The shape of the web is changing these days, and nobody is sure where it is leading.  A real problem for everyone involved has been how some of these cool new technologies can be monetized.  Ad serving is one area to explore for this.  Helping in this regard is OpenX.

If you haven’t already heard, OpenX is a free open source ad server.  Descended from the code bases of phpAdsNew and Max Media Manager, OpenX (previously OpenAds) is hands down the best solution out there right now for websites wanting to get into the ad game.

Taking some time yesterday to poke around the OpenX website, I discovered that there was a lot more than meets the eye.  Go beyond the pretty new look and feel, and you’ll find one of the most feature complete websites for an open source project around…

Nine reasons to have another look at the OpenX website.

1. Blog
   Updated frequently, the OpenX blog features insights not only into the project and the team, but the current state of the online ad industry. A great read.
2. Wiki
   Powered by some really nice software by Atlassian, the Wiki allows you to create an account, host your own pages, and take part in the building of various documentation.  You’ll find the 2.6 API docs here, as well as draft documentation for future releases. 
3. Chatroom
   Hooked directly into the #openx channel on irc.freenode.org, the chat is a great place to get help with problems you may have. Developers actually hang out here.
4. Code Repository
   A common feature to most open source projects is the code repository. Using Crucible by Atlassian, its very easy to browse the source and check out whats being worked on lately (if thats your thing!).
5. Bug Tracker
   The bug tracking system, powered by JIRA (again, by Atlassian), is especially impressive. Take a look here and you can see the development team isn’t fooling around! This thing will even let you see which devs have been slacking on their bug fixing!
6. Forum
   With well over 10,000 users, the OpenX forum is a thriving community of publishers, advertisers, and other people in the business willing to help you out with any problem you may have.
7. Spread The Word
   Help out the OpenX team by placing one of their banners on your page!
8. OpenX Feedback Group
   Sign up here to let the team know you’re willing to help out with feature testing.
9. Mailing List, Beta Testers Mailing List
   Every OpenX user should be subscribed to their regular mailing list if for no other reason than to get notified when a new version is released!

At first glance, all the Atlassian software OpenX utilizes on their site looks like it must cost a bundle.  Doing a bit of research however, I was able to determine that Atlassian does provide licenses to open source projects.  Definitely something to check out if you have a project of your own.

So there it is.  Nine reasons to have another look at the OpenX website.  If you use the software at all, you really should try to get involved, even if its just chatting on IRC or in the forums.  For those more advanced, there are plenty of opportunities to jump right into the code as well.

Great job OpenX team, on truly opening things up to the community!