Up until last week, Google sold text, flash, and image-based online advertising to online merchants and those looking to buy a little bit of search traffic to their websites. This week Google has taken the next step in what they believe is moving-forward and now offers "click-to-play" video ads which are set to show throughout its publisher network (but not its own sites).

Unlike many video ads that automatically play when a visitor goes to a web page, Google's ads will not start until the user clicks on them. Viewers can advance the video, pause it, adjust the volume or click through to the advertiser's site.

Via Google's automated auction system, advertisers will bid on a cost-per-click basis, where they pay when a user clicks an embedded link, or on a cost per thousand impressions (CPM) basis. Fees on a CPM basis are expected to range between $5 to the low double-digits, compared with the current online video prices, which can run as high as $100.

There's no question that video is becoming more and more popular on the Internet as the success of YouTube and viral videos illustrate, however, I'm not yet sold on the fact that video advertising is necessarily the next generation of online advertising.

I mean do people really want to be bothered by video ads? I don't believe they do. I think people want to find the information they are searching for and find it quick... not watch some 15-30 second "online commercial" that may or may not help them in their search.

Does Google believe that people want to see video ads, or that video advertising is even at all helpful to its users? Well, I'm not a spokesman for Google, but I'd say no, they don't. If they did, than one must ask why aren't they placing these ads on their own site (search, local search, maps, news, etc.), instead of just their publisher network? My guess is that Google had discovered during early testing that people aren't all that interested in clicking on video ads as often as is seen with text ads, and their probably not ready to disrupt their gravy-train to know for sure... which by the way pulled in more than $6 Billion last year.

What do you think? Is video advertising the next phase in online marketing?

I just wanted to take a second or two to inform everyone that I have switched my Blog's email distributor from FeedBlitz to FeedBurner. I've been using FeedBlitz to distribute my posts via email for several months now, and even though I had no real problem with their distribution system... it was time to upgrade.

I've been chatting with fellow Blogger and colleague Michael Roebuck, regarding his email distribution system (FeedBurner) for his Blog and found a few characteristics that set it a part from FeedBlitz. Two characteristics, among others, that made the switch-over worth the hassle of doing so were:

1) Readers can now sign-up without having to open an account. With FeedBlitz, readers who wished to receive my content via email had to open a FeedBlitz account, which required a bunch of personal information and setting a login / password. I personally hate having to create accounts for shit like this, and often won't. With that, I no-longer wanted to make future email subscribers go through the same hassle.

FeedBurner offers a 3-click process. First, enter your email address and click "subscribe". Second, enter a validation code (to make sure that you're not a robot) and click "enter". Lastly, click an activation link sent via email. Done!

2) I currently use FeedBurner to distribute my RSS Feed, as well as to monitor my Blog's reader/subscriber stats... and it's nice just to have everything under one roof. If you're a Blogger and are not using FeedBurner, be sure to check it out. They offer some very awesome tools for distributing your Blog feed, and now offer the means for email distribution.

So what exactly does all this mean? Well, for those who've signed up to receive my Blog posts via email, this will be the very last email you receive... UNLESS of course you re-sign up. I was able to get in touch with most of my email subscribers last night to warn them of this switch-over, however I couldn't get through to all of you.

Have you seen the recent Dilbert Cartoons? If not, take a moment and check them out... they're pretty funny, and even search related.

For the past week or so (since May 12th) I have been following Dilbert as he develops his own search engine technology, avoids death from a death-ray controlled by Google founders, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Eric Schmidt, and eventually finds out that he is not the owner of his search engine technology, rather his former employer is. Tough break!

Have a look:

Disclaimer: Dilbert Cartoons are a copyright of Scott Adams, Inc./Dist. UFS, Inc.. For more information on Dilbert Cartoons or their copyright please visit the Dilbert Website.

A "thanks" goes out to Jessica for directing me to these cartoons.

With that... what is your favorite comic strip/book?

It's no shocker to anyone following the Pay Per Click industry that Yahoo! faces some very stiff competition from Microsoft, which launched its new AdCenter system in the United States a few weeks ago, and Google, which has the largest share of the search ad market. Simply put, Yahoo! is a bit behind, and now seeks to catch up.

This past week Yahoo! announced their plans for implementing a new ad system, which is said to offer enhanced ease of use, advanced testing features, geo-targeting, and automated analytics. Yahoo!'s new ad system, scheduled to launch in the third quarter, is designed to let marketers target prospective consumers not only by the search terms that people use, but also by their demographics, location, and most importantly what they do on other areas of the Yahoo! network.

That's right, Yahoo! plans on leveraging its millions of registered users and broad network of services to improve its advertising sales. There are so many things a person can do on Yahoo!'s network with a Yahoo! ID, and with that there is so much the network can tell Yahoo! Search Marketing about each of its users. The new ad system will allow Yahoo! to analyze its users, based off of information found on its network, and then distribute advertisements according to each user's intent to buy products and services.

For instance, if a registered Yahoo! user were to search "things to do in Illinois", Yahoo! Search Marketing will now be able to consult with its network sites such as Yahoo! Travel, learn that this user is planning a trip to Chicago, and thus provide him/her with advertisements tailored to Chicago, Illinois... instead of say Springfield, Illinois.

A great idea if you ask me.

There are 2 facts to consider. One... online advertising is estimated at more than $30 billion a year and growing, and two... Yahoo! has more users than any website on the net. This new kind of advertising targeting, if harnessed correctly, will outdo every other PPC advertising model available and deliver relevant advertising better than keyword searches ever could.

We are no doubt seeing the beginning of what we can expect in the future from PPC search advertising and individualized / personalized searching. I just never would have thought that it would have come from Yahoo!. Kudos to you, Yahoo!.

I want to take a quick second and give a shout out to my good friend Drew Solorio who, just this past Saturday, graduated from college. Drew attended the University of Dubuque in Iowa and received a Bachelors Degree in Computer Graphics and Interactive Media.

Congratulations Bro!

As with most graduates, Drew is on the market looking for just the right employment opportunity and I, the good friend that I am, figured I would lend a helping hand with getting his name out there.

Drew is a very creative individual with design talents that go far beyond just about every artist I know... and that's saying a hell of a lot! I can personally vouch for this man (not that his work doesn't) as I have worked with him on a variety of different projects... some even going back to our days at High School.

One of Drew's strongest characteristics as an artist is his amazing ability to conceptualize an idea and follow through with it on so many different mediums, including those of the non-computer nature. This is where I feel many designers lack as most are limited to either "computer graphics" or "by hand" methods.

So... if your company is like most SEM/SEO/Web Design companies, and is looking for fresh, new talent for your Graphic Design, Web Design, and Multi-Media divisions, why not take a closer look at my friend Drew. As ShoeMoney would say... He has the skills to pay the bills!

For more infomation, check out Drew's newly published Website. Please note that it may not be 100% complete at the moment, but he does provide a small portfolio as well as his contact information.

So I finally got around to purchasing and thus reading "The Google Story", a book written by David Vise which takes readers inside the creation and growth of Google. I must admit that I enjoyed it very much.

I've wanted to pick up this book since its release in November of 2005, but like with most things, I knew that I wouldn't have time to give it my full attention. Since my girlfriend Jackie has recently been traveling up and down the state like hell to follow up with job opportunities, I was able to find more than enough time to soak in the 26 chapters and 317 pages while riding shotgun. Hey, it sure beats staring at the same cornfield/farm scene on every trip.

Obviously, the book didn't tell me the secrets of spamming my way to the top of Google's search results (I've got plenty of other resources that help do that), but, it did help me to understand how Google came about and why the search giant is the hottest leading business, media, and technology success of our time... which is information that I didn't previously know.

The book's chapters cover, in great detail, such stories as to how Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Google's co-founders) met, the days leading up to Google's billion dollar IPO, and everything in between. The book even makes mention of Google's future plans for expanding into the fields of biology and genetics (being able to search your genes via the Google search engine) and how Google's very own Matt Cutts became known as the "Porn Cookie Guy".

One of the best parts of the book was learning that Larry, Sergey, and the Stanford University attempted to sell Google's search technology (before they turned it into a search engine) to Yahoo!, but were turned down. Here's a snippet from the book:

To think that Yahoo! actually had a chance to own such great search technology and at the same time could have stopped Google from ever existing is truly amazing. What's even more amazing is learning that Yahoo! actually turned them down. According to "The Google Story", Yahoo! had rejected the purchase because they wanted users to shop, view ads, check their email, play games, and spend more money and time on their website, rather than less. Seeing how Google's search engine was designed to provide users with fast answers to their questions, it was apparent to Yahoo! that they could not benefit from Google's search technology. Yahoo! is no doubt still kicking themselves in the ass over this mistake.

Well, if you interested in learning more about Google, a company who's stock is worth more than Disney's and General Motor's combined, who's staff eats for free in a dining room that used to be run by a former chef for the Grateful Dead, who's employees travel their colorful Silicon Valley work campus on scooters and inline skates, and who's mantra is simply "Don't Be Evil" than check out "The Google Story".

A few weeks back I posted a review of Calipers, a screen-sizing tool created by Iconico, and now I'm back today with yet another kick-ass tool. The tool is called ColorPix and it was created by a company called Color Schemer.

Like with Calipers, my colleague Kelly recommended this tool to me long ago and I haven't thought to use or even look for another like it. ColorPix is a useful little color picker that grabs the pixel under your mouse and transforms it into a number of different color formats, allowing users to use that color in their design efforts.

With this tool users can track down the CMYK, RGB, HEX, and HSB values for any color that appears on their computer screen. Simply by activating the tool and placing the mouse over a desired color, users can copy the color and use it in their graphic editors and websites.

Just messing around with it today, I found that Coca-Cola's trademarked color red has the following values.

RGB: 232, 0, 1
HEX: #E80001
CMYK: 0, 100, 100, 9

I also found that Klog green has these values.

RGB: 10, 162, 50
HEX: #0AA232
CMYK: 94, 0, 69, 36

Here's a quick run down of my favorite features, and those that help it to stand out against similar tools.

Easy Handling: The tool's unique small size, and its ability to stay on-top of all other applications and out of the way make handling the tool very easy.

Color Lock: When hovering over a desired color, the tool's ability to lock-in colors by pressing any keyboard key is very helpful. This function allows users to find a color and preserve it until their ready to use it.

Easy Copy Function: Once a user has found their desired color, they can simply click-on the color value and their ready to paste. This feature helps to speed things up a bit when working in graphic programs such as Adobe's Illustrator and Photoshop.

Magnifier: The tool comes equip with a built-in magnifier and has the ability to zoom in on your screen, thus making it easier for users to snag the color their searching for.

You can download a FREE version of ColorPix on my website. Do so, and let me know what you think of it.

I was Googling "Karl Ribas" today, along with some other keywords relevant to my own marketing efforts, and found that some schmuck company called Communicate 2.com is bidding on my name.

Here's a snapshot of their Google Adwords Ad:

I of all people know that the name "Karl Ribas" is worthless... it hasn't done me a damn bit a good and I've invested in it my whole life. I doubt very much that Communicate 2.com will be having better luck.

I imagine what had happened is that these "marketers" did a little keyword research at some point in time, and according to Overture's Search Term Suggestion Tool the term "Karl Ribas" had shown several hundred searches (which in the real world translates into like 10). They probably figured that they could capitalize on this term and so here they are bidding away.

Here's a tip: Forget my name and buy the terms "Danny Sullivan" and "Bruce Clay"... you'll definitely maintain a better click-through rate.

When I arrived at the office yesterday, I sat down at my desk and found that someone had left me a gift... these really cool looking little wooden clogs with "Klog" engraved on it. It didn't take but a second to come to the conclusion that my colleague and SEO partner Jessica was involved.

Jessica for the longest time has referred to my Blog as the "Klog" simply because it was easier to say and reference than spouting its full name... the Karl Ribas.com Blog. Makes sense, right? Typically we use the term "Klog" internally, but occasionally I'll throw it out here and there within a post. We also use these terms:

Apparently Jessica's brother Chris (aka Guadie), who also happens to work in our office building, went on a weekend trip to Holland, Michigan where he came across the clogs. Upon his sister's request, he picked up a pair and had them engraved.

Check them out:

Their "FREAKIN SWEET"... aren't they? Maybe I should really consider changing my Blog's name to the Klog. Maybe even add a new header graphic with a big wooden shoe. Anybody have an opinion on that? I'd love to hear your thoughts.