Want an invite to SixApart’s new you beaut MySpace killer? I’ve got invites to Vox, at least to the starter version which doesn’t allow you to blog but atleast get’s you in the door (I think you get upgraded later?). Leave a comment with your email address included or drop me an email directly.
Also I’ve been upgraded to a standard Vox account so I’ve been able to play with all the extra’s on the service….and I’ve got to say: WOW! Not only is it pretty, it’s easy to use, something I cant say for MySpace (or MT installations :-p ). You can check out my Vox blog here. Great job from the SixApart team though. I’ve already got more blogs than I can poke a stick at, but there is enough little extra’s in Vox that I might find myself coming back for more 🙂
Looks like Mike Arrington is under attack on two fronts: from Nick Denton’s Valleywag for Text Link Ads sponsorship, and by Adam Kalsey for a Zoho backflip allegedly due to a sponsorship.
I don’t know enough about the Zoho stuff, but the Valleywag attack is complete and utter sh*te. Text Link Ads are a legitimate form of advertising, indeed, you’ll see them over most b5media blogs under “marketplace”, because it’s a cost effective way for advertisers to advertise with us, and yes, they do result in links and traffic to these sites directly from the blogs. I couldn’t say that some people wouldn’t be using this as part of a search engine strategy, but you know, we can’t all hold swish NY socialite parties to get our links now can we Nick?
Tags: Nick Denton, Valleywag, Gawker Media, Mike Arrington, Tech Crunch
Big news overnight: Seeking Alpha has the scoop on Google testing an affiliate marketing program, or what they are calling a CPA (cost per action) program that many say will be a Value Click Media/ Commission Junction (CJ) killer.
Can’t say I disagree with this analysis. I’ve never liked CJ, from when they kicked me out of the program way back then because I apparently wasn’t earning enough, to today, where I have a CJ account and yet it would have to be the most cumbersome affiliate system I’ve ever worked with. For starters, you’ve got to apply to be an affiliate with most of the programs, and over half of the companies automatically reject you because you don’t have a US address (really clever this…after all, where does the traffic come from?), then there’s setting up an ad…it’s exactly the same system they were using in 1999.
Having said this though, I do have a Value Click Media account due to their acquisition of Fastclick, and that’s a reasonable service in terms of filling CPM inventory when you can’t be bothered selling it yourself (or you’re too small to really do it yourself).
But imagine Google entering this market. The ease of use of Adsense applied to affiliate marketing! Hopefully they’ll set the entry barriers low and support similar functions to say Clickbank and then the little guy can get a decent service as well, like Google has allowed with Adwords. This marketplace is well and truly overdue for a shakeup, and hence I welcome our Google overlords to it 🙂
Tags: Google, Google CPA, Valueclick
Opera have announced the latest version of their browser, and unfortunately it still doesn’t do it for me. Got to say it’s a vast improvement over some of their earlier versions, it’s (fairly) quick, it renders CSS properly (I can still remember problems with v7), and their Widgets are pretty cool….its getting close but I hate the way they do tabs. I hate having to click on the tab to close it, and then it takes you back to the last tab you were reading….very annoying given I like to open up a whole pile of tabs in Firefox then read them one by one…in order. However, if you are using IE and don’t like Firefox give it a shot.
Tags: Opera
Looks like even animals know how to party 🙂
A story of the Bizarre from the BBC:
Rebecca Holdcroft likes to “express” herself through body art. However, she felt she was being discriminated against at work and contacted the BBC News website to express her point of view.
Even though she does not deal with the public face-to-face, her latest employers told her she must wear a cardigan to conceal her tattoos. And in the hot weather, this can get unbearable, she says…..
She says it is discrimination – even though the Citizens Advice Bureau and a solicitor have both told her there is no law to protect her.
“There are other people in the office that have tattoos, but not to the same extent. They aren’t being told to cover up.
“I can’t afford not to have a job so at the moment I comply with what work are asking. Even so, I’m not the only one in the office who thinks it is ridiculous.”
“The point I am trying to make is it’s not criminal to have tattoos.”
You know, I don’t have any piercings or tats, but I don’t disagree with people that do, but this women…well, it’s pretty in your face I’d think. An interesting conundrum.
Found myself today at the Gawker Jobs page…not quite sure how, but I did none the less (no, I’m not moving to the States…just did ok!) and I found this marketing job for Indeed. The requirements: a BA or BS for a marketing job! Like I mentioned on June 8, Google has similar requirements for a Marketing job, and I just don’t get it! What, are the only two degrees Americans can get a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science? How do either apply to a marketing job? In my case I’m to be bestowed (this year, my last exam results permitting…I did my final exam on Monday…and it’s only taken 12 years to get to this point) a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in E-Commerce and Marketing, which you’d think would be perfect for a e-commerce based marketing position…and yet it seems I wouldn’t get a look in for an American job…it’s got me beat…apparently American firms prefer people to have studied ancient history or the like!
Tags: Gawker, American Jobs
CNet reports that Sony is chasing blogger support for it’s new music video site Musicbox, by encouraging Bloggers to link to videos and even display them on their blogs (ala YouTube)….they’ve got to be joking. The same company that puts rootkits on our computers and sends C&D notices like McDonalds sells hamburgers want’s the support of bloggers! I don’t think so…at least not from this blogger.
This from the SMH:
“It is the fundamental right of all Australians to access the internet free of pornography and offensive material,” a Liberal senator, Guy Barnett, said yesterday. He was one of 62 members of the Coalition parties who signed a letter to the Prime Minister last year calling for a ban on offensive web sites.
Wrong Senator Barnett. It’s the fundamental right of all Australian’s to have free and unfiltered access to the internet..after all what I consider as offensive is different to what you might, and I’d think adults are grown up enough to make that decision….but it could be worse, you could be supporting the ALP plan to filter the content via ISP, aka The North Korea plan.
