My Colleague who works at Green Media, Liz Camps, writes about how Google Offers $5,000 Bribe to Rejoin Content Network today - distressing news.

"…Okay, perhaps "bribe" is a strong word. But that's what it felt like to get a recent notice from Google about some - not all - of our client campaigns. The gist of the notice? Rejoin Google's Content Network, and they'll refund you $5,000 of your spend.

Of course if you read the fine print, you'll realize you have to spend $20,000 on the Content Network alone, over 2 months, in order to qualify for the $5,000 rebate."

Liz has some advice on how to get Google to send an offer to rejoin the network (I guess you have to quit first … right?)

"… Opt in to the Content Network before end of March (if you're not already in it).

- A couple of days later, opt out of the Content Network to see if this triggers the rebate offer notice.

- A few days later, if my theory is correct, you'll get an offer from Google AdWords with the $5,000 rebate.

Only take Google up on this offer if you can realistically get good ROI on a $20,000 spend over 2 months (okay it's $15,000 after the offered Google rebate)."

Given some of the lousy content providers that Google has had (I found a load of spam like sites in the past - would not waste running ads on them….except often you don't realize where all your ads are appearing - though I hear Google is changing this to let you know where your ads appear).

Liz Camps thinks:

"…What does this all imply? Google is trying to beef up its Content Network adoption. It won't work for every advertiser, but at least they're trying a little harder to make it a little better. (Which is more than I can say for MSN adCenter, as this gripes thread demonstrates. I believe the jury's still out on Yahoo's content network (YPN) as well.)"

I agree - it's just another tactic Google is using to maintain it's dominance in Paid Advertising.