Google released a new, smaller form of AdSense text ads (via SearchEngineLowdown) in a variety of sizes. The ads display just one short title for each ad, often consisting of only one word each, which may put further strains on the copywriting skill requirements that have already reached haiku-level difficulty.

The ad pods include either four or five such entries and comprise either a small rectangle of about 120 by 90 pixels or simply one long line of text (the new stuff). Different spacings are offered so that these lines fit in several common page widths.

Previously, the smallest AdSense size was roughly the equivalent surface area of a standard rectangle graphic ad. Only recently, Google introduced several graphic ad formats, some of them among the IAB standard sizes and some of them more obscure Google-only sizes. Google also recently beefed up its text ad offerings with an AdSense system for populating RSS feeds with Google contextual ads.

Additional recent AdSense coverage here.