Re: Are banner ads acceptable on licesnsed databases?

["Dana Bostrom" <bostrom@u.washington.edu>]

You were not specific in what type of ads are included.  Third party banner
ads -- advertisers like Nike or Tower Records, for example, may be different
from a journal or the University itself placing ads on the database.

If companies who sell databases want to include ads from outside third
parites that the licensee's users will see, the company should pay the
licensee for access to their users and give the licensee the content -- that
channel of people who will see the ads.  As most licensee's users are well
defined, and have specific needs which are well known (i.e. students who
need certain services), advertisers could have access to a great market.

In addition, concerns about authenticating users, making sure there's only a
certain type/number of people seeing it, etc. should fall away.  The
advertisers would be lucky for a variety of people to see it.  Otherwise,
the licensee should have a fair amount of control over the environment that
their users see, and should be able to block ads.

My 2 cents --

Dana Bostrom
*************************************
Software Technology Manager
Office of Technology Transfer
University of Washington
PH: 206.616.3451 FAX:206.616.3322
bostrom@u.washington.edu


> Colleagues,
>
> I need your opinion. An online database vendor has asked me if librarians
> would accept or object to their placing banner ads, visible to library
> patrons, on licensed databases hosted by their company?
>
> What would be your reaction? Not care; accepting; would cancel the
> subscription or?  I take it that they feel they could charge lower fees if
> they had the additional revenue from the ads.
>
> What's your feeling?