Stealing YouTube Videos Just Got Even Easier
Techcrunch reports that Realplayer will make it very easy for you to “rip” copywritten videos from YouTube and other places. I’ve written about how this is going on before with other tools, and you should know, dear reader, that it is one of my blog’s most highly trafficked posts. That shows me that this type of thing is something people want. RealNetworks have announced a new version of RealPlayer that includes one-click video ripping. The free downloadable... Read More »
Google Crackdown Part II, JohnChow.com Freefall Begins
I’m not sure what John Chow and his crew aren’t understanding? It’s pretty darn obvious to me, and something I’ve been warning about for a long time now. Read my lips. Google doesn’t like when you try to manipulate them. Especially when you flaunt it in public. John has been doing wrong in Google’s eyes, and the backlash is just starting to come about from the Google Gods. I don’t guess this… I know this. I’m not making... Read More »
Bloggers As The Next Super Affiliates - Video
Here’s a snippet of me talking about bloggers as the next super-affiliates at the last Affiliate Summit. Yeah, I could have been a bit more dynamic. I wasn’t feeling well that morning. I’m usually way more upbeat. I make the argument that the webmasters of 10-years ago are now the ones who are reaping the benefits of online riches. They learned how to be online marketers and capitalized on their knowledge. The same is true for bloggers today. In time they... Read More »
Hugs For Charity - Socially Conscious Marketing
Sam pointed me to AffiliateHug.com. This is great stuff. Who doesn’t want a hug? Now if I could get him to give me One good thought in return… In conjunction with Affiliate Summit, Scott “Uncle Scooter” Hazard, President of Brightside Media and inventor of the ScooterSqueeze™ will be on hand to dole out his world-famous hugs during Affiliate Summit’s Affiliate Meet Market on Sunday, July 8th at the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami. For your donation of... Read More »
John Chow Is Killing His Blog By Trying Too Hard To Make Money
Be careful not to try so hard to make money with your blog. Sometimes, like in the example I’m talking about below, you can do “too much” and as I’ve said before, you will start to lose your credibility and readership. Read this comment on a post over at Problogger. #18 comment to be exact. He’s talking about JohnChow.com. The post is talking about using donations to monetize your blog. I immediately thought of John Chow as an example of how... Read More »
Google Killed Journalism? The Decline of News?
John Battelle talks about how Google is killing journalism? Based on this story. The Chronicle’s announcement earlier this month that 100 newsroom jobs will be slashed in the coming weeks in the face of mounting financial woes represents just the latest chapter in a tragic story of traditional journalism’s decline. Reportedly losing an estimated $1 million a week, the paper’s owner, the Hearst Corp., concluded it had no recourse but to trim costs by laying... Read More »
Microsoft Finally Got Their Coolness Back
I’m sorry, this is just awesome. Microsoft got cool again, in an instant. It’s that easy. Look at the Techmeme coverage. I think everyone else agrees. Read More →
MFA (Made for Adsense) D-Day Is June 1st, I Told You So
This is only the first step. The free ride is over. I told you so. Some online publishers may get an unwelcome jolt on June 1st. Google, which provides thousands of ads to websites through it’s AdSense program, will shut off adds to certain websites beginning Friday. Sites which are heavy in ads but light in content may be bumped from Google’s AdSense program. Several so-called online publishers who have ads with little content have already received emails saying... Read More »
YouTube Videos - The Future Of Politics & The Internet
Hillary Clinton’s campaign team gets it. This video/contest is everything it should be. It’s funny, smart and generally entertaining. But most of all, it’s a fresh approach to politics and it shows us a side of the candidate that we don’t see… the human side. This is what YouTube and online video is for, and this video is a great example of how to do it right. Like Hillary or not, you’re looking at the future of politics in the United... Read More »
Do You Qualify For A Free Press Pass To The Affiliate Summit? You Just Might, Apply Today.
I’m the “blogging captain” at the Affiliate Summit media room this summer in Miami. It’s going to be a great event, with ZEfrank keynoting. You do not want to miss this show. Not coming? What? How about coming as a member of the press? But, you’re asking yourself… Do I qualify as press? Can I get a press pass? Not sure? All good questions that needed to be answered. So I asked Shawn Collins and here’s what he said. Who’s qualified... Read More »
Ever Wonder About The Domain Buying & Selling Business?
I’m a domain junkie. I own over 100 domains, and I buy about 3 per week on average. But that’s nothing compared to this guy, Kevin Ham, who has a portfolio of domains valued in the millions upon millions. $300 million to be exact. This is a very interesting, yet long, read. If you’re into domains, you’ll enjoy this. A personal flashback. I remember sitting around with my friend Jeno back in 1997 thinking together… “What domains could be... Read More »
Changing Advertising Forever?
I just talked about user generated content and advertising in my last post, and then what do I find this morning? I find ChangeAdvertisingForever.com. The only problem I see with this is you “might” get chosen and eventually get paid, but… that payment could be like $50k. Paying advertisers post “Requests for Brilliance” on our site, seeking YOUR creative talents in a variety of advertising media. Feeling inspired, YOU choose to respond. YOU create... Read More »
Google Adsense Video Ads Explained
Google is smart, we all know this. Looks like the video ads are about to come fast and furious. The Inside Adsense blog put out a clarification about how they will work and look. New Sizes… This week marked the one-year anniversary of the launch of click-to-play video ads. To that end, we thought it’d be fitting to introduce three new members of our click-to-play video ads family: the 728×90 Leaderboard, the 120×600 Skyscraper, and the 160×600... Read More »
Can You Buy Customer Evangelism?
My favorite NY Times reporter Louise Story just put out a nice piece talking about how companies like Heinz are attempting to tap into the YouTube phenomenon to do their marketing for them. I wrote about this contest last week. I still think it’s a good idea, but maybe a wrong strategy, and I’ll tell you why after you read this from Louise’s story. Consumer brand companies have been busy introducing campaigns like Heinz’s that rely on user-generated... Read More »
Holiday Weekend Links N’ Stuff
1. http://www.pictogame.com/ - Pretty cool app that lets you upload your picture and make a fun little game. Kinda fun. From Mashable. Put this game on your blog Create your own More games 2. http://www.mycoolbutton.com/ - Make cool web 2.0 buttons in a snap. Neato. From Mashable. 3. Blogging for charity - Nice little charity type contest going on here. 4. Social bookmarking site list - Huge list of resources, nice. 5. Youtube badge creator - Makes... Read More »
Why Do We Watch Tv & Videos? Because We Want To Be Entertained.
My wife watches the tv show ‘The View’ for one reason… and that is to see something worthwhile seeing. Engaging content. Yesterday she pointed me to this verbal slugfest and noted to me that “I’ll stop watching this show when Rosie leaves because it’ll be boring again. Now at least they talk about real things and argue about something more than Dancing with the Stars.” That got me thinking back to what I’ve been harping on... Read More »
YouTube’s New Audio Swap Feature
YouTube has a new dev feature called Audioswap that lets you swap out your sound from your videos to tracks from copyrighted artists. Looking for music for your video? We’ve made arrangements with artists and record labels so that you can add their songs to your YouTube videos. You get a cool soundtrack, the artists get attribution on your video, and everyone wins! We’ll be adding more artists and songs as the feature develops, so check back for your favorite... Read More »
PayPerPost Direct Launches - Elminates The Middle Man
PayPerPost may still not be liked by many, but I will stick to my guns when I say that Ted Murphy, the CEO of PPP is a marketing genius. I got an email from Ted earlier today asking me to check out a new thing called PayPerPost Direct. Full disclosure. I am not being paid to write this post, however, I am speaking at the Postiecon event in the fall. PayPerPost Direct is really smart. Why? Because it makes it even easier to conduct transactions on your blog. Watch the video... Read More »
Say “Google” Really Fast - Video
One of the best things about doing online video is that you can have a lot of fun with it. I just directed, shot and edited this short little video called “Say Google Really Fast.” While it’s no George Lucas production, it was fun to do, and really proves that you can do entertaining and engaging video if you just think creatively. Enjoy the show. Read More →
The Ultimate List Of Free Icons & Buttons
The headline says it all. Check out this list that Smashing Magazine has compiled. Simply awesome. Visual design elements can considerably improve the readability of the page. Using them, you can make it easier for your users to scan the presented content and find the information they’re actually looking for. Icons can draw reader’s attention to the key aspects of the article and visualize the topic of the post. Buttons can be used to motivate users to some particular... Read More »
