Shared advertising with virtual worlds

Abstract

A method (400, 500) of advertising. The method can include communicating to a client (106) a hyperlink corresponding to a virtual world (300) and associating with the hyperlink an identifier corresponding to an advertisement (302) to be presented to a user (108) in the virtual world during a user session. The method also can include identifying an identifier (114) corresponding to an advertisement to be displayed in a virtual world during a user session in response to receiving a request (116) from a client identifying a uniform resource identifier corresponding to the virtual world, and presenting the advertisement within the virtual world during the user session. A method (600) of providing financial incentives for advertising can include receiving an advertising activity indicator (120, 122) and processing the advertising activity indicator to determine financial incentives to be provided to an entity associated with the website.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 presenting, by a computing device, an advertisement on a first graphical interface that includes a first link to an application;   presenting, by the computing device, the advertisement on a second graphical interface that includes a second link to the application;   receiving, by the computing device, data indicating that a first user selected the first link to the application;   determining, by the computing device, that a second user did not select the second link to the application;   receiving, by the computing device, data indicating that the first user is interacting with the application;   receiving, by the computing device, data indicating that the second user is interacting with the application;   based on (i) receiving the data indicating that the first user selected the first link to the application and (ii) the first link to the application being included in the first graphical interface that included the advertisement, presenting, by the computing device, the advertisement in the application while the first user is interacting with the application; and   based on (i) determining that the second user did not select the second link to the application and (ii) the second link to the application being included in the second graphical interface that included the advertisement, bypassing, by the computing device, presentation of the advertisement in the application while the second user is interacting with the application.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , comprising:
 based on (i) determining that the second user did not select the second link to the application and (ii) the second link to the application being included in the second graphical interface that included the advertisement, presenting, by the computing device, an additional advertisement in the application while the second user is interacting with the application, wherein the additional advertisement is not associated with the advertisement.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein presenting the advertisement in the application while the first user is interacting with the application comprises providing a uniform resource identifier parameter that identifies the advertisement. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein presenting the advertisement in the application while the first user is interacting with the application comprises providing text that identifies the advertisement. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein presenting the advertisement in the application while the first user is interacting with the application comprises presenting the advertisement at a particular location on an interface of the application. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein presenting the advertisement in the application while the first user is interacting with the application comprises presenting the advertisement at multiple locations on an interface of the application. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein presenting the advertisement in the application while the first user is interacting with the application comprises continuously presenting the advertisement on an interface of the application. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 2 , comprising:
 based on receiving the data indicating that the first user selected the first link to the application, transmitting, to a server associated with the application, data indicating that the first user selected the first link to the application.   
     
     
         10 . A system comprising:
 one or more computers; and   one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
 presenting, by a computing device, an advertisement on a first graphical interface that includes a first link to an application; 
 presenting, by the computing device, the advertisement on a second graphical interface that includes a second link to the application; 
 receiving, by the computing device, data indicating that a first user selected the first link to the application; 
 determining, by the computing device, that a second user did not select the second link to the application; 
 receiving, by the computing device, data indicating that the first user is interacting with the application; 
 receiving, by the computing device, data indicating that the second user is interacting with the application; 
 based on (i) receiving the data indicating that the first user selected the first link to the application and (ii) the first link to the application being included in the first graphical interface that included the advertisement, presenting, by the computing device, the advertisement in the application while the first user is interacting with the application; and 
 based on (i) determining that the second user did not select the second link to the application and (ii) the second link to the application being included in the second graphical interface that included the advertisement, bypassing, by the computing device, presentation of the advertisement in the application while the second user is interacting with the application. 
   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the operations comprise:
 based on (i) determining that the second user did not select the second link to the application and (ii) the second link to the application being included in the second graphical interface that included the advertisement, presenting, by the computing device, an additional advertisement in the application while the second user is interacting with the application, wherein the additional advertisement is not associated with the advertisement.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein presenting the advertisement in the application while the first user is interacting with the application comprises providing a uniform resource identifier parameter that identifies the advertisement. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein presenting the advertisement in the application while the first user is interacting with the application comprises providing text that identifies the advertisement. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein presenting the advertisement in the application while the first user is interacting with the application comprises presenting the advertisement at a particular location on an interface of the application. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein presenting the advertisement in the application while the first user is interacting with the application comprises presenting the advertisement at multiple locations on an interface of the application. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein presenting the advertisement in the application while the first user is interacting with the application comprises continuously presenting the advertisement on an interface of the application. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the operations comprise:
 based on receiving the data indicating that the first user selected the first link to the application, transmitting, to a server associated with the application, data indicating that the first user selected the first link to the application.   
     
     
         18 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
 presenting, by a computing device, an advertisement on a first graphical interface that includes a first link to an application;   presenting, by the computing device, the advertisement on a second graphical interface that includes a second link to the application;   receiving, by the computing device, data indicating that a first user selected the first link to the application;   determining, by the computing device, that a second user did not select the second link to the application;   receiving, by the computing device, data indicating that the first user is interacting with the application;   receiving, by the computing device, data indicating that the second user is interacting with the application;   based on (i) receiving the data indicating that the first user selected the first link to the application and (ii) the first link to the application being included in the first graphical interface that included the advertisement, presenting, by the computing device, the advertisement in the application while the first user is interacting with the application; and   based on (i) determining that the second user did not select the second link to the application and (ii) the second link to the application being included in the second graphical interface that included the advertisement, bypassing, by the computing device, presentation of the advertisement in the application while the second user is interacting with the application.   
     
     
         19 . The medium of  claim 18 , wherein the operations comprise:
 based on (i) determining that the second user did not select the second link to the application and (ii) the second link to the application being included in the second graphical interface that included the advertisement, presenting, by the computing device, an additional advertisement in the application while the second user is interacting with the application, wherein the additional advertisement is not associated with the advertisement.   
     
     
         20 . The medium of  claim 18 , wherein presenting the advertisement in the application while the first user is interacting with the application comprises providing a uniform resource identifier parameter that identifies the advertisement. 
     
     
         21 . The medium of  claim 18 , wherein presenting the advertisement in the application while the first user is interacting with the application comprises providing text that identifies the advertisement.