Mississippi Braves Manager Phillip Wellman went nuts…bonkers…crazy. Period. Definitely not a “well man”. (Sorry…it was there. I took it.) Well, yesterday he was handed down a 3-game suspension by the Atlanta Braves organization for his antics. And while his actions are totally uncalled for, this video is hilarious! What a moron.
The News Room provides access to hundreds of thousands of fully licensed news stories that can be published, or ‘mashed’, on your site from major content providers such as Associated Press (AP), Reuters, and Agence France-Press (AFP). If you are a website publisher or blogger who wants to earn money by embedding quality news on your site, simply join TheNewsRoom and start mashing.
Mash For Cash & Prizes
When you use the mash button to embed a news story or a news feed (with advertising) onto your website or blog you begin earning revenue. This is a win win for bloggers who value high quality content to enhance or support their opinion and who blog for profit. In addition to Mashing for Cash, registrants of TNR can earn prizes from digital cameras to a new car as part of our loyalty program.
It was easy to find and embed relevant, timely news. There were many video and content choices in a number of categories (as seen above). I was originally going to use a clip about the San Antonio Spurs, but I thought maybe this clip about Paris Hilton would be more useful and relavant to my readers.
Viral Payment Plan
Earn a share of the advertising revenue each time mashed news is viewed on your site. TheNewsRoom has an innovative, viral payment model that can earn you up to $4 per thousand impressions (CPM). You’ll also earn money when someone mashes content from your site and it is viewed on theirs. This is well above current industry standards that are typically around $0.15 CPM. Take advantage by mashing and encouraging your friends to mash from your site!
CPM When Viewed on Your Site
CPM When Viewed On Referred Site
Video Feed
$4.00
$1.00
Video Story
$3.00
$0.50
Text Story
$1.00
$0.50
Image
$1.00
$0.50
Looks easy enough. I think I’ll give it a whirl myself.
May brought new money making opportunities for Derrich.com. After a few flat months of blogging revenue, I decided to take advantage of more resources available to bloggers. In April 2007, I earned $74.90 primarily from Google AdSense.
Last month, I suspected that adding Kontera had taken attention way from my Google AdSense ads. When I looked into it further, it was due to fewer impressions. Repositioning my ads also resulted in reduced use of AdSense ads. For May, AdSense took a back seat to paid reviews…and Kontera was eliminated altogether about a third of the way through. I’ll explain later…first the numbers.
PayPerPost Is Awesome
I’ve already posted some of my thoughts about PayPerPost (PPP). A week ago, PPP launched PPP Direct to compete with ReviewMe. I welcomed it with open arms primarily because I hadn’t gotten any opportunities with ReviewMe. Review opportunities with PPP have ups and downs, but I’ve come to expect that at this point. Obviously. It was my biggest money maker this month. Part of the PPP TOS requires that all other ads networks are turned off so to speak. And although I attempted to turn off my Kontera links with the <span> tag, it still popped up on my paid reviews when using FireFox. So, rather than take the time to figure out why this might be the case, I turned them off altogether. Not sure whether or not it’ll stay that way. Many of you have remarked at the change saying that you like it. I like what you like.
TextLinkAds Are Awesome
My sales through TextLinkAds (TLA) continue to increase. I already know that I’ll make at least the same amount for June as all advertisers have maintained their ads on my blog. Now the trick is to sell some more. And that’s what I like about TLA. They do alot of this for you. I noticed the increase in TLA sales after I implemented a suggestion made by Maki over at DoshDosh.com. Although he’s not a huge TLA fan, he suggested that you use every opportunity to bring awareness to the service by placing TLA banners after each post. Some bloggers have opted to eliminate the middleman and sell text links on their own. And that’s a great idea…if you have the time. Teli Adlam at Optiniche.com found a great WordPress plugin to do just that. The WP Text Ads plugin by Alex Choo. The plugin makes the prospect of doing it yourself look much easier. I may look into it, but for now me and TLA are gonna stay tight.
MyBlogLog & AdSense Continue to Disagree
Seriously. Are we ever going to get to the bottom of this charade? Since I posted about the discrepancy between MyBlogLog and AdSense in March, I’ve become used to the reporting differences. Luckily, they haven’t been that far off. Late last week, I added a 728×90 Leaderboard beneath my banner at about 9:45pm. According to my MBL stats, it had 18 clicks after about 3 hours. The next day, AdSense reported 1 click. One.
Unfortunately, the trend continues in the few days the leaderboard has been up. Read Loren Baker’s assessment of the click tracking discrepancy at SearchEngineJournal.com.
Stan Schroeder over at Mashable.com has sifted through a variety of images using Google Maps. They call it StreetSpotting. Who knows? It could be just as popular as spotting naked people on Google Earth. Here are a few of my favorites.
Nestled in the Blue Ridge and Great Smokey mountains at the confluence of the Swannanoa River and the French Broad River is Asheville, NC. Natural beauty, a friendly atmosphere, and quality of living are only a few of its charms. Asheville attracts residents both young and retired. The Men’s Journal named it one of the 50 best places to live in the “Singles Scene” category (April 2006). And Asheville ranked 7th in Kiplinger’s “50 Smart Cities” list. (May 8, 2006).
Because Asheville is a world-renowned vacation destination as well as one of the most popular retirement destinations, it is a great time to invest in an Asheville home. Perhaps one of the most well-known Asheville homes is the Biltmore Estate. At 175,000 square feet, it is the largest privately-owned home in the United States.
Enjoy whitewater rafting, mountain biking, and hiking in the highest peaks in the Eastern U.S.
So, while homes like the Biltmore are great to visit, considering a home of your own in Asheville may be a great investment. Asheville Homes website allows you to search MLS Listings with an easy to use Google Map interface. Be sure to explore what Asheville has to offer.
I can’t stand roller coasters. However, whether I’ve been lured on or forced on…I’ve ridden my fair share. This thing, dubbed The Vomitron, swings you with a force rated between 4-5 G’s. The guy on the left — an exact imitation of me on a roller coaster — is screaming for the operator to stop the ride. Well, he eventually gets his wish and the ride earns its name.
It seems that the month of May was a SEO and blogging focus for me. Not necessarily as reflected by my posts (GO SPURS!!!), but just my personal exploration to optimize SEO, improve monetization, and increase traffic…somewhat heightened by my participation in PodCamp San Antonio. So, I thought I’d include some posts that touch on this subject, and hope that you’ll benefit from them as I have.
Earlier this week, I wrote about adding the Share The Link Love plugin as part of the “U Comment, I Follow” Movement. Aaron Brazell at Technosailor.com posted a list of plugins that will help make your blog sticky.
While Ed Lau struggles with finding his chunk of the blogosphere, 16-year-old Yuvi at YuviSense.net takes uber tech blog, Engagdet, dismantles it, and then carefully reassembles it. What better way to understand and analyze Engagdet’s traffic than an in-depth analysis. He succeeds in finding Engagdet’s chunk.
Lucia at BigBucksBlogger.com spends some of her time helping fellow posties over at PayPerPost (PPP) with a variety of issues that come up. Using ad sources such as Kontera ContentLink with PPP is against the TOS. But some bloggers found that using the <span> tag wasn’t enough. So Lucia shows you how to remove Kontera by modifying templates.
Daniel Scocco over at DailyBlogTips.com presented his list of Top 25 Blogs About Blogging. He considered “blogs that have a high percentage of blogging-related content. Topics might range from blogging tips to monetization, from news to building communities or business blogs”…and used Google PageRank, Alexa, Bloglines Subscribers, and Technorati Authority to score the candidates. I was surprised by some of the results.
Marco Richter at FitForFreedom.com adds to his series of ultimate lists with the ultimate RSS Subscriptions List — full of posts on how to increase your subscribership.
If you have any links to suggest, please feel free to include them in your comments. Thanks and TGIF!!!
As I sit back and watch Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q) and Star Gas Partners (NYSE: SGU) surpass my “greed meter” at 21.06% and 22.76% returns, respectively, I can’t help but notice the few stocks that remain flat. With the first day of summer approaching (June 21st), we may take advantage of some last minute spring cleaning. For now, each of these stocks looks good enough to hold on to through the 2nd quarter. The chart below shows gains as of today’s close versus those of the last Stock Watch report.
*Price as of market close on 05/31/2007. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
A Qwest For Success
Nevermind that Qwest Communications is up 21.06%, it still has room to go higher. Today it announced that it was one of five telecoms to win a piece of a government contract worth up to $20 billion just weeks after it was one of only 3 telecoms awarded the largest such contract for $48 billion. If the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has faith in this company to deliver its services effectively, then so should you. The company continues to improve the strength of its balance sheet, and it is now making money on the bottom line…for the fifth straight quarter to be exact. Some analysts also believe Qwest is a very strong candidate to be acquired.
Fresenius Remains Strong and Healthy
Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE: FMS) reported its 1st quarter 2007 financial results earlier this month. Keep in mind that the operations of Renal Care Group are included in the Company’s consolidated statements of income and cash flows from April 1, 2006. However, Net Income increased by $160 million, or 38%, and North American revenue increased by 37% to $1,637 million, $1,483 million of which came from Dialysis Services. The company had planned a May 15th announcement of a 1:3 stock split…and it was approved. In addition, Fresenius shareholders unanimously approved a 15% increase in dividends, the 14th consecutive increase. At this point, you may consider waiting until the split occurs to get into this one. The split should take place sometime during the 3rd quarter.
It seems every year, someone remixes a popular rap song to include the Spurs and their quest for the championship. Well, although the Spurs collective effort tonight resulted in a Western Conference Finals Championship, they still have to face either a tough Detroit Pistons team or a young and eager Cleveland Cavaliers team to get its 4th ring in 8 years. Anyway, this year’s song is Reppin’ My Block by Rob G…and the remix is actually done by the original artist instead of some guy in his makeshift garage studio.
The ugliest productive player. Chris Birck/Getty Images
The Spurs have benefitted from the big play of its big man from Argentina, Fabricio Oberto. In this series against the Jazz, he’s averaging 11.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and is shooting 72.0% from the field…and Coach Popovich thinks “he’s the ugliest productive player I’ve ever been around”. I couldn’t agree more. But if the Spurs want to win tonight, Manu the “X-Factor” Ginobili will have to come through with another big game performance.
The Jazz will make every attempt to quell its frustrations after dropping its first home game in the playoffs to the Spurs since…awhile. Apparently the injured foot of Deron Williams has left him questionable for tonight’s matchup. But NBA fans have quickly discovered what Jazz fans knew all along: this guy is no sloutch, and he can play some basketball. And Derek Fisher is back in New York as his daughter has yet another surgery on her eye. Speaking of x-factors…emotion runs through that man’s veins to his advantage. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Fish, but we still want to beat your team.
Early this morning, I read a post by Jon Fortt at the Business 2.0 Blog, The Utility Belt, about Microsoft’s surface computer originally codenamed “Milan”. The Microsoft Surface as it is now referred to is meant to give certain businesses, such as restaurants, hotels, and other retailers an interactive marketing tool. Although the concept is really cool, Jon poses some excellent concerns with regard to practicality and maintenance of the Microsoft Surface.
The surface computer features some key attributes:
Direct interaction. Users can actually “grab” digital information with their hands, interacting with content by touch and gesture, without the use of a mouse or keyboard.
Multi-touch. Surface computing recognizes many points of contact simultaneously, not just from one finger like a typical touch-screen, but up to dozens of items at once.
Multi-user. The horizontal form factor makes it easy for several people to gather around surface computers together, providing a collaborative, face-to-face computing experience.
Object recognition. Users can place physical objects on the surface to trigger different types of digital responses, including the transfer of digital content.
In the following video, Pete Thompson, general manager of Microsoft Surface Computing, demonstrates how the Microsoft Surface is useful for viewing photos and how the computer might be functional in a retail setting…using a T-Mobile store as an example.
For more information on Microsoft’s latest technology, check out this article on PRNewswire. The story also includes more information regarding which retailers are already slated to use the Microsoft Surface.
CoastalGolfaway.com offers the best in coastal Myrtle Beach golf vacation packages, tee times and accommodations. And they’ve been doing it since 1986. CoastalGolfaway makes it easy to select a customized package (in all price ranges) from the more than 110 golf courses in the 60-mile stretch of coast between Calabash, NC and Georgetown, SC known as the Grand Strand. Myrtle Beach is the largest city in the area…and right in the middle.
Coastalgolfaway.com has access to a handful of courses and accomodations along the Grand Strand.
CoastalGolfaway also arranges specials based on various themes and locations. These specials include accomodations, green fees, carts, and meals at extremely reasonable prices. Visit the site and see for yourself.
Ive been following the rather appalling story of former Wal-Mart marketing executive Julie Roehm, who was fired for "having an improper romantic relationship with a subordinate, accepting gifts from suppliers and misusing her company expense account" [ref: Walmart Fires Roehm]
In her own defense, Roehm has now countersued Wal-Mart -- surprise, surprise -- accusing Chief Executive H. Lee Scott Jr. and other top executives of "accepting sweetheart deals, travel and concert tickets from suppliers and engaging in improper relationships." [ref: Roehm Countersues]
But what would it have looked like if they both blogged? I kind of envision it going like this...
Many of you have seen this logo floating around various blogs lately. It was created by Randa Clay. She’s a designer and marketing consultant, and she created the logo to show her participation in the dofollow movement. Like Randa, and a handful of other bloggers, I’ve decided to remove the rel=”nofollow” attribute from my comments…with a tiny catch.
I looked into a few WordPress plugins that removes the nofollow. I chose the Share The Link Love plugin by Andrew Timberlake. Once a commenter has commented at least 10 times (this is configurable), the nofollow attribute is removed. For all newer commenters, the nofollow remains. The point is to reward regular commenters. Comment history is based on your email address and not domain or URL, so it allows a commenter to take advantage of link marketing tactics. I would just turn it off altogether, but I hesitated a bit as it is…and I’m hoping the “goal” of 10 will incent readers to comment.
Other NoFollow WordPress Plugins
The dofollow plugin is straight to the point: you just activate it and it works. Nofollows are removed from comments and trackbacks…period.
The Case-By-Case nofollow plugin offers a little more control. It allows you to select which comments DO NOT get the nofollow attribute. In other words, the plugin turns nofollow off throughout the entire blog; however, when you come across a comment that you do not think deserves to be followed, simply add ‘/dontfollow’ to the link in the comment. The intent was to eliminate following spamments from getting link love. That’s why I use Akismet.
Don’t use WordPress? Well Saman over at Samanathon.com chose to remove nofollow from his blog as well. He also included some links for removing nofollow from Movable Type, Typepad, and Blogger users.
Speaking of Spam
Many WordPress bloggers have been updating to Version 2.2. During the upgrade process, spammers may use this vulnerability as an opportunity to squeeze a few spamments in to your blog. Lorelle VanFossen shows us how to recheck your comment list for comment spam after a successful WordPress update.
Ok, that was a little harsh. Last night, my one of my best friends got married. Chris and Carolina had a beautiful wedding. It was held at the beautiful St. Mary’s Church in downtown San Antonio.
“You know how to get to the Krazy Kat Ballroom?”
Chris and I had been great friends throughout high school; however, our life’s journeys had taken different roads. But we’ve always managed to keep in touch, although probably not as often as we wanted. In a sincere and heartfelt letter, Chris asked me to be one of his groomsmen. I accepted without hesitation.
The rehearsal dinner was a blast. I got to see guys from high school that I hadn’t seen in ages. I was happy to make a great first impression on some of my friends’ wives and fiancees as well. (Sorry, Amy).
The wedding itself went flawlessly. No one fainted or threw up or anything YouTube-worthy. It was perfect by all wedding standards…it was exactly how Chris and Carolina wanted it to be. Carolina was beautiful; her procession was beautifully harmonized by an orchestra. Chris…well, you already saw his shoes. And the priest, Father Houlihan, was an Irish guy that kept us entertained throughout the entire process. During the homily, Fr. Houlihan reiterated the importance of family and friends in our lives…and went on to declare that without family and friends, he’d probably be a raging exotic. So…um…that’s cool. Point made.
Never let em see you sweat. It’s over. Let’s drink.
My friend, Bryan, was the best man. If there’s one thing about Bryan, it’s that he always comes through…when you really, really, really need him to. I mean really. This was obviously one of those times. And although he wrote his toast down on a bev nap about an hour before the speech, he delivered one of the best toasts I’ve heard in any wedding. He started off with an update on the Spurs game (which we lost), he made us laugh, he made us cry, and then I got a stomach ache. But that was probably the result of eating too much candy from the candy bar. Kudos, Bryan!
Contrary to the traditional toast with champagne, we toasted in shot glasses with tequila. It was definitely different…and memorable since I walked away with a shot glass.
At the end of the evening, Chris and Carolina left us via horse and carriage to mariachis…and a bunch of drunken gritos and cheers.
Best of luck to Chris and Carolina! As the bride’s maid said, no other two people deserve each other more. Thank you for including me in your family. And I look forward to sharing in your life’s experiences. I love you guys!
The other night while watching the Spurs whoop up on the Jazz, my friends and I found ourselves reacting to some of the unbelievable moves by Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili with an “OHHHH!” And, yes, we did it when Amare stuffed that oop down the Spurs’ throat. Anyway, my friend Brian started doing it like Paulie from the Sopranos…and that led to a case of the giggles and an over used joke. OHHH! The power of alcohol. Anyway, I found this video someone threw together with a collage of OHHs! and AYYYs! from The Sopranos.
Florida Agriculture is a $87 billion industry providing food to the entire globe. Fresh From Florida markets Florida Agriculture all over the world, showing the importance and impact of Florida’s Farmers. In this 30-second PSA, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services promotes Rev It Up with Fresh from Florida! as its catch phrase to promote Florida Agriculture. If nothing else, watch this video because the Commissioner’s name is Charles Bronson.
In today’s edition of Friday’s Finds, I’m going to show my Top Commenters some link love. I appreciate their offerings…even if it is to make fun of my golf picture. I’m always looking for feedback as well, so bring it on! Thanks to everyone that contributes to the crude, yet refined community that is Derrich.com. Now without further ado.
Danielle…that’s Ms. Danielle to you…entertains the idea that perhaps one day, the algorithm set in place to determine a site’s value would go away completely. Instead, this appraisal would be determined by user-generated data. As Google’s data minefield expands, so does the likelihood of this theory.
Many bloggers know Wendy Piersall as the Internet’s premiere eMom offering suggestions to build a “powerful blog” while maintaining a balance with your everyday life. The first lady of the blogosphere offers a behind the scenes look at her life outside of blogging.
She’s sweet, she’s innocent, and she’s not to be effed with on the road. Kelly Cho has a small case of road rage and she’s trying to get it under control. While I can relate to her distaste for “clueless” drivers, I’m no road mercenary like Kelly.
Matt (Internet Business) at InternetBusinessDaily.net is a 22-year-old entrepreneur dedicated to making money on the Internet. Yesterday, he shared some interesting news about the .cm domain name scandal.
Webtools is an great resource for…well, for webtools. That covers an array of categories from blogging to mobile to Internet browsers. They’ve posted an article about using fingerprint recognition on mobile phones…an added security feature in today’s growing e-commerce society.
Ever hear of Graco? No. Not the infant products. The leader in fluid handling systems and components! Well, “Warren Buffet” at the RetireRichBlog.com breaks down the stock giving investors several good reasons to buy Graco (NYSE: GGG). I hate the charts, but he definitely makes some good points.
Stop by their blogs and don’t forget to leave a comment or two. Contribute to their community as you have with mine. Have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend!
My friend and colleague Joel Comm has been on the cutting edge of Internet marketing for a long time -- and sometimes a bit over the edge! -- but his new idea about an Internet marketing reality show is a great one. Called The Next Internet Millionaire, its modeled after Survivor and The Apprentice, among other reality TV shows.
Hes still accepting audition videos from potential contestants if you think itd be fun. I know Ill have fun: Im a celebrity judge so Im perhaps just a bit biased.
Joel recently answered some of my questions about the program and heres his Q&A.
Last night, I mentioned that PayPerPost is introducing PPP Direct to directly compete with ReviewMe as a paid review service. I’ve had a chance to think a little more about the effects this will have on bloggers’ opportunities to write reviews…specifically with price in mind.
The PPP Direct service will definitely give ReviewMe a run for its money…especially with the reduced commission PPP takes. It’s only a matter of time. Top earners on PPP earn about the same as ReviewMe earners (from what I’ve seen…after commissions are taken), and all they have to do is browse the opportunities that are made available to them based on parameters set by the advertisers (Alexa, Google PR, out-of-5 rating). No need for advertisers to come find them. I’ve made more money blogging this month from review opportunities, aka Sponsored Posts, than I have ever…and because of this system.
It seems like only the top ReviewMe bloggers are reaping the benefits of their service when there are plenty of potentially good bloggers out there (with the required ratings) that get overlooked because they only have 2 stars…since that’s what we start off with. No wonder we’re all stuck at the bottom of the list. I finally made it to the top of page 2, but that’s beside the point. At least with PayPerPost opportunities (not PPP Direct), you can at least create a reputation for yourself with several reviews. Now on a relatively even playing field, everyone has a chance to make or break themselves. I’m kinda playing devil’s advocate on this one. I realize that a blogger directory is a great tool to have.
Now with the introduction of PPP Direct, I’m concerned that this will cause advertisers to “get in bed” with certain bloggers. Sure I wouldn’t mind if I were one of those, but what about the beginner bloggers that are excellent writers? Life isn’t fair, I know. But, why not set the bar where everyone can hurdle it…and allow them to raise or lower it as they progress/regress? Hopefully PPP Direct will recognize up and coming bloggers…and established bloggers doing reviews for the first time…for their efforts and talents. And hopefully it doesn’t favor bloggers, while ignoring others who are capable and qualified.
The Battle Isn’t Won, It’s Only Begun
The evil man that he is, John Chow opens a new can of worms. His discussion about PayPerPost falling short of ReviewMe started a wave of “facts” and opinions to be examined. We can all speculate at this point, but who really knows how the introduction of PPP Direct will affect its Sponsored Post format….or ReviewMe pricing…and moreso how it will affect pricing as a whole.
Even Ted Murphy of PayPerPost had something to say on John’s blog…
First off anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis has to realize John is biased towards ReviewMe, which is fine I have no problem with that. However, it is hard to argue with the numbers.
Would you rather keep $200 on a $400 advertiser spend or keep $360 on the same spend. That is a no brainer. I would much rather have the maximum amount possible.
So let’s put your theory to the test. You say that the money comes from advertisers finding you through the ReviewMe marketplace, not the other way around. Let’s assume you are 100% correct (which I don’t believe you are, you already had a following before ReviewMe).
Now let’s say you remove the optional ReviewMe badge at the top your blog and replace it with a PPP Direct badge. You will still be listed in the ReviewMe marketplace, and the transactions they generate won’t be lost. However, the transactions YOU generate now come with an HUGE increase in the money you put in your pocket. You get the best of both worlds.
I do agree with the need for a directory of participating bloggers. We will be releasing a blogger directory in the near future. We want to work out any issues before pushing this on a large scale to our advertisers.
O.K. So, let’s get this all straight:
Our marketplace charges only 35% while Review charges a 100% markup (not 50%, they take 50% of the charge which is not the same). Ontop of that PPP Direct transactions happen a 10% markup. The Directory is just around the corner. PPP Direct is far more elegant than any other solution out there. What did I miss?
Just Do It!…Yourself
There are many bloggers that believe in skipping the middleman and offering direct advertising on their blog. That’s a great idea…if you have the time. I blog on a part-time basis, so for me a service like PayPerPost or ReviewMe is ideal. However, if direct advertising is something you’re interested in, Maki over DoshDosh.com has a series of direct advertising strategies that you should read with alot of great suggestions.
Ive been following the rather appalling story of former 
(Sorry, Amy).
