AdsML standards dev team seeks public consideration, comment

The AdsML Framework for E-Commerce Business Standards for Advertising (AdsML Framework) is an initiative by the AdsML Consortium. The mission of the consortium is to develop an open standard that will unify and extend existing advertising standards and automate advertising business processes — across all types of media, for all stages of the lifecycle of an advertisement, across all segments of the advertising industry, worldwide.

It is supported by IFRA and the Newspaper Association of America (NAA), which represents more than 2000 newspapers in the US and Canada. Strategic partners are Associated Newspapers, Publigroupe and Time Inc. The consortium's members include a list of prominent companies and organisations united to create a set of media-neutral, internationally-adopted specifications and business processes for the exchange of advertising information and content across all platforms.

AdsML Framework 3.0 Release 4 was issued for public comment on 28 March 2008. The ability to transmit a soft proofing approval ticket adds a new feature to the suite of specifications for print media.

A number of other changes are represented in Release 4. It contains modest enhancements to AdsMLMaterials 2.0 and AdsMLBookings 2.0, improved documentation and maintenance updates to other schemas. All specifications in this release are release candidates. AdsML members will vote this summer on whether to approve them.

Choice of versions

For now, the publication of AdsML 3.0 Release 4 gives implementers a choice of three versions:

1. AdsML Framework 2.0, Release 8, an earlier release in which all specifications are stable and approved but some key business functions, such as Invoicing and Proof of Publication, are not covered
   
2. AdsML Framework 3.0, Release 3, which contains approved versions of AdsMLFinancials 1.0 and AdsML ProofOfPublication 1.0, and earlier drafts of AdsMLMaterials 2.0 and AdsMLBookings 2.0.
   
3. AdsML Framework 3.0, Release 4, the current release on which public comment is sought. This release covers the full advertising workflow and is the platform on which all future releases will be based.
   

“We expect the specifications to be approved this summer when put to the vote of the consortium's membership,” notes technical working group chair Tony Stewart, who leads the development effort.

“In the meantime, organisations who hope to benefit from the features contained in Release 4 are encouraged to start working with it now. Depending on feedback in the next few months, we may need to make a few changes before it is approved, but given the amount of review that has already occurred, any such changes are likely to be quite small.”

For more information, go to www.adsml.org.