The popular user-voted news site Digg has announced that they will no longer use Google Adsense to display ads on their site. Instead, they have worked out a deal with Microsoft Adcenter that will last at least 3 years.

This is very exciting news for web publishers. The more big names and sites that will use something other than Adsense the better. Hopefully, this will gradually force Google and other online advertising networks to begin to work with publishers on a more level playing field. It’s so disturbing to know that Google still doesn’t even let you know what percentage of the revenue a publish brings to them they are willing to give back to the publisher. I think if publishers new what the split was they would be sick.

It’s not that Google doesn’t offer a great service and opportunity for publishers, because they do.  They have the largest online advertising network and the are terrific at displaying relevant text ads on your pages.  I just wish they would be more open and fair with the publishers and I really believe this will hurt them some time down the road.