Hostgator offering 20% off for Valentines Day
Hostgator is offering 20% of for Valentines Day. While web hosting doesn’t make much of sense for valentines day gift, its great discount for yourself if you are looking around for good hosting.
Hostgator web hosting has been best so far for me (and I have moved around pleanty of hosts), using them since more than a year without any issues.
So if you are interested give them a try Hostgator V-Day 20% off
SEOMoz - your survey application is broken
I generally avoid taking any surveys and I should have really stuck to that, but somehow email from SEOMoz (or chance of winning iphone?) today convinced me to take their so called ‘SEO Industry Survey’. So what follows is complete waste of time - the survey has around 51 question and when I am through to 35th - SEOMoz survey application breaks apart and kept me showing ‘Recording your answer - please be patient’ message for more than 20 minutes now - effectively wasting all the time taken to reach upto 35 questions.
What the heck SEOMoz - I was hoping better from you.
Quality Based Pricing Introduced by YPN
Finally, Yahoo Publisher Network launched what was most speculated, the smart pricing feature for Yahoo Publisher Network partners and Yahoo Search Marketing advertisers.
Here is the excerpt from launch email
In an ongoing effort to strengthen our Sponsored Search and Content Match marketplaces, Yahoo! will be introducing a new traffic quality feature called “quality-based pricing”. This feature is rolling out beginning today and we plan to continue to expand it over time.
Quality-based pricing will give us the ability to price traffic commensurate with the value that advertisers receive from each traffic source. We recognize that this approach may have an impact on how you operate your business, and as a valued Yahoo! publisher we wanted to let you know about this new feature, as you may notice fluctuations in your Yahoo! Publisher Network earnings.
Quality-based pricing reinforces our overall commitment to deliver long-term success for our distribution partners, a high-quality experience for users and high-value traffic to our advertisers. We are excited about this initiative, and plan to work closely with you as we roll out these features across our network.
Sincerely,
The Yahoo! Publisher Network Team
StatCounter Increases Log size for Free Accounts
Statcounter has is offering free upgrades for log size from 100 to 500. This is great, because now you can see more stats for your site.
This is the snippet of email received today with good news
———————————————–
Here’s what we did
———————————————–
We took the old free log size of 100 and multiplied it by 5 to give you
even more info on your visitors. Please note that this increase applies to
ALL StatCounter members, and to ALL projects!———————————————–
Here’s what you have to do now
———————————————–
Free Members:To increase your log size, log into StatCounter and click the wrench icon
beside your project. Click ‘Adjust Log Size’, and enter 500 in the box.
Click ‘Adjust Project Log’ and you’re done!Upgraded Members:
To increase your log-size, log into StatCounter and click the wrench icon
beside your project. Click ‘Adjust Log Size’, and increase your log by an
extra 400 (your current log already includes the first free 100!). Click
‘Adjust Project Log’ and you’re done!
OpenDNS - foot in the mouth
Today I came across this entry on digg about OpenDNS claiming Google+Dell to install spyware on users computers.Its basically cheap potshot by OpenDNS against Google/Dell.
OpenDNS cliams that Google+Dell pre-installs software on Dell Computers so that all mistyped URLs or searches show up Google results (with Google ads). On first reading it seems that OpenDNS is doing some great job exposing Google/Dell practices.
Lets take a closer look at this article by OpenDNS. Seems that this pre-installed software is causing problem for OpenDNS to show their own ads when user mistypes the URL. Now comes out the real motive of this article.
OpenDNS has boldly classified this pre-installed software as spyware, claiming (multiple times in same article) that its extremely difficult for average person. However they do admit that Google results clearly show message to user on why they are seeing such results and in fact clear way to remove such software. I never seen any spyware (as blamed by OpenDNS) company doing that. Here is screenshot of clear message Google/Dell provides on disabling such software
Further, what is emphasized by OpenDNS as extremely difficult is actually much easier procedure can be done in 2-3 steps.
In fact the procedure to use OpenDNS is at least 5 times complicated than above. Lets look at the Setup Instructions for OpenDNS. Definitely if someone can go over these steps, they can easily remove software using add/remove programs.
In fact messing with DNS entries is much riskier. What happens if OpenDNS servers slows down? People can’t access the legitimates sites even when they have proper internet connection.
So to conclude, the entire case built by OpenDNS is a foul cry against Google+Dell because they are directly affective OpenDNS bottom line.
Check out comments at Digg for more insight on this whole issue.
Text Link Ads likes me?
Its great to see that text link ads is not only able to sell out my text link ads inventory, but even oversell it. Its been more than 4 months now that text-link-ads has consistantly maintained clients for links from my site. So overall text-link-ads has made good name for themselves.
I hate to share 50% of revenue with them, but hey..they are very good at selling links. Perticularly with their $100 in FREE Links program where they offer free links worth of 100$. This has brought on many advertisers to try out their services.
Being text links (not just contextual ads) works out great for advertisers as they get visitors as well as benefit of backlinks to their site.
Excellent MySpace Articles
Myspace has now grown in to MySpace Social Phenomenon from just another social networking site where cool kids meet. With such a vast expansion and social rich MySpace has also been in controversies involving possible safety of teens, kids hanging on Myspace site. However MySpace still can be enjoyed with certain MySpace Precautions and Kids Safety Guidelines as described in Myspace Articles.
These Myspace Articles cover verity of topics like Getting Started On MySpace, Security and Privacy on MySpace, Advertising on MySpace, Finding Old Friends through MySpace
Finally it has excellent list of MySpace Tips for Teens for getting noticed on MySpace to have fun time on MySpace.
Reduce Adwords CPC Cost - Tips from Adwords Pro
I am wondering if this is common practice, but this has worked for me with great cost/value benifit.
Generally start with keyword bids with whatever value it takes to get keyword enabled and start getting traffic. Once ad starts getting good CTR and position around 1-4, reduce the keyword CPC (keeping it still enabled).
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AzoogleAds 2 Coming Soon
AzoogleAds is stepping up with their brand new interface soon. The new interface is much easier to navigate and user friendly.
Here are screenshots from the new interface tutorial, which looks totally revamped look and feel.
Crazy Hosting Deals - Grab Them
There has been real competition going on among web hosting providers.
The best deal going on now is from NetFirms. Netfirms is offerring 20GB Disk Space, 750GB Bandwidth and 2 Free domains for 9.95$/month. But the deal is with using coupon code MAX, which makes whole package for 10$/year. 10$/year is less cost for even just two domains (consider hosting free). Use the coupon code of MAX
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