Google Talk to Add Contextual Ads to Saved Chats

[rustybrick]

http://mail.google.com/mail/help/chat.html#ads

Are there ads?

There are no ads in your chat sessions or your Quick Contacts list. Once a chat is saved, however, it becomes just like a Gmail message. And just as you may see relevant ads next to your Gmail messages, there now may be ads alongside your saved chats. Ads are only displayed when you're viewing a saved chat, and as with all ads in Gmail, they are matched entirely by computers. Only ads classified as Family-Safe are shown and we are constantly improving our technologies to prevent displaying any inappropriate ads. One of the things many Gmail users have told us is how much they appreciate the unobtrusive text ads in Gmail, as opposed to the large, irrelevant, blinking banner ads they often see in other services, and many have even cited the usefulness of the ads in Gmail.

We joked about this back in May 2004 and named it gIM, who knew it would be named Google Talk.

Can you imagine typing a message to a buddy, asking them if they know of a good place to buy a new laptop. Then suddenly something pos up on your screen, this little text ad by Google recommending laptop stores for you to purchase that laptop.

[GuyFromChicago]

Pretty cool, now all they need to do is allow AdWords users to opt in/out of displaying ads in e-mails & chats and we'll be set