Launched during Tech Crunch in 2009 as the final presentation in the “New Advertising & Monetization Platforms” session, Udorse lets users embed endorsements – or “udorsements” – in photos.  These udorsements explain the items shown in photos; for example, udorsements might explain the clothing lines worn, products displayed and venues and businesses where photos are taken.

Users can get rewards and recommendations based off of the udorsements they make, and brands and businesses get free links based off the udorsements displayed.

About a dozen major brands have signed on to Udorse, including fashion brands Armani Exchange and American Apparel; Udorse will launch with an iPhone app, a Javascript plug-in for blogs, and Facebook and Twitter apps. Unfortunately, Udorse tags can’t be displayed on the actual Facebook photo-sharing app; it needs its own app that’s built on the Facebook platform.

Udorse users can earn an affiliate cut of endorsements and either opt to have them delivered through PayPal or donated to a charity.

“I really loved it,” Marissa Mayer said, “I always said that this would be one of the primary ways that social networks make money.”

But not all the judges were sold. “I do think it’s a little weird, like if you and I were friends, so that you could get paid so that I could look like you and dress like you,” Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh said, though he also complimented Udorse CEO Geoffrey Lewis on his energetic presentation. “If tomorrow you and I were wearing the same outfit because I saw you wearing it on Facebook, that’d be just creepy.”

“Is there an anti-product placement foundation that I could donate the money to?” Andreessen joked.