Chitika, a blog-driven merchandise site, has come out with a way of commercializing those increasingly popular Facebook widgets that we’re hearing about incessantly these days. Built on the pre-existing flagship product eMiniMalls, Chitika has created an API that lets Facebook developers embed ads into their Facebook applications.
You can pick your target audience by country or by category, and you can choose from a variety of ad formats. To use this service, you’ll need to sign up for an account with Chitika and plug in your Facebook widget’s URL as your website.
Chitika.com In Their Own Words
“Interactive Merchandise Kiosks Get paid per click (PPC)!
Chitika’s flagship product, eMiniMalls, brings product promotion to life on the web. Provide your users with relevant content and comparative shopping information without even leaving your site!”
Why Chitika.com It Might Be A Killer
Considering the booming popularity of Facebook widgets, someone was bound to tap into the market sooner or later. No doubt, Chitika will face some competition, but the service offers enough features and personalization options that it should postpone a leveling of the playing field for at least for the time being.
Some Questions About Chitika.com
Just because the monetization of Facebook widgets was inevitable doesn’t mean we have to like it. Maybe Chitika will encourage the development of new Facebook widgets because of its financial implications, and maybe it will promote ecommerce, but will advertising along with Facebook apps discourage Facebook users from installing them? I, for one, can’t imagine my “Places I’ve Been” Facebook widget cluttered with ads for travel agencies, and don’t want to. 
