• by Raman Bhatnagar , October 21, 2014

Facebook’s newly relaunched “Atlas” ad server is causing a stir in the publishing community, and with good reason. With Atlas, marketers can place ads all over the Web – not just on Facebook – using audience targeting data that Facebook captures from across the Web, including from unwitting publishers.

For publishers this should be yet another wake-up call. Maybe after years of shying away, it is finally time for publishers of all sizes to address the data threat/opportunity head on.

For Facebook, Atlas is another great revenue generator. It moves them closer to becoming a Web-wide ad platform like Google. But Facebook’s gain is the publishers’ loss. By adding Facebook scripts to publisher sites (either through Facebook directly or through other third parties like AddThis), publishers are essentially handing over the keys to the kingdom.

They are giving away their data so Facebook can sell targeted ads. By completely removing the publisher from the value chain, Facebook makes a commodity out of the publishers’ targeting capabilities and significantly diminishes their value.

Let’s be clear – this isn’t a novel idea.

Google, AddThis and a number of ad networks do this already, so why all the fuss? With more players grabbing precious user data, it’s time for publishers to take a stand. Media companies need to take back control of their data and even up the odds. For example, publishers can use data to their own advantage to offer premium targeting and improve engagement levels through content personalization – the opportunity that Facebook has seen exists for publishers too.

OK, I hear you, it’s time to start taking data seriously, but where does one start? Here are some suggestions for publishers:

• Conduct a complete site audit to see who is accessing data from your site – those cute little social-media buttons on your site are grabbing data, even when no one is liking or sharing the content
• Determine which third-party scripts can be removed without hurting the visitor experience, or buy/ build similar tools that prevent third parties from grabbing the data
• Learn how to use big data to your own benefit for targeted content and advertising

By maintaining better control of data and removing Facebook and other third-party entities from their sites, publishers also regain control of their content. The data gathered from user activities on any online device offers information about how content is being consumed and what is popular – and can be used to give these audiences precisely the content they are looking for. It’s not a scary proposition.

Publishers don’t need deep technical skills to simply remove competitor scripts from their own sites completely – or at least limit scripts so they only share data when a user actually “Likes” or “Shares” an article.

The result is the publisher can charge premium pricing for very specific targeting. Give up that specific targeting data, and it quickly loses its value.

One resource comes from the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), whose free tool makes it easier for publishers to separate themselves from third-parties. The Automated Content Access Protocol (ACAP) developed by the publishers’ group is a global permission tool that allows publishers to maintain full control of how and by whom their online content is exploited.

Publishers: Think long and hard about whether social-media scripts are worth the financial/data loss for your sites. The data that publishers inadvertently let slip through their fingers is rich with insights that can help segment and target audiences to recapture lost ad revenue and command higher ad prices with better targeting.