Archive for May, 2007

Sopranos Ohs

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.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Rev It Up, Florida Style

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.

This is a Sponsored Post.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Friday’s Finds — 05/25/2007

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.
• Shaine Mata is one of the coordinators of PodCamp San Antonio, which was very well organized. Shaine shares with us a quick sketch biography of Shaine Mata.

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!

Popularity: 3% [?]

PayPerPost or ReviewMe? or Neither?

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?

For more information go here:
http://blog.payperpost.com/2007/05/part-one-of-birdo-release.html

For a video go here:
http://blog.payperpost.com/2007/05/payperpost-direct-overview.html

Andy Beard breaks it down for us over at his blog. Read Exclusive - Pay Per Post Direct Changes The Paid Review Landscape Great post!

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.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Stroke A Pose

I’m a banker. It’s golfing season. Need I say more? At each tournament I play in, you’re pretty much guaranteed to encounter the photo lady roaming around the course ready to snap your picture at a moment’s notice. I’ve added smiley faces to my compadres and clients in the interest of privacy. Only one word describes my pose: dainty.

Go ahead. Take a shot. I’m a big boy. I guess I’m ready to play Danielle one on one. She probably doesn’t stand like that when she’s playing golf.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Samsung SCH-U740: A New Twist In Mobile Technology

A few weeks ago, I decided that it was time to replace my Nokia 6682, which has been good to me in a year and a half. Obviously…because it took me that long to replace it. I normally have a new mobile phone every 6-9 months. The one I really wanted, the Sony Ericsson K790, is just too expensive for now. I’ve been in love with it since I saw it in Casino Royale. With the anticipation of the iPhone…and my impatience…I decided to go with the Samsung SCH-U740.

As a lurker on HowardForums.com, I’m usually aware of the latest and greatest. But I seem to have missed the Samsung despite its charm and neat looks…my attention still on the K790. It must be fascinating because I’ve never looked twice at a flip phone since my Motorola StarTac. I’m a candy bar guy. But this was neither…not really. It was definitely a new “twist” in mobile phone functionality.

The first time I saw the phone, I was browsing around ShackkDiesel’s mobile blog. He had announced that Verizon released the U740 on its website. I checked it out immediately. Ends up it was released on other sites (WireFly, LetsTalk, etc) in gold. Ewww. It was destiny that I’d waited so long. Only Verizon had it available in black…that day…for about $50 more.

Samsung SCH-U740 vs BlackBerry 8700c — picture taken with Nokia 6682

The first thing that came to mind was the QWERTY keyboard, and that it might be too small for my big hands. I read many reviews that compared the Samsung U740 to the LG Envy, which a friend of mine used to have…and another guy compared his to a BlackBerry. While the keyboard looked crowded, I didn’t flinch. Not n xpert txt msgr like me. AYKM! (Sorry…it happens sometimes.)

Now that I’ve been using for awhile, I really like it. As far as pictures, its very much like my Nokia 6682. With good light and reasonable distance, the pictures were relatively good quality for a camera phone. Close-ups get blurry (see above photo), and colors disappear in the dark…even with the flash. The U740 includes five different resolutions (1280×960, 640×480, 320×240, 160×120, and a Picture ID setting) and three quality settings (Fine, Normal, Economy). Unfortuntely, the 4x zoom doesn’t work in the 1280×960 setting.

One small frustration I have is with the battery. Samsung rates talk time at 3.5 hours and standby time of 8.3 days. In my experience, the talk time is fairly accurate. But because I use the phone often, I usually have to charge it everyday. This is where I get frustrated. Both my BlackBerry and Nokia charged from one bar to full power in about an hour or so. In that time, the Samsung goes from one bar to three [out of 4] in that time. It definitely requires an overnight feeding.

I’m still playing with all the features of the phone. For a more thorough read, check out the c|net Samsung U740 review. It includes an informative video review as well.

Popularity: 5% [?]

PayPerPost To Introduce PPP Direct

PayPerPost (PPP) is down tonight performing maintenance on its site. PPP users were notified of the downtime earlier today due to a “monster update”. Well, the blog marketing site will introduce PPP Direct, which will compete with the likes of ReviewMe.

We’ve had a number of people ask whether it’s possible for advertisers to directly approach posties to get them to write special blog posts. PPP Direct makes that happen. In a nutshell, you simply specify the amount you want to be paid for these Direct opportunities and stick a badge on your blog. When an advertiser finds your blog and decides they’d like you to write something they just click on the badge, sign up to PPP and make you an offer.

In addition to the new PPP Direct service, other updates include bans and benches where advertisers and publishers can be more selective with one another. Post reservations will be another addition…allowing “posties” (PPP users) to take an opportunity and lock it in for 6 hours before getting added back to the list of opportunities. And finally, Technorati rankings will no longer be used in qualifying a blogger for an opportunity. Due to the recent changes at Technorati, PayPerPost has decided to use only Google PageRank and Alexa ranking as provisions.

Popularity: 2% [?]

BlogRoll

• Milk Was A Bad Choice
• CrackBerry.com
• Stock Trading 101
• For The Love Of Sports
• Project Spurs
• Busted Coverage
• WallStreetFighter

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