I had no idea that Real Estate Advertising accounts for 17.7% of all online ad spending and will double by 2010 to 32.1% according to Borrel Associates.

"The “2006 Update: Online Real Estate Advertising” reports that online real estate ad spending has risen less than 4% since 2001. And while the number of homes on the market has increased by almost 41% over the past year, real estate ad spending across all forms of media has remained almost constant at $11.6 billion.

The combination of a saturated home sales market with the decline in print classified ads will cause online real estate ad spending to grow to about $1.7 billion this year, and it will reach about $3 billion in 2010. While spending on online real estate ads increases, the report predicts that the total real estate ad spending will actually drop to about $9.5 billion."

I’m wondering what the online advertising market will look like in 2010 if a third of the advertising is about real estate.   I think that’s excessive.   

I looked at the current offerings for PayPerPost.com – I was curious to see what the fuss was about.

According to Andy Beal:

"As Business Week reports, the new service from MindComet’s Ted Murphy, pays bloggers to write about and endorse products in return for payment by advertisers.

Advertisers pay to post details about their "opportunity," specifying, among other things, how they want bloggers to write about, say, a new shoe, if they want photos to be included, and whether they’ll pay only for positive mentions. Bloggers who abide by the rules get paid; heavily trafficked blogs may command premium rates.

PayPerPost bloggers will not be required to disclose they are getting paid for the post."

I would NOT touch most of the opportunities listed (wife swapping, bubble wrap, fast loan action, match.com, etc), a couple I might have done (ie: Spider Man 3, Blogs in Space) but I’m really not into having someone tell me how I have to write (I’m a real blogger). 

Also, the money stinks (5 – 10 bucks per post) – they have to be kidding!    Try 50 dollars a post – then you might get some traction.   At 5-10 bucks per post who is going to be that interested? 

Not me.  First, not for most ads no matter the price – but if there was something I would have commented on anyway and it would be the same message – maybe, maybe 50 bucks.   I don’t know ….I hate to admit I’d even consider it.   Certainly, If I did accept that money I’d disclose it in the blog post.  I just don’t think anyone is going to pay 50 bucks a post ……but I would not consider it – nor do I think anyone else should – for less.

Five bucks is not worth it…..it’s just not.   Let PayPerPost keept their 5 bucks.

We’ve heard for a while that Google was going to allow some rich media into AdWords - because people respond to pictures vs. a text link by a factor of 4:1 (I have seen this on sites where I have analytics with ClickStream Overlays) – it’s always consistant – 4:1 is the ratio and it’s almost always 4:1, four times more people like to click on a picture link than a textual link.

"Sightings are starting to grow with this new Google phenomenon. Google AdWords with Pictures placed above text."

I would have expected more variety than just one face – like little pieces of artwork next to each ad.   But lets think about that for a second.  

If AdWords had pictures next to the Ads would that not tend to pull attension away from Organic results to the Paid Results?  And if that was the case – could it be that Organic Results will eventually have pictures next to them too?  (lets’ be fair…right?)