OpenX Tips

OpenX have announced a security vulnerability in version 2.8.2 of the OpenX ad server.

If you are running OpenX 2.8.2, you should immediately update to OpenX 2.8.3, or follow the instructions from OpenX, to remove the vulnerable files from your OpenX ad server installation.

Last month, OpenX announced a partnership with Microsoft. But what does this partnership mean for small publishers?

The OpenX blog post announcing the deal says that there are two main parts to the deal:

“First, it will help us enable more online businesses to grow by exposing our advertising technology to more potential customers via the referral arrangement with Microsoft.”

This is good news for OpenX — hopefully, the promotion of the OpenX ad server to Microsoft’s clients will increase the number of large publishers using OpenX, which in turn should mean that OpenX continues to grow. This is important for small publishers, as OpenX needs to succeed as a company if it is to continue to develop the OpenX platform, and continue to release updates to the open source OpenX ad server.

“Second, the Content Ads component of the partnership enables us to make another revenue option easily accessible to OpenX publishers. By integrating Content Ads into the OpenX Market, it will become another buyer competing for your inventory. We will also build a plugin for the ad server that will make it easy to sign up and use Content Ads.”

The second part of the deal actually consists of two parts.

Firstly, Microsoft, through their Content Ads program, will participate in the OpenX Market, as a supplier of advertising/buyer of inventory. This should mean more opportunity for OpenX users to sell their inventory in the OpenX Market, which should mean better income for OpenX publishers.

Secondly, OpenX will be building a plugin for OpenX, to make it easier for publishers to sign up to the Microsoft Content Ads service as publishers¹.

However, the OpenX blog post and press release doesn’t say if Microsoft are already participating in the OpenX Market, or when the plugin for OpenX will be available. So, The Guru wrote to OpenX CEO Tim Cadogan, to try and clear up the situation:

The Guru: Are Microsoft Content Ads already in the OpenX Market? Will Microsoft Content Ads be treated specially in the OpenX Market (e.g. separate reporting)?

Tim Cadogan: Not yet. They won’t be treated specially, they will compete in the same way as everyone else.

The Guru: When is the Content Ads plugin expected to be released?

Tim Cadogan: We’re working together with Microsoft on timing for that. Stay tuned.

So, it sounds like the OpenX/Microsoft deal is a work in progress, and hopefully, we’ll be hearing something from OpenX very soon to announce the start of Microsoft’s participation in the OpenX Market, and the release of the Microsoft Content Ads plugin for OpenX!

1. Assuming they are US-based publishers, of course! [↩]

Great news! Erik Geurts and Matteo Beccati have combined forced, and released a patch for the contract campaign under-delivery bug in the OpenX 2.8.2!

You can find the patch attached to OpenX bug OX-5839.

Last week, long time OpenX consultant (and all round nice guy) Erik Geurts put up a blog post discussing the issues that people seem to be having with OpenX Hosted.

If you’ve had issues with OpenX Hosted, go and let Erik know about them! The Guru has been tracking issues with OpenX Hosted on this site for a while, but unfortunately, most of the forum posts that are tracked promise updates soon, with no resolution forthcoming, and no update on when we can expect fixes.

If everyone with genuine bugs and performance issues on OpenX Hosted lets Erik know, maybe he’ll be able to present the information to OpenX, and hopefully some good will come of it!