Backstage Pass- An Interview with Gabi Peles, Kontera’s Senior Product Manager
By Mika Tal
Welcome to the first in a series of interviews exposing Kontera from behind the scenes. In this series, we hope to achieve an inside look at Kontera’s services, products, and developments, from those who know it best, the people working day by day to push Kontera’s backstage happening.
Kontera’s Product UI
Gabi Peles is in charge of the overall management of products and services that define the meeting point between publishers and Kontera. Whether in the office or outside, Gabi loves a good challenge. In his spare time you’ll often find him engaged in a favorite hobby, kite surfing; we get worried so he usually doesn’t tell us beforehand 
An interview with him reveals some exciting upcoming developments in Kontera’s products and publisher services:
- What is Kontera’s guiding principle in terms of developing a new product/service?
We put the user experience at the center. This means that we base any product development with the aim to meet the needs of the publisher.
This has to do with the central part of our development methods. When we plan and think a product, we make every effort to see from a user’s point of view. I believe this is the strength of ContentLinks™ and where it is crucial for us to stress our added value as a network. - How do you obtain information on publisher needs?
Kontera’s network of publishers includes publishers of all sizes, from established websites to popular blogs and forums. The wide range of segmentation allows us to familiarize ourselves with different environments and subsequently to develop solutions for various publisher needs. It’s a stage for dynamic interaction with a variety of fields and the challenge is in meeting diverse needs. - What would you say was this year’s greatest accomplishment in terms of ContentLinks™ development?
This year was big on relevancy- we reached new milestones regarding our capabilities of matching content with ads. I’m glad to point that our patent pending algorithm has brought ContentLinks™ to a new level of achievement. This is very exciting news since relevant ads and information are ContentLinks™’ core value. - What are some new plans and offerings for publishers?
We are working to enable publishers more flexibility and greater control over their personal accounts. This will be expressed through added features and options of our ad layer. In the near future, publishers will be able to control many aspects of the product. The next stage will be to allow publishers additional features in multiple areas such as reporting, product visual features, ads, and information. This is a thrilling development that we are looking forward to set in motion. - What do you have to say about Kontera as we look towards 2008?
2008 will be an exciting year. We are always aiming to refine and advance ContentLinks™, and with so many new things planned, it will surely be an interesting and creative time.
