ReveNews
180solutions Code of Conduct
I continue to engage in dialogue with 180solutions as we sort out the SpazBox incident. I have been promised some further dialogue with 180 at the CNET Spyware Conference slated for this week.
They have been forthcoming in providing me with their Publisher Code of Conduct. You can find details on their Code of Conduct here.
In a recent interview with Adbumb I made it clear that I am skeptical of their attempts to reform. Part of the problem facing 180, and many other adware firms, is the issue of distribution. According to the recent Adbumb interview 180solutions admits this is a major obstacle. I note many other obstacles to to adware acceptance in a recent entry which touches upon what I call the Spyware Aggregate Effect, lack of fanbase, merchant acceptance, impending legislation, and lawsuits among other factors.
From the AdBumb Interview:
Daniel Todd, newly named President of Metrics Direct (a 180solutions company focused on the needs of online advertisers) was the first of the 180solutions gang to honestly address the issue of improving the company’s reputation with me. He told me that, “One of the challenges we have…is that last year about 99% of our distribution was not owned or controlled by us. We essentially paid people and contractually obligated them to distribute our applications, give proper notification, do all of the things we expected them to do-and some of them didn’t do it.” It may be a very subtle way of acknowledging a problem, but it’s an acknowledgement nonetheless.
Furthermore, Todd promised that a solution is sight. “Whereas a year ago we controlled less than 2% of our distribution, by the end of this year, we’ll control more than 50 to 60% of our distribution-which is a direct cause of trying to reduce this risk of working with third parties that claim that they’re working in our best interest, when clearly they’re not.”
My skepticism emanates from the elusive 40%-50% of the distribution channel that 180solutions does not control and how aggressively they will deal with rogue distributions in the future. As Internet Pollution and Greynets continue to proliferate I think advertisers really need to think about the Golden Rule.
