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Cyberhomes™ Editorial Guidelines for Ads

Our Editorial Guidelines help provide a high quality experience for both advertisers and users. By following these guidelines, you will see a better return on your investment and our users will enjoy a better consumer experience.
Please note, application of our policies will always involve an element of discretion and we reserve the right to reject or approve any ads.

Ad Style & Grammar

Use Standard Punctuation

No repeated and unnecessary punctuation or symbols.
Your ad text may only contain one exclamation point.

Use Standard Capitalization

No excessive capitalization such as "FREE" or "MUST SEE NOW"
Capitalization of the first letter of each word within your displayed URL is permitted.

No Repetition
Avoid gimmicky repetition.

Use Correct Spelling
Check that you use correct spelling. It enhances your professional image.

Ad Content

Support Competitive Claims
If your ad text contains competitive language regarding other companies, support for this claim must be displayed on the landing page for your ad.

Support Advertised Prices, Discounts, and Free Offers
If your ad includes a special offer, it must be clearly and accurately displayed on your Web site within one click of your ad's landing page.

No Inappropriate Language
In compliance with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Equal Housing Opportunity guidelines, your ad cannot contain offensive or inappropriate language.

Keep It Positive
Your ad may not contain messaging that is derogatory or offensive to Cyberhomes, other Agents, other Brokers, a specific peer or competitor.

No Specific Listings in Display Ads
Your ad cannot contain pictures, text or links to individual listings for sale, including individual virtual tours.

No For Sale By Owner Advertisements
For Sale By Owner, or FSBO, advertising is not permitted.

No Referral Fees to Real Estate Professionals
Your ad may not reference services or products that charge referral fees to real estate professionals.

Cyberhomes Neighborhood Expert™
The phrase “Cyberhomes Neighborhood Expert” or “Neighborhood Expert” may only be used in advertisements by current customers of the Cyberhomes Neighborhood Expert product within the geography purchased by the customer.

Animation

File Format & Size

Submit animated images in a correct format and size.
Animated ads can be formatted as either .GIF or Flash files.
Animated image ads must follow the same guidelines and specifications as standard image ads, including the 50K file size limit.
All animated ads must be submitted in the full standard format sizes:

Local Ads: 180x90, 360x90, 540x90 or 728x90
Neighborhood Expert Leaderboard 728 x 90

Don't mimic computer functions.
'Trick to click' ads which might confuse the user are not allowed. This includes ads that simulate a cursor arrow moving and clicking on the ad.

Stay inbounds
Ad animation must be confined to the allotted ad space. Ads that expand beyond the frame or otherwise encroach on the web site are not allowed.

Animation Length
Animated ads are restricted to a maximum of 15 seconds (at a 15-20 fps frame rate), after which point they must remain static.

Flash files need ActionScript added to their final frame to stop the animation from looping, e.g.:

// stops looping
stop();

These ads must also comply with the other animation policies.

Flash Versions
All Flash ads must be published for Flash Player version 4-8.
ActionScript Versions: Actionscript version 1 - 2 is acceptable.

ClickTags
In order to track the click-through rate of an Adobe Flash ad, we require the use of a 'clickTAG' tracking code within a transparent button. When the user clicks on the button, the interaction will be recorded by Cyberhomes and the user will be directed to your supplied URL.

You will need to create a transparent button that responds to clicks on the banner. The button size should match the banner size, reside within the topmost layer and use the following ActionScript as an Object Action:

on (release) {
if (clickTAG.substr(0,5) == "http:") {
getURL(clickTAG, "_blank");
}
}

Note: The 'clickTAG' variable is case-sensitive. Using 'clicktag', 'clickTag', or 'CLICKTAG' will NOT work.

For more information, visit Adobe's Designer's Guide page:

Tracking Event Constraints:

View-through tracking
Key-modifier tracking
Mouse location tracking

Random Numbers
Your ad may not include code that generates or uses random numbers.

Disruptive Behaviors
Ads may not be designed or coded to circumvent the basic and usual ad work flow. This includes (but is not limited to) the ad being displayed normally to users, Cyberhomes registering the impression, and a click directing the user to the destination URL indicated by the advertiser in their account.

Prizes Offered for Clicks
We do not accept ads that include a game or contest that can be played in order to win prizes or other compensation.

Strobing & Flashing
Strobing, flashing backgrounds, or otherwise distracting ads are not allowed.

Other Behaviors:

Extra Calls: Your ad code cannot make external server calls for additional Javascript or other functionality. All functionality must be localized to the code itself.
Tracking Bypass: You cannot change the behavior of your ad to avoid or eliminate the Cyberhomes redirect URL.
Destination Changes: The ad should direct users to a web page with the appropriate destination URL. It should not open the destination URL within the ad IFrame itself.
Integrated Audio: Your ad may contain user-initiated audio only.
Cursor Behavior: Your ad may affect or change a user's mouse cursor (arrow) only after the user initiates an action.
Loading Ad Content: Your ad may load images or another SWF file at runtime. However, your new content must adhere to the current player security model and incorporate the proper settings for your Flash ad to run in our system.