Originally, I stated that I wasn’t going to get involved with the Performance Marketing Alliance on GeekCast.
I was nominated for the formation advisory board and originally thought I would probably decline as I said on GeekCast. However, I changed my mind on Thursday night after some very good conversations, including one with my very wise wife (who has nothing to do with affiliate marketing, but has been to an Affiliate Summit).
I’m working to be the change I want in the world… are you?
Interesting possibility for the thread that Rebecca just posted on the Performance Marketing Alliance’s blog regarding Haiko’s datafeed standard from 2005:
Data Feed standard update at Performance Marketing Alliance: “Haiko de Poel just emailed me with a link to a data feed standard he developed in 2005 and posted on A Best Web. It is really concise and certainly looks like it covers details important to affiliates.”
This is the sort of involvement that a lot of people from ABW in particular have been asking for in terms of what sorts of issues the PMA might address within the realm of affiliate marketing. Hopefully, issues like ethics, merchant communications, etc will also be addressed there in the coming days and weeks as the PMA moves into its formation stages.
If you haven’t read the Industry Association Meeting thread on ABW definitely head over there for the conversation.
Linda Buquet also has a neat idea on Twitter today:
@billykay An aff group w/in PMA would have so much more clout, could decide on issues that the larger group needs to tackle etc.
It seems to me like the PMA conversations across the wide spectrum of affiliate forums like ABW, blogs like ReveNews, etc have moved to the next level. That is a good sign for the possibility of the alliance both having a life and being beneficial to all ranges of affiliates.
Be careful lumping all “affiliate marketers” into the B2B John Reese camp, Tony…
Deep Jive Interests » Mashable vs. John Reese: The Bigger Issue In Internet Marketing: “Because one of the biggest problems with Internet Marketing is that are very few real conversations about it. Most of it are on the forums, but the even there its hard to find a real opinion on things.
Why is this?
Because of affiliate marketing.”
There are lots of us who have some involvement with the world of affiliate marketing who find the sort of marketing you describe later in your post just as sketchy as you do (and should).
I’m an affiliate marketer, social media early adopter and a longtime Twitter user (since ’06) and don’t think I fit the description you make. John Reese and I got into it last night on this topic at Andrew Wee’s blog.
All of my affiliate stuff (as well as 99% of the people I know in affiliate marketing) is consumer related, not B2B ebooks and rarely, if ever, promoted on any of the myriads of social networks I belong to.
There’s a big gap between the B2B “affiliate” marketers and the B2C variety.
Interesting question…
Using Images in SU Reviews to Increase Website Traffic – Does it help?: “Does using images in StumbleUpon (and other social media tools) help you get more traffic to your site?”
Looks like the tentative answer is yes.
Something to ponder if you’re using StumbleUpon for that sort of thing.
Here’s another staff vid we did at Motive Interactive with media buyer Chris Denk:
Get in touch with Chris at cdenk@motiveinteractive.com.
I learned that Chris is a big fan of coconuts…
I love my Kindle.
Just this morning, I was in bed watching my favorite program on TV (and about the only thing I watch on TV these days), MSNBC’s Morning Joe. There was a fascinating exchange between show pundit Pat Buchanan and economist Jeffrey Sachs on the topic of energy independence and offshore drilling. Sachs fired back against Buchanan’s typical conservatism (and nativism) with clear and coherent points about the future of energy production and our planet.
At the end of the segment, Joe Scarborough mentioned Sachs’ new book, Commonwealth. I knew then that I had to have it. So, I reached over to the bedside, grabbed my Kindle and about a minute later I was reading the book on the same device that I had read half of another book just a few hours ago.
For me, that’s a game changer.
I love my Kindle.
So, I was happy to see that Seth Godin had written about his experiences with the Kindle since getting one a couple of months ago. Thanks to Jim Kukral for sending that link over.
Seth’s Blog: Random thoughts about the Kindle: “Two months ago, I got a Kindle. It’s a fascinating device, unlike almost any other launched by a significant tech company. Here’s why:”
The only part I disagree on is the “Kindle is a woman’s device” part because most of the top selling Kindle books are on an Oprah list and non-techy. The same can be said for the NY Times Top 10 list (or any top 10 book selling list). Heck, I’m a geek and I don’t read tech or business books. There are plenty of history and political books in the Kindle’s top sellers list which traditionally skew male as well.
Head over and read his thoughts. You just might want a Kindle yourself.
“Now, with the blogs, you can share your thoughts with up to 10 people.”
This is my 1,000th (published…a few dozen never saw the light of day, thankfully) post on CostPerNews.
CPN went live on Nov 1, 2006 and I had no idea where it was going (and still don’t). 19 months later (at an average of 52 posts a month), we’ve hit the magic 1k mark.
I knew in October of ’06 that I wanted to have a place where I could write as frequently or infrequently as I wanted and cover the emerging web2.0 space and the connections I was (and still am) seeing with traditional affiliate marketing. I came up with the name while mowing the lawn that Fall and ran inside to register the domain before I forgot. Luckily, I didn’t forget.
I can honestly say that this little blog has been the most important vehicle for my own personal brand and business, helping me to get into doors that wouldn’t have been opened otherwise and helping me to get to know some pretty incredible people along the way. If you’re wondering if you should start a blog, take it from me… yes.
So, thank you for being there and listening to my crazy ramblings about Twitter and Tumblr and RSS and open source over the past couple of years. I’ve sold this blog, quit this blog (twice), re-acquired this blog and redesigned it (at least 10 times). And here we are again.
I’ve grown a lot with this place and I look forward to growing even more with the next thousand posts.
Many thanks all!!
Sam
VIDDIX looks pretty nifty if you’re doing lots of video and want to tie in a presentation.
Check out the demo video here:
VIDDIX – Demo VIDDIX
I’ll be testing it out later today and try to grab a screencast.
Got my copy of FeedFront in the mail a few weeks ago and I wanted to give a quick review with my thoughts and whether or not we need “offline” magazines in a digital world.
Yay!
Our long international blogging conundrum is over.
Disqus FTW!
Disqus Blog » New: Enable Support for Trackbacks in Disqus: “Go to the Configure tab and scroll down to General Settings. Check the box and let it do its thing. This is our support for standard Trackbacks. More fun Linkback implementations still to come.”
However, this only works for the JS plugin, not the API plugin. Sorry, Jangro (seriously, head over to Jangro’s blog to see why that matters to some).
We talked about Spore on GeekCast today because the Spore Creature Creator was released.
How will you create the universe?
With Spore you can nurture your creature through five stages of evolution: Cell, Creature, Tribe, Civilization, and Space. Or if you prefer, spend as much time as you like making creatures, vehicles, buildings and spaceships with Spore’s unique Creator tools.
CREATE Your Universe from Microscopic to Macrocosmic – From tide pool amoebas to thriving civilizations to intergalactic starships, everything is in your hands.
EVOLVE Your Creature through Five Stages – It’s survival of the funnest as your choices reverberate through generations and ultimately decide the fate of your civilization.
EXPLORE your world and beyond – Will you rule, or will your beloved planet be blasted to smithereens by a superior alien race?
SHARE with the World – Everything you make is shared with other players and vice versa, providing tons of cool creatures to meet and new places to visit.
So, I spent some time creating a creature tonight (just a few mins, I promise). First impressions is that this is going to be a wildly successful hit. Why? Incredible game design/feel and incredibly smart marketing. We’re talking original Doom style viral stuff that is going to make this game a runaway.
You can grab pictures, avatars and videos of your creature as you go through the game. There’s even an “upload to YouTube” function right in the game. Brilliant. You can see a short vid I did of my creature above as an example. And there’s even a dedicated site called SporeVote integrated into the game for fan votes on their favorite created creatures.
On your harddrive, everything is kept nicely in a folder that is created within the Documents section (on a Mac… not sure how that works on PCs):
All in all, I’m highly impressed. Of course, this is going to be a big “time waster” but isn’t that what all games are for? I can’t tell you how much time I “wasted” on Sim City (who shares its creator with Spore), but I look back on fondness at those times.
Can’t wait until the full game is released in September.
This most recent episode of GeekCast is the best we’ve done.
We spend a great deal of time talking about the ABW and Performance Marketing Alliance controversy and our own frustrations with how things are playing out.
GeekCast 23: Can’t We All Just Get Along? : GeekCast.fm: “The show kicked off with discussion around the ABestWeb forum thread on the Performance Marketing Alliance initiative and whether or not affiliate marketing as an industry is being helped or hindered by the organization and whether or not some of the comments there were helpful to the industry as well. This theme comes around at the end of the show. So, make sure to listen to the whole thing for the proper context.”
Be sure to listen to this one if you’re interested in the industry organization movement.
There’s lots of other good stuff in the 80 minute podcast as well (you can find the whole description on the GeekCast page as well as link to the streaming player).
And here’s the mp3 for your downloading pleasure
I’ll be leading a workshop on social networking stuff for affiliate managers at the AffiliateClassroomLive event the Saturday before Affiliate Summit in Boston this August:
affiliateclassroomlive.com | Home: “Join us for a half-day workshop dedicated to Affiliate Managers. In the past, our LIVE Affiliate Manager Workshops have taken place over a full day and have been comprised mainly of presentations.”
And here’s the description of my session (no, I didn’t write this or refer to myself as an extraordinaire!):
Web 2.0 Practical, Successful Applications for Affiliate Managers
Sam Harrelson
Web 2.0 extraordinaire, Sam Harrelson, will talk to you about the various community networking platforms, applications and systems. He’ll discuss how affiliate managers can apply Web 2.0 techniques to their jobs for more effective affiliate recruitment, communication and motivation.
Lots of good people leading workshops like Trisha Fawver, Peter Figueredo, Heather Paulson, Lisa Riolo, Brad Waller and Lee Gientke.
I promise mine will be interesting, so stop by if you’re in town that Saturday.
I’m a fan of Apple in general, but I’m holding out for Google’s Android initiative before I move away from my BlackBerry (rather than going with the Android 3G).
This is mostly because I’m a fan of the open platform and open source approach to software and hardware. Plus, Google has so much of my data in their cloud because of my usage of their web products.
Just wanted to let everyone here know that the best blog I’ve found for Android updates is a blog called AndroidGuys.
Good stuff if you’re into the mobile side of things.
As I head into my first Father’s Day as an actual father, the news of Tim Russert’s passing hit me like a ton of bricks for a number of reasons.
First, I love politics. I love the art of politics and the science of politics and the religion of politics. Russert was, to many of us, the priest of politics. Sunday mornings without him on Meet the Press will never be the same for me.
Second, I love Meet the Press and its format. I have religiously watched the show for years (even in college when Sunday mornings at 9am came way too early most weekends). After I watch, I download the audio and listen again to the show throughout the week:
It was a daily ritual that will be tough to perform without Russert.
Third, Russert loved what he did. You could see it on his face and it was inspiring to see someone so happy, fulfilled and challenged by their job.
Lastly, Russert is leaving behind a close family. Russert’s passing makes me take pause as this being my first Father’s Day with a child.
As professionals, we have a lot to learn from Russert’s example. Love your family, love what you do and seek to build bridges and find understanding instead of following the path of least resistance which normally resides on the plateau of negativity and greed.
I’m not sure how happy the Speed Channel and networks that broadcast NASCAR races would be about this. But until they start streaming the races in a similar format to MLB.tv, this is a nifty Ustream workaround for those of us stuck in offices during qualifying or races:
http://www.ustream.tv/flash/live/133638Online Video provided by Ustream
Pay attention networks… people want to do things like watch NASCAR races or football games or soccer games. Hulu is excellent for dramas and sitcoms, but there’s huge opportunity here for content producers in the sports and live events content creation business!
At the https://www.fusionquest.com/cgi-bin/main/hotlinks.cgi?aflt=afc1&client=affsumAffiliate Summit West this year, one of the most talked about moments was the back-and-forth between SEO expert Wil Reynolds and Jason Calacanis during Wil’s session.
Here’s Wil’s take:
Well the BIG topic – buying links to help boost your SEO rankings, let me say again…if you properly analyze your landscape you can determine if you may or may not need to buy links. If you do, you should buy ones that are actually on GOOD sites – while producing great content is the ideal, you may have to prime the pump a bit with a few strategic bought links. This is an advanced tactic, if you don’t understand what makes a good vs. bad link, don’t buy one!
As you can imagine, Jason was not too supportive of the link buying tactic and has called out Google and SEO’ers many times over the issue (and created a company to combat the problem he sees in search today).
And thanks to the power of the interwebs, you have the chance to see the throw down (not really) between Wil and Jason (or head over to YouTube to see the annotations that Wil has added to the video… they don’t carry over to embeds):
The video also shows why you should be going to the https://www.fusionquest.com/cgi-bin/main/hotlinks.cgi?aflt=afc1&client=affsumAffiliate Summit in Boston this August. Unlike many of the shows I go to, there is both real substance and real discussions that go on during the sessions. This is just a taste of that.
Over in the sidebar, you might notice a neat new chicklet that shows the amount of followers I have on Twitter:
I’ve been pretty prolific on Twitter since 2006 and have written extensively about it here, so it’s definitely an important component to my online existence. Now that Twitter is recovering from its recent troubles, I’m back to using it regularly.
Most of the people that read this blog follow me on Twitter (and I reciprocate if you’re not a bot), so please consider doing the same here.
Since we’re on a political kick here, head over to GeekCast and listen to the latest RedHatBlueHat podcast.
Despite Shawn’s rather biased show description, it was a well balanced and heated show where I do what I do every week… ask policy questions and have to fend off the politics of personal destruction that the Red Hats keep retreating to any time the water gets warm.
RedHatBlueHat : GeekCast.fm: “The fourth installment of RedHatBlueHat featured Tim Jones, Shawn Collins, Mike Allen, Sam Harrelson, and Todd Crawford getting worked up about money and war.
This week focused on a John McCain interview on the Today Show where he made comments about Iraq and ‘big oil’ that got the Obama camp worked into a tizzy.”
Even if you’re not a political junkie, it’s a fun show.
Here’s the mp3 for your downloading pleasure.
If I get some time this weekend, I’m going to make a dedicated site for the show at the www.redhatbluehat.com domain. Thanks to Jim Kukral for the logo!
thanks to QueenOfSpain.