Adwords SLA
MK
for advertisers to advertise. They charge handsomely for this service.
Other services in the technology sector that provide services are web
hosting companies, colo facilities, etc. Just as with Google, we pay
them for a service we receive.
The difference is - competition in hosting is so fierce, we demand
[and deserve] Service Level Agreement, that if aren't met, have
reprecussions for the service provider. This is fair, since lack of
service [unplanned downtime, etc] costs us, the customers, real money.
At this point, Google can be viewed as a (the?) major player in an
Oligopoly. Sure, there are other major search and advertising solution
providers out there, but just as Microsoft can be deemed a member of an
oligopoly, so, too, can Google.
The point is, with the introduction of advertising networks from the
other big search engines, maybe Google (which happens to be my personal
preference for search, among other services) could step up to the
challenge by providing us with an SLA. If for any reason we cannot
access our advertising campaigns - via the web-based interface they
provide, or via the API - there is huge potential for great losses in
revenue, sales, and cold hard cash.
Little Timmy and his home based hosting company, that's on a dedicated
box at a small datacenter in middle America can provide an SLA and
stick to it.... shouldn't we expect the same from a company with
resources that trump most (all?) other internet-related businesses?