Abstract: A system and method for rating an electronic document such as an advertisement. Rating information is received from one or more evaluators. A signal relevant to a criteria is received and a determination is made whether to deliver the document in response to the signal based on the criteria and the rating information from the one or more evaluators.

Abstract: The performance (e.g., in terms of selection rates, conversion rates, revenues, profits, etc.) of different ad landing pages may be evaluated and compared by (i) for a given ad or collection of ads, serving the ad with the different ad landing pages (e.g., by rotating through the ad landing pages), and (ii) collecting per ad landing page performance information. An authorized user may be provided with such per ad landing page performance information and may designated one of the ad landing pages to be used in future serves of the ad. An authorized application program may be provided with such ad landing pages performance information and may designate one of the ad landing pages to be used in further serves of the ad using such information.

Abstract: Systems and techniques associate one or more dynamic attributes with one or more opportunities representing potential commercial transactions. Each opportunity may include one or more static attributes that are automatically associated with the opportunity. Each opportunity may further include one or more dynamic attributes. Subsequent to their creation, dynamic attributes may automatically be associated with each opportunity, with each opportunity of a particular type, with one or more opportunities meeting a certain criterion, or may be generated by a user for a particular instance of an opportunity.

Abstract: A method is provided. The method includes receiving at a central system advertisement identifiers associated with one or more advertisements, receiving one or more identifiers of web locations to be targeted by the advertisements, receiving one or more non-keyword bids for a display of each of the advertisements, and generating a score associated with each of the one or more advertisements using the non-keyword bid in an advertising auction.

Abstract: A method for receiving processed information at a remote device is described. The method includes transmitting from the remote device a verbal request to a first information provider and receiving a digital message from the first information provider in response to the transmitted verbal request. The digital message includes a symbolic representation indicator associated with a symbolic representation of the verbal request and data used to control an application. The method also includes transmitting, using the application, the symbolic representation indicator to a second information provider for generating results to be displayed on the remote device.

Abstract: Different advertisers that may have different value propositions and that may desire different types of ad spots may effectively participate in an advertising network. An advertiser may express various value propositions using various types of offers, such as offers (or maximum offers) per impression, selection, and/or conversion (or some other user event). Probabilities of events, associated with offers, occurring may be used to allow different advertisers with different value propositions to compete against one another in an arbitration such as an auction. Advertisers may target the serving of their ads to keywords (search and/or content), particular publications or properties, particular vertical categories, other types of ad spots, etc.

Abstract: One or more keywords and/or information about one or more properties may be accepted, and a set of one or more taxonomy categories may be determined using at least some of the keyword(s) and/or property information. Each of the taxonomy categories may be a vertical category, and at least one of the set of one or more determined taxonomy categories may be presented to an advertising user as an ad targeting suggestion. Each of the taxonomy categories may have at least one property (e.g., Web document), that participates in an advertising network, associated with it. An advertiser selection of a suggested taxonomy category may be accepted, the serving of an ad of the advertiser may be targeted to each of the at least one property (e.g., Web document) associated with the selected suggested taxonomy category. An offer for association with the selected suggested taxonomy category may be provided by the advertiser. A set of one or more properties (e.g.

Abstract: An advertiser can request to advertise on a property (online or offline) that does not participate in advertising network. The advertiser may specify how much it would be willing to pay to advertise on the property, among other constraints (e.g., time, geotargeting, etc.) An advertising network or an independent entity can contact the non-participating property, and may include information about the interest that advertiser(s) have expressed in advertising on the property. The information may be some value aggregated over a number of advertisers. The form of the contact (e.g., email, telephone call, in person visit, etc.) can be a function of the level of interest expressed.

Abstract: As online ads are becoming technically and artistically more sophisticated, advertisers will need a way to efficiently request assistance with ad creations that offer richer ad formats. An online ad business environment helps connect advertisers with ad service providers (also called agents or advisors) who can meet their needs for more complex and sophisticated ad creatives. The online ad business network may use a job listing board where advertisers can enter request for assistance and agent can view them. The business network may also include an agent directory where agents can post their profiles and services and advertisers can view them. Using the job listing board and agent directory, advertisers and agent can contact each other through contact operations available in the business network, and enter into business relationships. A payment from an advertiser to an agent may be made via the business network.

Abstract: To help advertisers to manage their online advertising, some business metric, such as ROI, profit, gross profit, etc., may be estimated and/or tracked with respect to an ad campaign, or a portion of the ad campaign. An advertiser may provide a business metric target, such as a target ROI, a target gross profit, a target profit, etc. An ad delivery system may then adjust information in an ad campaign (or a portion of an ad campaign) in an effort to meet the target. Similarly, an advertiser may provide a goal, such as maximizing or minimizing a business metric. The ad delivery system may then adjust information in an ad campaign (or a portion of an ad campaign) in an effort to meet the goal. The targets or goals may be subject to one or more constraints. The advertiser may provide limits on values of one or more business metrics. The ad delivery system may then turn off, or govern, the delivery of ads if the limits are violated.

Abstract: Methods and systems for improving user search experience with a search engine by providing a way for associated users to create and share personalized lists of local search results and/or advertisements through endorsements of such local search results and/or ads. Local search endorsements can be used to personalize the search engine's ranking of local search results by offering a way for users to re-rank the results for themselves and for those who trust them.

Abstract: A system for and method of forming graphical advertisements is presented. The disclosed techniques ensure that the graphical advertisements are compatible with available space and industry-standard sizing. The techniques further allow for insertion of a link into the graphical advertisement, where the link is configured such that an activating user will not receive unwanted material.

Abstract: A system and method for rating a document comprising an image are provided. A document is received for distribution. Rating information associated with the document is received from one or more rating entities. At least one of said one or more rating entities comprises a processor to determine rating information associated with the image. The document is approved for distribution based on the rating information.

Abstract: Ad information, such as ad targeting keywords and/or ad creative content for example, may be determined using aggregated selected document-to-query information associations. For example, popular terms and/or phrases also associated with a selected document may be used as ad targeting keywords and/or ad creative content for an ad having the document as a landing page. Query information may be tracked on a per document level, a per domain level, etc. The determined ad information may be used to automatically populate an ad record, or may be provided to an advertiser as suggested or recommended ad information.

Abstract: A system and method for rating an electronic document such as an advertisement. Rating information is received from one or more evaluators. A signal relevant to a criteria is received and a determination is made whether to deliver the document in response to the signal based on the criteria and the rating information from the one or more evaluators.

Abstract: A system and a method are directed to targeted graphical advertisements, which may involve identifying a graphical advertisement associated with an entity (e.g., advertiser); associating one or more concepts with the graphical advertisement; receiving a request for an advertisement associated with a concept; and delivering the graphical advertisement associated with the concept, wherein the graphical advertisement is positioned for display based on a ranking among advertisements for the concept, the ranking being based at least on a price parameter amount offered by the entity.

Abstract: The usefulness, and consequently the performance, of advertisements are improved by allowing advertisers to better target their ads to a responsive audience. End user local time information, such as at least one of (a) a local time-of-day, (b) a local time-of-day range, (c) a local date, (d) a local day-of-week, (e) a local date range, (f) a local day-of-week range, and (g) a local season, is determined (or simply accepted) and used. For example, end user local time information may be used in a relevancy determination of an ad. As another example, end user local time information may be used in an attribute (e.g., position) arbitration. Such end user local time information may be associated with price information, such as a maximum price bid. Such end user local time information may be associated with ad performance information. Ad performance information may be tracked on the basis of end user local time information.

Abstract: Systems and techniques associate one or more dynamic attributes with one or more opportunities representing potential commercial transactions. Each opportunity may include one or more static attributes that are automatically associated with the opportunity. Each opportunity may further include one or more dynamic attributes. Subsequent to their creation, dynamic attributes may automatically be associated with each opportunity, with each opportunity of a particular type, with one or more opportunities meeting a certain criterion, or may be generated by a user for a particular instance of an opportunity.