Brian Dawkins Broncos
- Posted by Taylor in MAKE MONEY ONLINE |
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The news bulletins are flashing. It’s rumored that Brian Dawkins won’t be playing for the Philadelphia Eagles any longer. Instead, one of the great safeties will be going to the cold state of Colorado to play for the Denver Broncos.
Dawkins is…
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America’s Not Really Tops In Broadband
- Posted by Jason Lee Miller in MAKE MONEY ONLINE, WEBSITE SEO |
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Americans are more economically productive with broadband than any other country, according to new research. But that doesn’t mean the US in number one in broadband.
Likely major ISPs and backbone providers will gleefully point to Saul Hansell’s New York Times blog—and his headline: Surprise: America is No. 1 in Broadband—in rebuttal to criticism of how they’ve built out their networks.
The Connectivity Scorecard, developed by Leonard Waverman, dean of Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary, offers a holistic comparison of how governments, businesses, and consumers use the Internet for economic productivity. No surprise the US rocked that category—we’re always working, man.
And we’re working on slower connections than over a dozen other countries. Think how productive we’d be if we had speeds comparable to Japan or Korea. That’s been the point of the criticism against the broadband that’s available. It’s not, as Hansell puts it, about “a new Sputnik” challenge.
The broadband problem has been that a handful of companies hamper competition by operating, if areas are lucky, duopolies, and even limit speed roll-outs and network advancements because of artificial, gradual speed build-up profit schemes.
Worse, the US government gave them $200 billion 1996 to keep America ahead in the broadband game, and they spent that money on long distance instead. The consequence of that is the US shares a place on the broadband list with Mexico and Turkey.
If the US is number one in using broadband for economic growth, then that’s thanks to the good old American workaholic spirit, not to cable and phone companies handicapping their systems. 
 
Mike Vrabel traded to Kansas City
- Posted by Taylor in MAKE MONEY ONLINE |
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The Kansas City Chiefs have acquired outside linebacker, Mike Vrabel from the New England Patriots. I have been looking for sources that tell us who the Patriots received in return, but so far, I have found nothing.The 33 year old Vrabel made the…
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Twitter Used For Social Media Fundraising?
- Posted by Danny Brown in MAKE MONEY ONLINE, WEBSITE SEO |
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As some of you may know, I was recently involved in a tagline competition for The Printed Blog.
The prize for the winner was a Nintendo Wii. Despite being way behind after missing a day’s worth of voting, I ended up winning the contest, with over 51% of votes.
My sincere thanks to everyone who voted for me, from Twitter, Facebook and a few emails that were sent out. When the Wii arrives, I’ll be taking it down to the kids at the Sick Children’s Hospital in Toronto. They need it far more than I do.
One thing this showed was that social media continues to be an amazing way to raise awareness about good causes, as well as foster support for them. Twitter in particular is beginning to shine as a cause marketing platform. Think about Tweetsgiving, Twestival and the 12for12k Challenge to name just a few. All great causes, all originated and supported via Twitter.
Which made me think.
Twitter’s main issue at the moment seems to be long-term monetization and financial security. They have just received a cash injection, but that won’t really sustain the platform in its journey to mainstream acceptance and profitability. What it needs is a long-term plan to achieve stability.
So how about this?
Twitter stays as it is - a great communication tool for personal and business use - but it becomes a standard for social media fundraising? Its ability to offer instant action and reaction is perfect for fundraising. And we’re already seeing success on it.
The founders of Twitter could speak to Bill Gates about his Foundation and see if they could receive annual funding towards their charity work. Businesses could also sponsor Twitter for its cause marketing work. And all the fractured causes on Twitter at the minute could fall under one umbrella, benefiting from increased support and promotion.
Obviously it’s just the most basic of ideas at the minute and it would need some serious think tanks to bring to fruition.
But isn’t it something worth thinking about?
 
More On Facebook’s TOS
- Posted by Jordan McCollum in MAKE MONEY ONLINE, WEBSITE SEO |
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After what can only be termed a kerfuffle last week over changes to its Terms of Service, Facebook has decided to take some pretty drastic steps to address the issue of content ownership on the social networking site: they’re soliciting input from their users.
Asking for user feedback? Revolutionary, I know—but when it comes to setting the legal policies for one of the most popular sites in the world, somehow I don’t think direct democracy is the best way to determine IP rights. (Okay, I’m sure they’re not going the direct democracy route. Who does these days—I mean, really? Even Digg isn’t really democratic anymore.)
Yes, rather than letting their users directly write and/or edit their Terms of Service (Wiki-style FTW!), Facebook is encouraging its users to comment on a set of guiding principles they will use to shape specific language and policies in the future. The proposed Facebook Principles and Facebook Statement of Rights and Responsibilities (woot for recognizing that rights come with responsibilities!) are now available for comment from users until March 29.
So why all the fuss? Facebook made a change to its TOS this month indicating that members couldn’t revoke the license they grant to Facebook to use their content even when they delete their account. People didn’t like it. People didn’t like it so much they couldn’t shut up about how they didn’t consent to the change, and how they were leaving the site because of it. Facebook took it back, so it should be over, right?
Not so much—and not everyone (okay, it looks like almost no one) is impressed by FB’s efforts. I like what Stacy D. Kramer of paidContent had to say about it, that Facebook is opening this up:
in the apparent hope of either coming to a group decision or giving users enough of a chance to make themselves heard that they’ll feel like they participated even if it doesn’t go their way.
Read Write Web, on the other hand, says “Facebook’s management has lost its grip on reality” and this effort shows their relationship with their users is “delusional.” Meanwhile, Econsultancy says Facebook needs “common sense, not democracy.”
Though she didn’t bother to hide her boredom with the conference call, BoomTown’s Kara Swisher said that it was “like being at the Constitutional Convention, except for geeks,” with their calls of transparency and openness. (Um, kind of, except the opposite. Attendees at the Convention were sworn to secrecy during proceedings. Transparency, not so much. But you get the intended analogy, I’m sure.)
I’m guessing this effort is direct evidence that Facebook is looking to replace this clause with a less-offensive one designed to grant the same right in perpetuity, but this time, they’ll be able to point directly at these efforts and say that they asked members for their input. The most vocal critics are likely to comment on the Principles and Statement.
How much do you think Facebook will be able to give their critics if they want/claim to need this right?
 
Giving Up Facebook For Lent?
- Posted by Jason Lee Miller in MAKE MONEY ONLINE, WEBSITE SEO |
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Well, I guess it all comes down to whatever floats your spiritual boat. In this case the spiritual boat is floating straight out of Facebook—they’ll be back in a month (some of them sooner, probably). Welcome to Lent 2.0, if I may be so crass.
What would Mark Zuckerberg do? If I were him, I’d sit back and marvel, not just that my college days thingamabob has amassed 175 million social networking faithful, but also that a portion of them love Facebook so much they honor it with ritual sacrifice.
Last year it was college kids giving up Facebook for Lent—a 40 day sacrifice of some cherished affectation in advance of Easter, a small, mildly psychologically uncomfortable lifestyle change usually involving chocolate or bacon or soda pop as a nod of appreciation that actually wandering out into the wilderness to hang out with the Devil is no longer required—and we all chuckled. Those kids, always making something out of nothing.
It seems now those kids were trendsetters. Grownups, who gave in and migrated on over once they learned all their old buddies they hadn’t seen since they had a 28 waist were using Facebook like the new chain-email alert system—did you hear that so and so…(sorry for all the digression—I may consider giving up dependent clauses, complicated punctuation and asides, myself, teach myself the simple, ascetic values of Hemingway), will be refraining from status updates and wall writing this year, too.
And it’s probably easier than giving up beer.
It seems spouses are getting grumpy, and things aren’t getting done like they once did because tubby spends too much time taking 80’s movie quizzes. Likely, too, being a grownup means one can’t have fun and not feel a little guilty about the indulgence.
So says the Wall Street Journal:
Lisandrea Wentland, who does research for a Christian TV network, plays Scrabble and trades amusing YouTube videos on Facebook. Every time she logs on, she says, "it’s like going to the best party in the world."
Somebody should take Ms. Wentland to a real party sometime, probably Mr. Wentland. Or maybe it’s time to refer some people to a specialist in Internet addiction.
 
32 Days to Success - A Proven Strategy For Reaching Success?
- Posted by Taylor in MAKE MONEY ONLINE |
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FriendFinder Smacked With Labor Suit
- Posted by Jason Lee Miller in MAKE MONEY ONLINE, WEBSITE SEO |
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Almost a year ago, many of us stood in shock as the CEO of FriendFinder Networks, formerly Penthouse Media Group, saw no conflict whatsoever in the fact the same company that published a porn mag and ran various adult-themed websites also owned and operated BigChurch.com, a Christian dating site. “It’s just business,” he told us.
Natalie Cedeno
Well, CEO Marc Bell is in the news again after FriendFinder’s former human resources head filed a lawsuit against the company for violation of labor laws. Natalie Cedeno was retained as HR director after PMG (which rebranded as social networking company FriendFinder Networks) bought Various, Inc., which owned the massive and heavily advertised Adult FriendFinder and several other variations on the FriendFinder theme, including the aforementioned BigChurch.com, for $500 million.
Valleywag’s Owen Thomas paints Silicon Valley-based Various as a conservative, all-business type company despite its ownership of many porn sites, complete with strict dress codes and banishment of racy screensavers. But, according to the lawsuit, when Bell and Penthouse—erm, FriendFinder Networks—took over, things changed.
Namely: When a female employee protested against a Penthouse Pet ice cream party, the nearly nude pets went into her office and put their boobs on her head (she quit later); when Cedeno complained about lap dances being charged to the company, executives laughed and noted Bell had just done the same for some investment bankers; Bell reportedly told Cedeno the women in the office were too ugly and she should do something about it to keep the male workers happy.
There are some other allegations, but those are the fun ones.
 
 
Mobile Local Search Advertising to Reach $1.3 Billion?
- Posted by Chris Crum in MAKE MONEY ONLINE, WEBSITE SEO |
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The number of people using mobile devices to get content is on the way up. Phones are getting smarter, more services are being offered mobile and apps are being created left and right. Mobile content viewership will only continue to rise. It stands to reason that mobile advertising will increase as well.
Looking at mobile local search advertising, the Kelsey Group thinks it will be heading toward somewhere around $1.3 billion in the next four years in the US alone.
"As mobile data consumption rises, we expect local marketing to be a big winner," says Michael Boland, program director, Mobile Local Media with The Kelsey Group. "There is a strong correlation between local search and the mobile use case, which will cause a good portion of the ongoing mobile application boom to focus on local."
A few other interesting findings cited in a report from the Kelsey Group include:
- The percentage of mobile searches that have local intent will increase from 28% in 2008 to 35% in 2013.
      
- Currently there are 54.5 million mobile Internet users in the United States, representing 25 percent of online users.
      
- Approximately 15% of iPhone applications are local.
These are some interesting numbers to consider, particularly if you look to market your business to a local audience. In a related story, mobile search usage has jumped 14% in a year’s time (between ‘07 and ‘08)according to ABI Research.
20,000 Sources Added to Google News in a Year’s Time
- Posted by Chris Crum in MAKE MONEY ONLINE, WEBSITE SEO |
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Google News has apparently grown from using 4,500 sources to 25,000 sources over the course of a year. Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable noticed that the number below the search box on the Google News homepage has grown pretty significantly.
"I do not know when Google changed that number, but I believe it was some time in the recent past," he admits, but nobody else seems to be able to pin down when the change occurred either.
Either way the number has grown over 20,000 over a year’s time, and that is pretty significant. The interesting part to me is that just this week, Google announced that in the US, AdWords would now be regularly appearing in Google News search results.
Did Google decide to go forward with this because of the number of sources or was the number of sources boosted to increase results to accompany ads? Perhaps the two aren’t related at all, but it’s certainly something to ponder.
Another thing to ponder that Schwartz mentions himself is whether or not the quality of Google News will suffer as a result of adding 20,000 sources. That will depend on the quality of the sources themselves. I wouldn’t mind seeing the list (though it would take a while to wade through).
