You’ve eaten too much…and we know this based on our networks top clicked keywords for the holiday season.

It’s no secret that the holidays were in full force, with words like recipe, meal plan, menu, filling our dinner tables, bellies, and manifesting themselves right on our computer monitors.  With Rachel Ray, surpassing all other big names, it seems we even like our celebs to be all about the food.

Fitness, running , and workout plans are on the top of the list to try to cancel out the excessive eating.  And as we all know, drinking water and watching your nutrition intake will help jump start your diet.

In addition to eating and exercising, we can clearly see that people were traveling in style this holiday season with our travel segment of keywords getting quite a bit of attention.  Looks like chartered yachts, planes, trains, and trails were popular means to arrive at your dream destination–anything from the beach, national parks, campgrounds, hotels, hiking, and luxury cruises.

We will keep you posted on 2010’s top keywords, but with everyone back to their full productivity, be sure to focus on blackberry, iphone, and applications as these are winner keywords from what we’ve seen so far this month.

TechCrunch and Kontera bring Holiday Spirit to the Bay Area with a Private Screening of Avatar.

The popcorn is on us!

Kontera has partnered with TechCrunch to bring a little Holiday joy to the local startup community and to help raise funds for two great causes, the UCSF Foundation and Malaria No More. TechCrunch has organized a private screening of one of the most anticipated films of the year, Avatar.

Local TechCrunch readers have the opportunity to be among the first to see James Cameron’s latest creation compliments of TechCrunch. On your way into the theater, stop by the concession stand for a complimentary bag of popcorn and a cold drink on Kontera, then put on your 3D glasses, sit back and enjoy the show.

For more information on ticket availability check out TechCrunch.  In the spirit of the holidays, TechCrunch is requesting a $5 donation per ticket to help support either the UCSF Foundation or Malaria No More (your choice).

Happy Holidays and we look forward to seeing you at the Metreon.

Michael was first introduced to Kontera in 2007 while working with them at SmartMoney. In October, he became the newest member of the Strategic team where his focus will be on developing partnerships with premium publishers.

Michael grew up in northern New Jersey and attended the University of Maryland (he’s the third MD alum to work at Kontera).  Outside of the office Michael enjoys traveling, surfing, and spending time with family and friends.

What was your role at SmartMoney?

I first joined SmartMoney as their Director of Digital Advertising on the west coast before moving to New York in 2008 to become their Director of Digital Strategy.  In that role I worked as a liaison between ad sales, editorial, and marketing and was responsible for identifying new partnership opportunities with outside vendors.

What was the publication trying to do in terms of monetization and user value? What are the main factors that premium publishers take into account when choosing which monetization strategies to employ?

At SmartMoney’s core, the goal of the site is to be an empowerment tool that enables its users to make intelligent investing decisions.  In that same light, SmartMoney looks to attract and partner with advertisers that can deliver additional value to its audience through the products and services they offer.  These same principles carried over to the decision-making process when determining which vendors to partner with.  Of course, revenue potential was always heavily weighed, but keeping true to user intent was equally as important.  On some level there had to be a benefit to the users as well.  I would say most publishers fall into that same line of thinking when evaluating which vendors to work with.

Why did you look at In-Text Advertising?

We first considered In-Text Advertising after seeing that more publishers (large and small) began adopting the technology.  We also felt that we could have been doing more in terms of working with additional technology providers that could help to further monetize the site – be it with rich media, mobile, behavioral or In-Text advertising.  Ultimately, we decided that In-Text advertising was something we could test without dedicating a lot of time and internal resources.

Why did you choose Kontera?  What separated Kontera’s In-Text solution from other offerings on the market?

The decision to work with Kontera boiled down to a couple of key solutions that we didn’t find were offered from their competitors.  While the revenue was certainly an important motivating factor, we were more so impressed with Kontera’s hybrid unit and its ability to both deliver related content to our users and keep them engaged.  When we first evaluated in-text advertising we did not realize it was something that could actually add to the user experience.  We also were excited about Kontera’s white label solution as it allowed our sales team to go to market with an additional product to sell to advertisers.

From your experience, what “words of wisdom” or recommendations do you have for publishers as they set out on their journey to grow their websites?

I believe the key to growing and sustaining a successful website lies first and foremost with audience engagement.  Does the site keep a constant dialogue going with its users and truly understand their intent?  More importantly, do they provide them with a reason to come back to the site on a daily or weekly basis?  If the answer is no, I don’t think it’s possible to succeed in the long run.  From a monetization standpoint, ad integration that is appropriate and introduced to an audience naturally is not only a good thing for the advertiser and publisher, but something that can end up being useful to the user as well.  At the end of the day, relevancy seems to be the key to keeping both users and advertisers happy (and publishers wealthier).

How did Kontera deliver for you over the years?

While I was with SmartMoney, Kontera provided us with a consistent revenue stream that we could count on month-to-month, as well as top-notch customer support.  We were always impressed with the proactive nature of Kontera’s Publisher Services Team.  Good customer service was not something you could automatically expect from all vendors.

Why did you join Kontera and what is your role with the company?

As a former client and someone who understands and believes in the technology I felt that working at Kontera would be an exciting opportunity for me.  I also felt that I would be joining a great team and a company that was committed to success, while also having fun in the process.  As a part of the strategic team I am looking forward to establishing additional partnerships within the premium vertical and extending Kontera’s contextual advertising technology to the top properties on the web.

The time has come to officially announce the winners of our MVP Awards contest for the best blog posts describing Kontera success stories. We are excited to announce the winners who will each receive an Amazon Kindle: Randy Brown from Grownupgeek.com and Jason Caetano from techsquirt.com.

Randy is a “veteran” Kontera publisher and shares some great tips from his extensive experience; Jason is a new Kontera publisher who shared his outlook on starting out in the blogosphere and why Kontera is a natural fit for techsquirt.com.

Randy made a great point in how Adsense and Kontera make a good match: “Over the last 2.5 years… Kontera has earned right up with, and some times better than Adsense. Kontera has also performed better than other In-Text ad networks I have tested over the years. Those solid earnings combined with my own dedicated Kontera account manager that answers my questions and deals with any problems that arise (something you won’t get from Adsense) has kept Kontera on my “Best ad network” list.” Read Randy’s post>>

Jason described the importance of engagement and relevancy in online advertising and emphasized the added value Kontera In-Text brings to user experience: “Kontera helped me obtain my goals of earning revenue for my blog, not just by providing in-text advertising but providing relevant and engaging information… If you’re looking for simple and easy to use In-Text advertising program that is relevant to your content and users – I would look no-further then Kontera.” Read Jason’s post>>

Thanks everyone for your submissions, we enjoyed reading your success stories and congratulations to our winners. Enjoy your Kindles! If you didn’t win this time around check out our Triple Play program running until the end of the year.

We’re working on some great new offers for our publisher partners so be sure to stay tuned here, or by following us on Twitter and Facebook.

By Julie Baumgartner, Senior Director, Strategic Accounts

At Kontera, I’m usually out meeting with publishers, but when I’m in San Francisco, I donate my time to a non-profit called Shanti. I got involved when my friend, Maria, became the Director of Shanti’s LifeLines Breast Cancer Program. Maria was matched with a client, and I was moved to tears every time she told me about their weekly meetings, and how she was the only interaction her client had with anyone other than her doctors.

The client did not speak English, and her family lived out of state, so if it were not for Maria, this woman would have had no one to support her during her battle with breast cancer.

In February, I joined the Board of Directors of Shanti – right after a friend was diagnosed with Triple Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer at the age of 32.  Denise just moved to Hawaii to be with her family, as she goes through a second round of chemotherapy.  Gee Gee, another friend’s mother, was also diagnosed with breast cancer this Summer.  Gee Gee’s daughter relocated to Arizona almost immediately to be with her mom.  Whenever I reflect on what these women are going through, with friends and family rallying beside them, I cannot help but also think about Shanti’s clients, many of whom would be absolutely alone if it weren’t for LifeLines.  According to the statistics, 1 in 8 U.S. women (12.5%) will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.  It’s gut-wrenching.

Shanti enhances the quality of life, health and well being of people living with life-threatening illnesses.  Each year, they work with over 2,000 men and women facing the challenges of breast cancer or HIV/AIDS.  In many cases, Shanti is the one compassionate, loving presence for their clients during their greatest time of need.  Shanti’s 35th anniversary is this year, so please visit our website (www.shanti.org) to learn more!

Plus, other Kontera employees are also working with local non-profits.  Bryan Everett, EVP Strategic Development, was a table host at a breakfast for The Arc, which helps people with developmental disabilities lead a self-sufficient lifestyle.  Leilani Sanchez is a Board Member of Streetside Stories, which is focused on literacy and arts programs for Bay Area schools.  As a company, Kontera sponsored a family for Christmas last year through Compass Community Services, and earlier this year, we volunteered at the San Francisco Food Bank.
As the world debates the merits of President Obama winning this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, I am reminded of someone who was nominated for the award five times, but never selected.  In the inspirational words of Gandhi, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

You would never have guessed that it was storming outside based on the demeanor inside Andretti Racing this past Wednesday.  In NASCAR, the Andretti name is synonymous with Formula 1 racing, but in Atlanta it means basketball shooting contests, endless skee-ball duos, and 30 mile an hour turns on a premium indoor racing track.  Kontera and Moxie Interactive opened the forum for mid-week fun by spending the night kart racing, playing arcade games, and relaxing over the bartender’s choice drinks.

This was a great opportunity to step away from the desk and enjoy each other’s company – and believe me we sure did enjoy!  However it wasn’t all fun and games, everyone’s competitive spirit was in full gear on the race track as there were U2 tickets, helicopter tours, fine dining, and limo rides to be won.  Who knew this group could turn on the velocity so quickly?  It may be common industry protocol to enjoy post-work activities together, but rarely do the creative and competitive juices mix so well at such an event.

And now for the winners…..

First place winner Kara Carpentier, Sr. Account Executive for Garnier Fructis, took home two floor seat tickets to the upcoming U2 concert in October.

Kelli Travis, Sr. Media Planner for Verizon SMB, won a luxurious limo tour of Atlanta.

While Kara and Kelli may have been higher in the standings, Chris Sherrer, Media Coordinator for Verizon, was the big winner of the night. Chris’ business card was drawn and he walked away with a helicopter tour of Atlanta AND also snuck away with a 3rd place finish and dinner for two at a local five- star restaurant.

Congratulations to Kara, Kelli and Chris!

It is safe to say that when Moxie and Kontera get together for their next event, it may be hard to beat.

Kontera has recently announced the closing of a $15.5 million financing round, led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from Carmel Ventures and Tenaya Capital. Today, we are glad to interview Kontera’s CEO and co-founder, Yoav Shaham, whom we want to ask more about this exciting news as well as Kontera’s continued growth.

Yoav, you have been pioneering this space for almost 10 years, has your vision for the technology and the company changed throughout this time?  And if so, how has it changed?

The original mission that we set for ourselves, to serve users by connecting the web’s information through an understanding of the true meaning of content and identifying user’s interests on any page, has not changed.

The technological approach and the algorithms that we use have gone through several major evolutions including growing from client to server solutions, and from business rules to more statistical analysis approaches to prediction of user intent.

Kontera has been profitable for some time, and growing very rapidly, why raise money now?

Yes, we’ve been asked this question a few times in recent weeks.  We certainly did not need the additional funds for survival. Not only were we profitable, we also had a nice amount of cash in the bank. However, we identified some significant emerging opportunities in the market, and we want to ensure that Kontera is a dominant player.  We believe that an injection of cash now allows us to make quicker and bigger moves in the marketplace, while maintaining our track-record of fiscally responsible operations.

Why did Sequoia Capital invest and lead such a large late-stage financing?

First of all I’m not exactly the best person to answer this question…  What I can say is that this is a great testimonial for us, from one of the best Venture Capital investors in the world. They happen to know the search and advertising space very well, and they are very familiar with Kontera.  Sequoia had a major stake in our company previously, but their recent investment is a clear indication of their confidence in how large this company can become. They did not need to lead this round, nor participate to the extent that they did. There were several external investors that wanted to come in, but Sequoia wanted to lead this round and to increase their stake, and we are honored by that validation.

What is your vision for growing the company? Do you anticipate any structural or organizational changes?

Growth always requisites some changes with it, it’s a function of maturity. In our case we’ve successfully managed transitions from 25 to 50 people, from 50 to 100, and from 100 to our current size. We are currently laying the foundational infrastructure required to run an organization of 250 and more people. I do not want to get into specifics, but can share that one of our highest priorities is to pursue excellence for the entire company.  We are investing significantly in our people, their growth, and in our management.  Historically we’ve been technologically, and engineering focused, with a smaller investment in market facing activities. Going forward we intend to increase our R&D ranks, and to significantly increase the sales, marketing, and services functions.

What are the implications to end users, and the more than 100 Million consumers who view Kontera’s technology in action each month?

As I mentioned earlier, our vision is to connect the Internet’s information dynamically to satisfy users’ current needs. Throughout the years we’ve continually improved the user experience, and the relevancy that we’re able to attain and deliver to consumers, today, is second to none.  Looking ahead, users will see even greater utility as we increase that ad relevancy, as we increase the number of formats of in-text advertising offerings, and as we grow the breadth of information that we are able to bring to each pageview.

Our related-content and Hybrid offerings deliver beneficial consumer information, and we intend to do more in the area of In-Text related content.  Also, within the advertising domain, we find that in many cases  consumers prefer In-text advertising to much of the” loud” advertising that currently dominates sites and often occupies more that 30% of publishers’ page real-estate.  Good in-text advertising can help users to better enjoy their internet experience.  With this funding we will be able to more quickly provide users with a better experience at each of our publishers’ sites, and a better internet experience overall.

What does this funding mean for Kontera’s Publishers and overall network?

The user benefits I just discussed will also accrue to our publishers, whose core mission is to create and maintain their user communities. More engaged and satisfied users equate to healthier operations for our publishers.  In addition, over time, Kontera’s publishers will be seeing new forms of engagement and related information for their audiences, and greater monetization opportunities for their content.

What does this funding mean for Kontera’s Advertisers?

Advertisers are looking for good return on investment for their advertising dollars. This may translate into more effective branding campaigns for some, or more effective direct-response campaigns for others. In either case, we’ll be able to deliver greater returns and greater performance for advertisers. The ways that this happens is first through our work on greater relevancy and user experience as discussed above, and second through greater engagement within our existing ad units and through creation of new innovative advertising units.

Where do you foresee taking the technology and products from here?

I don’t want to discuss our plans in too much detail, but there are a few headlines that I can probably share. The first is our on-going refinements to the relevancy engine. This is an analog to the R&D work that you see the search-engine vendors perform. This type of low-level algorithmic work does not produce many bells and whistles because the work is largely done on the back end. However, this is really the heart of the solution and improvements here create greater satisfaction for users and much greater financial results for advertisers and publishers.  In addition you will see us offer greater flexibility and configurability, and customization ability for the various publishers and advertisers with whom we work. The last area to mention is the ever-growing set of tools that we provide to advertisers and publishers for utilizing our In-Text advertising and related content solutions.

Making heads or tails of accounting terms and banking information is not an easy task.

Since Kontera Publishers often pose questions to our Accounting Department about the various payment terms that need to be filled out in the Publisher Center, we’ve turned to our accounting experts to get a better understanding of the who, what, why, when, and how of these wordy banking terms.

In case you were wondering what “Bank RTN” is, or what’s the difference between “WIRE” and “International EFT” for your payment method of choice, we’re glad to let you know that we’ve updated our Publisher Knowledgebase with a full entry that will help you navigate through your account’s payment information page.

So be sure to drop by our KnowledgeBase for a detailed answer to the question:

What do the Various Accounting Terms in the Publisher Center Stand For?

While you’re there, please browse around and let us know if there are any additional subjects you’d like us to cover in the Publisher Knowledgebase.

It’s summer time and we’ve earned a celebration

Kontera’s Israel office went out for a day of sun, sports, good food and wine.  It was a great event- we had a blast and brought pictures back to tell…

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our summer interns before they head back to school this fall.  Eric MacColl (Business Development), Hunter Metcalf (Finance), and Jeff Clark (Ad Sales) have each contributed to the success of their respective departments and we appreciate the time they have spent working on projects large and small in our San Francisco office this summer.

Best of luck to Eric when he returns to Claremont McKenna College to finish his senior year, and to Hunter and Jeff, who will be attending the Robert Day School Master’s Program in Finance.

We’d also like to extend congratulations to our spring intern, Carmen Cheevers, who has been hired as Business Development Coordinator and will be working with the team in the San Francisco office. Welcome to Kontera, Carmen!

If you or someone you know is interested in the internship program at Kontera, please feel free to contact us at careers@kontera.com for more information.