Matching Content Providers and Interested Content Users

A computer-readable medium tangibly embodying software instructions executable by one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

• receiving a network identifier that identifies an advertising network for providing an advertisement to a user, the advertising network representing a plurality of advertisers, wherein each advertiser provides advertisements to the advertising network;
• generating a traffic detector based on the network identifier, the traffic detector being configured to detect an accessing of a network location by a plurality of users when the traffic detector is associated with the network location, the traffic detector being further configured to transmit the network identifier upon detecting the accessing, wherein the advertising network associates the traffic detector with the network location;
• receiving an indication of the accessing of the network location by the user, the indication including the network identifier and a user identifier identifying the user, wherein the advertising network determines to present the advertisement at the network location based on the indication;
• transmitting an instruction to the user to contact the advertising network for the advertisement;
• and
• transmitting an obfuscated user identifier generated by obfuscating the user identifier to the advertising network,
• wherein, in response to receiving the instruction, the user transmits a request for the advertisement to the advertising network, the request including a network-specific user identifier which the advertising network uses to identify the user.

A system comprising:

• a receiver including:
• a network identifier receipt unit configured to receive a network identifier that identifies an advertising network for providing an advertisement to a user, and
• a re-direct identifier receipt unit configured to receive a re-direct identifier pointing to a network location associated with the advertising network, wherein the re-direct identifier directs a user seeking advertisements associated with the advertising network to the network location;
• a user-traffic detector generation unit configured to:
• generate a traffic detector based on the network identifier, the traffic detector configured to detect an accessing of a network location by a plurality of users when the traffic detector is associated with the network location, the traffic detector further configured to transmit the network identifier upon detecting the accessing, and
• associate the generated traffic detector with a plurality of network locations including the network location associated with the advertising network;
• a user identifier receipt unit configured to determine that the user has accessed one or more of the plurality of network locations with which the traffic detector is associated, including the network location associated with the advertising network;
• and
• a re-direct instruction generation unit configured to generate an instruction for transmitting to the user, the instruction including the re-direct identifier pointing to the network location associated with the advertising network, the instruction instructing the user to contact the advertising network directly for an advertisement for presenting at the network location accessed by the user.