Is Google Ad Manager Worth It?

I signed up for Google's new Ad Manager about a month ago and received my invitation to join the program last week. I finally got around to playing with it tonight and have to say that I'm pretty impressed. All of the ads on this site are now set up with Ad Manager and it uses less javascript code to do it!

I have to admit that I'm fairly retarded when it comes to putting ads on my site and when I tried OpenAds (now OpenX) a few months back, I was thoroughly confused by how it was set up. I got the thing to work, but I really didn't get how it worked if you know what I mean. Google Ad Manager really makes the complicated process of placing and selling ads on your site much easier. Obviously, you don't have to install any software since it is hosted by them, and all that is required is the ability to follow directions and cut and paste (perfect for my bad ass ad skillz).

I really like the tutorials and walk-throughs they have integrated into the interface. When you start, it literally walks you through creating your first Ad Spot, Placement, and javascript code. Really nice work on the part of the team that created this. It's so easy to use that I think Shoemoney is right when he said, 'The bottom line is that they are going to destroy OpenX and everyone like it with this product.' It's the perfect solution for someone like me that doesn't have the time to run my own ad server, but I still want the ability to display Adsense and sell ad space at the same time.

I haven't gotten into figuring out how to sell ad space yet, but I'm sure there is a tutorial for that as well. I don't even know if there is some kind of marketplace set up for that, although it seems like there is since you can opt to allow advertisers to see your placements. That is the next thing I want to look into!

So is it worth it? Yeah, I think it is. I now have one interface to manage Adsense and have the possibility of easily selling that same ad space to other publishers. Once I figure more of this out I'll post my thoughts again, but right now I'd say that this is the perfect tool for people who need a no hassle ad manager.

To sign up for Ad Manager you have to request an invitation.

If you have signed up for Ad Manager, I'd like to know what your thoughts are...