Redmond, Washington — Microsoft’s advertising developers have created a new gadget that imitates an analogous feature on Yahoo pages and launches a small window of information when users hover over or click on an underlined word on a Web page. A sneak preview of Microsoft Gaze is now available courtesy of the Redmond company, however the Beta can be accessed only on an invitation basis.
Microsoft’s Gaze is a project developed to empower content owners to add depth to text on websites, enhancing the information available to visitors via links with ad-supported in-line content. Users would be able to make out that a word has a link because either it is underlined or accompanied by a small icon that sits next to the word.
The declared scope of Microsoft Advertising Gaze version: 1.0.0906.00 Beta is to enhance user experience by offering an large volume of data via advertising to websites.
Mario Esposito, a program manager working with the Microsoft AdCenter Labs is offering invitations to the Beta program explains about the service:
“Gaze is a web gadget that offers integrated and contextual information to a user within the context of a web page. The gadget is initiating by the user that clicks or hovers a GazeLink,” Esposito explained. “A GazeInLink is produced through a technology owned and operated by Microsoft AdCenter. A link is inserted within the content of a web page; upon click the GazeLink will link the user to relevant information and offers (ads). GazeLink is relevant to the linked content, the click is initiated by the user, it is helpful for the user who is interested in additional and relevant information and or offers.”
Ads are intermixed within the content in a non intrusive way. They are meaningful to user and related to what the user is reading, Esposito added.
In an example on the blog post, “Madonna” is underlined and, in perhaps an odd error on the blog, a small box with information and links about Jennifer Lopez appears. The feature looks much like one that Yahoo uses on its own Web pages.
Esposito refers to the main Web site for Gaze that simply says: “Something is happening … April 15th — Your ads just would not be the same anymore!” The blog post alternatively refers to the linked word as a GazeInLink or a GazeLink.
It is still not clear if that a link could work both ways or if site publishers have the option to make the links require a click or open when users hover over them.
Publishers who want to try out the gadget can request an invitation to do so.