• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, November 6, 2008

To prime the discussion for this afternoon’s “Roll Your Own Network: Enter the Ad Exchange” panel at OMMA Ad Nets, moderator and Revenue Science, VP-Marketing Marla Schimke, got things going by, what else, citing some research. She polled some people in the industry to find out how many knew the difference between an ad network and an ad exchange. The result: “Over 58% did not know the difference,” she said.

So what’s the difference? Well, you should have sat through the panel to find out the exact nuances, but the bottom line consensus seemed to be that an ad exchange is a “technology platform” with which intermediaries (including ad networks) use to exchange online inventory, and an ad network is an organization that utilizes those platforms to create vertical networks of relevant audiences for advertisers and agencies to buy from publishers.

“If you used a financial model,” said panelist and Yahoo VP Ramsey McGrory, “Nasdaq is the platform model. Goldman Sachs uses he platform to transact.”

Well, in light of some recent financial industry developments, Goldman Sachs may not be the best example, but you get the idea.