把眼前這幾個小鬼的話當真? 得到的負面反應理所當然地多於正面鼓勵。

雖然我們有可能命不久矣，成為眾多早夭的創業計畫之一，但Google推出Refferal 2.0同時隱含了正面的意義。除了部落客挑選廣告的方向可能正確外，也表示我們的創意在Google內部也能通過層層考驗，變成真正的服務! 甚至可能比Google更早想到這個idea並實作。(真的啦! BuzzShare跟Refferal 2.0最大的差異僅止於付款機制與廣告長相)

當然，BuzzShare並沒有束手就擒的打算，只是想提醒年輕的網路創業家兩點事實：

1. 相信自己的點子，並且及早實做產品 ─ 競爭對手是不等人的。
2. 面對業界有經驗的專家時，言談之間要尊重對方，但切記不一定要照單全收。他們總是以「豐富的經驗」自居，但創新的點子卻難免挑戰舊的方法與習慣。
   

註1：Refferal 2.0僅提供CPA計價，BuzzShare有CPM、CPC及贈品等多種計價機制。
註2：Refferal 2.0的廣告以文字廣告居多，但難保未來不會推出圖片或Flash廣告。