Exposing Content Bidding via the API in January

As some of you have heard, we released a new feature in AdWords last week that enables advertisers to place content-only bids for ads that will run on the Google content network. You can read more about content bids on the Inside AdWords Blog or on the AdWords Help Center.

We had planned to expose this function via the API this week. However, based on developer feedback, we've decided to delay the release until mid January (so as not to introduce large changes in the middle of the busy holiday shopping season).

In early January we will update you on the timing of this release and provide an advance copy of the WSDL at least one week before the launch.

--Patrick Chanezon, AdWords API evangelist

AdWords API Terms and Conditions: Thank You for the feedback

Thank you all for your feedback on the recent changes to the AdWords API Beta terms and conditions. We have been collecting your comments over the last few days, and we plan to review them alongside our policies over the next few weeks.

The new terms and conditions seem to cause some concern for developers of open source and commercial third party tools, and we want to address these concerns.

We will have more specifics for you in the coming weeks once we have had a chance to thoroughly discuss your feedback.

--Patrick Chanezon, AdWords API evangelist

AdWords API Announcement: Updated API Terms and Conditions

As part of our ongoing effort to improve the Google AdWords API beta program, we've recently updated our Terms and Conditions. For example, we’ve updated the sections that define token ownership and usage in order to ensure that quota allocations are distributed equitably based on spend.

Unfortunately, for legal reasons, we cannot interpret these changes for you. However, we have hosted a temporary copy of the old document in the event you would like to interpret the changes for yourself (this temporary copy will be removed on December 15, 2005). For your reference, some of the more extensive modifications were made to: section I; section II(1) and II(2); section III(1) and III(2)(b); and section IV(6).

Per both our past and current terms and conditions, Google retains the right to modify the terms and conditions at any time. Therefore, continued use of the API means that you accept these terms. You can refuse to accept the terms by ceasing to use the API.

Thank you for your continued support of Google AdWords and the AdWords API.

Sincerely,
The Google AdWords API Team

Confirming Changes to the TrafficEstimatorService

Just a quick post to close the loop and confirm that the changes we announced on October 31 have gone into effect. The new service is live and the Developer’s Guide has been updated accordingly. For more information on this change, please read our October, 31 post entitled “Announcing Changes to the TrafficEstimatorService”.

Also, we’ve taken this opportunity to release a new getFreeUsageQuotaThisMonth method within InfoService. Designed specifically for AdWords Commercial Developer Program participants, this new method retrieves this month's free usage quota for the developer token being used to make this call. For those not enrolled in the AdWords Commercial Developer Program, this value will be identical to that returned for getUsageQuotaThisMonth.

--Patrick Chanezon, AdWords API evangelist