Google AdSense has new controls of interest to skeptics

I’ve written before about the problems skeptics have with contextual ads on their sites. Most skeptics would love to get paid for producing blog content, but many object to sometimes becoming a medium for advertising the very thing we decry. I expressed the opinion that we all need to chill out a little bit on this issue.

Skeptics who have avoided putting advertising on their sites because of this problem might want to take a second look at Google AdSense this month. They have rolled out a new beta interface that contains new controls over ad placement that might help solve these problems for you. More after the jump.

Yes, contextual advertising is full of woo-woo. Get over it already.

The reason that Google is taking over the known universe (instead of Skynet) has a great deal to do with their inventions in the areas of advertising. They have a stable of advertising products with spiffy names like AdWords and AdSense. Millions of dollars flow through these programs every month. The ads sometimes seem ubiquitous.

Advertising on skeptic websites can present interesting problems. In order to understand why this is, you need to understand how contextual ad placing works, and how that interacts with what we do. Read on.