Microsoft Opens MSN Pages to adCenter, Launches Tafiti Search Beta

  • by August 23, 2007
Microsoft said it will upgrade adCenter on Aug. 29 to allow users to place targeted ads on Microsoft Network (MSN) content pages for the first time, starting with Tech & Gadgets, Money, Real Estate and Windows Marketplace. "Over time, we will introduce the rest of MSN, other Microsoft-owned properties, and premium partner sites," Microsoft said in a blog posting.

The software giant also launched a beta of Tafiti, which combines the Silverlight rich media plug-in application with Live Search capabilities to create a new search "front-end" that is "designed to help people use the Web for research projects that span multiple search queries and sessions by helping visualize, store, and share research results."

The inventory being sold through the new Microsoft Content Ads has previously only been sold through the MSN sales team at premium pricing. Once adCenter users upgrade to the new product, their campaigns will automatically expand to include content distribution, and they will be able to select where the ads get distributed (on search pages or the new content pages) and how much they pay per click. Users also have the option of upgrading without the content option.

Once a search is conducted, Tafiti provides five shelves on the right side of the screen where associated results can be dragged and stored. Items on shelves can be saved for future reference if the user signs in with a LiveID.

There's also a "Tree View" option, which provides a tree-based visualization of the search results

Tafiti uses Silverlight 1.0 RC and AJAX to provide rich, cross-platform user experiences for multiple browsers on both PC and Mac users. It leverages the following Microsoft services on the backend:

  • Live Search for Web, Books, Blogs, News, and Images
  • Live ID
  • Live Spaces.
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