Google advertising alternatives are out there

Well, I sort of have to say I've been waiting for this one -- someone to step up to the plate and offer contextual text ads that don't go through Google. While Google Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) ad system is the lifeblood of thousands (millions?) of small and large websites, are there alternatives out there that don't use a middleman and still work as well as Google?

Well, a company called Fast Search & Transfer this week announced and released an ad platform that does just this. In other words, this will allow media companies and online classified websites to serve up text ads that are relevant to the consumer (just like with Google) without the use of a middle entity at all.

Now, this is quite the same (or so it appears) as Microsoft Corp.'s (NASDAQ:MSFT) AdCenter and Yahoo! Inc.'s (NASDAQ:YHOO) Panama -- or is it? Both Microsoft and Yahoo! -- if they'll ever admit it -- are trying to emulate Google's fantastically-successful ad model. But, who says more folks can't leap into the fray as well?

The main issue here is first-mover advantage -- Google has it big over just about everyone. Can Fast Search & Transfers "Fast AdMomentum" platform even glean a handful of customers away from Google? It'll be hard, whatever its strategy is.