Each of these studies is particularly informative in different ways, but they all converge on a clear and sobering fact: we can earn money from online advertising, and our unique online profile, which makes it easy for advertisers to buy ads and target their customers, is what makes that possible.
We can, at least in theory, make a lot more money, especially if we understand how the system works and take appropriate measures to protect ourselves from the enormous vulnerabilities it contains.
How to do it? As always, it starts with some self-education, as with other fields. The classic source for this is Greg Lindsay's excellent article, "7 Must-Read Tech Books for Writers."
That article will guide you to the key documents that will keep you informed about how the digital advertising industry works, what the standard practice is in various markets, and what you can do about the threats.
With Lindsay's help, you'll be able to recognize, understand, and respond to the various threats, both in your own niche and when you visit other markets, like the New York Times or Twitter.
At the same time, these papers will help you expand your market beyond the narrow confines you might choose.
In fact, you might wish to prepare for the questions people are likely to ask you about ads on your Facebook page, or ads you see on your blog or articles on the website of Forbes.com.
Take, for example, what happened to David Rooney. He writes a lot about technology for Forbes, and recently published an article about Google's project to track your online behavior. The implications, he argues, are profound for privacy, and for the advertising industry generally.
What happened next? He was followed by a Google Marketing Communications executive named Jonathan Mildenhall. The result is the story we've just shared with you.
Clearly, how the system works is important to understand, even if you aren't actually planning to run your own ads.
The internet is a competitive market. And as the advertising system changes, it's critical for us to stay in touch with what's going on and to consider changes to our own practices.
After all, you might not know about all the different ad units, or what the possibilities are.
Many people don't understand the basic facts, or have simply been taught to accept whatever they are told. Some people go along with that until they realize how they've been tricked, or tricked others. And some people go along with it because it seems to be working for them, but at what cost?
It is those people we want to warn as well. And if we can do so in a way that reduces the threat to everyone, it's a good thing.
So if you are not using ads and you're willing to understand them, then you have a great chance to make a lot more money from them.
We think you should be very careful, but if you really want to earn big money online, we think you need to know about these threats.
Let us be the first to say, we think the threats are real and we think they should be considered.
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This article was originally published by Business Insider.
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