Ad-supported extensions

[John]

Does the Web Store allow extensions to be supported by ads? Let's say,
the ads are inserted into the content. It doesn't remove or replace
any existing ads, but it just inserts ads into the content.

Thanks

[Elvie]

Hey John,

While the Chrome web store does allow extensions to be supported by ads, the new single-purpose policy prevents extensions from bundling ad-injecting functionality with the extension’s core functionality.

If you have an extension that you’re looking to monetize, I recommend you check out FairShare. FairShare offers a monetization solution for your browser extensions and apps that complies with Chrome’s web store policies. The publisher platform connects developers with premium advertisers, so that you can monetize your web properties with ads that integrate seamlessly into your user’s natural browsing experience.

You can check out the overview and how it works on our website but in a nutshell:

1. You drive users to co-install the single-purpose advertising Fairshare extension

2. You’ll earn revenue based on the advertisements the user sees and engages with

You can motivate users to install Fairshare based on goodwill, or you incent them by content-locking some of your premium content or features so that they can only be accessed by users that have Fairshare installed.

Check it out and let me know what you think!  We’re looking for feedback on how we can make our offerings better for users and developers / publishers.

Best,

Elvie

[marc fawzi]

Hi Elvie,

<<the new single-purpose policy prevents extensions from bundling ad-injecting functionality with the extension’s core functionality.>>

The rest of your message is technically opaque pitch. We're all developers here and it would make a lot more sense and you'll get more traction if you simply explain how you get around the single use policy. I looked at your overview and "how it works" but I can't tell how you get around it. Is it by special business agreement with Google? I didn't think so, but why should anyone jump on a platform unless it is clear how it does what it claims? Please explain for the uninitiated.

I think good will only comes from being transparent. There is already a lot of confusion and bad vibe about Chrome Web Store putting extensions in indefinite pending status without any explanation. One could conclude that Google is breaking their claim of an open market.

In plain language, how does your platform go around the single use policy?

Thanks,

Marc

 

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[Don Schmitt]

>>>> The rest of your message is technically opaque pitch

Um...except the "how it works" part that she included which seems to answer your question pretty directly.

The explanation is that they are in compliance because they are providing a separate extension instead of having the functionality bundled into your extension.  Your job is to convince your users to install _their_ extension, and you then receive some share of the revenue generated from their extension.

That sounds perfectly transparent, reasonable, and within the Chrome Web Store policies to me.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/d/msgid/chromium-extensions/CACioZitBZrrMVJxej1nXJXip%3DpEEMr%2BFYecvkVC%3DHr7CUJ_VRQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[marc fawzi]

Don

Your explanation is much more clear to me, but I still have a few questions, and I hope you can answer them.

I couldn't understand that from glancing at the "how it works page" 

I'm still not clear about the following:

Is _their_ extension solely dedicated to serving adds? And is the fact that it has a dedicated function (serving ads) what makes it compliant with Chrome Web Store single use policy? In other words, extensions are rejected if they try to serve ads AND do something else? Or can you clarify?

Also, if you happen to have insight in this matter, are the "pending review" complaints on this list mostly stemming from this single use policy issue? i.e. that developers are bundling ads with their extensions and getting in indefinite pending status as a result? 

 

[Elvie]

Marc - thanks for the feedback. We're definitely looking to be as transparent and clear as possible, so I apologize if that wasn't the case previously. Don, thank you for the helpful clarification!

To answer your follow up questions:

Yes, our extension is solely dedicated to serving ads, and in doing so, abides by the Chrome Web Store single-use policy. We have submitted our product in the store an it has been approved for use. Additionally we have been in communication with Chrome Web store administrators and have explicitly been told that a single-purpose advertising extension for getting around Paywalls is OK.

As you can imagine, I cannot comment specifically as to why a particular extension is "pending review," but we have seen recently that the review process for our extensions have also tended to be longer. Things are getting smoother, though, as you'd expect after initial hiccups following a major policy change get ironed out.

Best,
Elvie

[marc fawzi]

Hi Elvie,

That sounds really good. I'm sorry the "how it works" format didn't work for me. I needed to understand how it complied with the single use policy, right up front, without first getting into how to use it, etc. 

As far as reaching the Chrome Web Store administrators, how did you go about finding out their contact info? I've been looking to establish communication with them in case of any hiccups or requests for clarification and I am sure many will love you if can give us some hints of how we can get in touch with them, too. If you prefer, you can email that info to myself and I'll relay it to each developer who, in the past couple of months, posted a message about their extension being in pending review status for more than a couple of weeks. Or you can post their contact info in reply to this message. Either way, we'd appreciate being able to talk to the people behind the machine.

Thanks and will check out your extension. Sounds like a win-win.

Marc 

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