Gawking at Numbers
CBS Considers ‘Loyalty Index’ Over Pay for Page Views
With so many ways to track a writer’s popularity online, should that popularity be tied to a journalist’s or blogger’s pay? That is a question that’s come up quite a few times over the years, and last week I took Gawker Media to task for paying writers based on...continued...
Gawking at Numbers
Why Paying People by Page Views is Wrong
Recently, Gawker Media, the blog empire run by Nick Denton, made two moves that were curious. One was spinning off three sites that weren’t making the cut: Gridskipper (travel), Idolator (music), and Wonkette (politics). The other was slashing the pay-per-page-view rate for Gawker Media writers by 33%. In Denton’s...continued...
Digging Deeper
Front Porch Forum Makes Friends & Neighbors, But Can It Make Money?
We are a society that lives more and more in our technology-induced bubbles. When we go outside, we wear an iPod; we talk on cell phones while driving. In urban areas, we might never meet our neighbors unless there’s a fire or earthquake. But can technology also help bring...continued...
What About the People?
The Pros, Cons and Weirdness of Microsoft-Yahoo
After years of rumors, it finally happened. On Friday, Microsoft made its buyout offer for Yahoo. But while that was expected to happen, as both companies have had trouble catching online advertising juggernaut Google, what wasn’t so expected was that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer would go all Murdoch on...continued...
Digging Deeper
When Will Google’s ‘Big Project’ YouTube Bring in Profits?
In its brief 22-month history, video-sharing site YouTube has become a cultural phenomenon. The Iraq War has been called the “YouTube War” because of the videos that are regularly uploaded by soldiers and insurgents. The upcoming U.S. presidential race has been called the “YouTube Election” with its own “YouTube...continued...
Don’t Tread on Our Cookies
The Web Privacy Manifesto
How much do online marketers and websites know about us? Do they save records on what we’ve bought, sites we’ve visited, people we’ve contacted? It’s a subject that few of us bother with until we find out our private information has been stolen or inadvertently been made public. And...continued...
Digging Deeper
Henry Blodget, Silicon Alley Look for Resurgence
When I mentioned the name “Henry Blodget” to a friend from the old dot-com daze, she wrinkled her nose with disgust. “How can anyone trust what he has to say, when he was the one who caused the bubble in the first place!” she said. Blodget was a financial...continued...
Digging Deeper
Business 2.0 Closed Due to Corporate Neglect, Ad Woes
When the dot-com boom fizzled, the business magazines that covered that huge story similarly flamed out. The Industry Standard closed, Red Herring went south, and Business 2.0 was on death’s door. But in 2001, Time Warner bought Business 2.0 and combined it with its own eCompany Now magazine. Though...continued...
Digging Deeper
The Problem with Web Measurement, Part 2
This is the second part of MediaShift’s special series on web measurement. In the first part, I looked at the problem of inconsistent traffic numbers from panel-based measurement firms such as comScore and Nielsen//NetRatings, and the push by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) to standardize measurements. This week, I...continued...
Digging Deeper
The Problem with Web Measurement, Part 1
On April 19, 2007, the new CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), Randall Rothenberg, sent a scathing open letter to the heads of the major web measurement firms, comScore and Nielsen//NetRatings, complaining that they better get their act together: Imagine my surprise when I came to the IAB...continued...
Digging Deeper
Your Guide to Online Advertising
From time to time, I’ll give an overview of one broad MediaShift topic, annotated with online resources and plenty of tips. The idea is to help you understand the topic, learn the jargon, and take action. I’ve already covered blogging, citizen journalism, presidential campaign videos and various other topics. This...continued...
Digging Deeper
’Frienemy’ Google Not a Threat (Yet) to Traditional Ad Sales
If you browse through Google’s job openings, the dozens of advertising sales positions — from account manager of Print Ads in Chicago to account manager of Google Television in New York — you’d think Google was a major media conglomerate that owned TV stations and newspapers. Instead, Google has...continued...
AdvertisingShift
Give Me the Ad That I Want
Every day, I am inundated with unwanted advertisements. If I turn on my car radio to a commercial channel, the ads start squawking at me. If I turn on my TV and am not quick enough to the DVR, the ads start flashing at me. Today’s San Francisco Chronicle...continued...
PoliticalShift
2008 Candidates Jump Online with Early Blog Ads
There has been a delicate dance between political operatives and the Internet. While activists have been using blogs and new media to spread the word about politics or specific candidates for years, the politicians and their consultants have been wary of spending too much of their campaign chest on...continued...
Your Take Roundup
Marketers Get Weak Signal from Users on Cell-Phone Ads
There is an interesting disconnect between the way marketers view advertising on cell phones and what average folks who use cell phones think about those same ads. Marketers, ad agencies, research firms, cell phone makers and carriers are salivating over the prospect of delivering marketing messages to people via...continued...
Your Take Roundup
Simplicity, Relevancy Rule in Ads You Want
What can the world of technology teach the world of advertising when it comes to keeping people tuned in? A lot more than I would have guessed. Most technically savvy people I know do everything in their power to avoid advertisments. But lately, it’s become more difficult to avoid...continued...
Digging Deeper
Go Daddy Gives Podcasters Freedom to Create Ads
Advertisers and marketers spend much of their time (and money) trying to pitch the public on their products and services. Their language includes terms like “mindshare” and “branding” and “conversion rates.” It’s all about convincing you and me to go out and buy their stuff, and how to motivate...continued...
Insider’s Take
Why Public TVs Won’t Go Away
You never know where a rant might lead you. Last Monday, I was ranting and raving about the annoying CNN Airport Network as well as other “place-based media” — TVs that you can’t avoid in elevators or checkout lines or airplane gates. I was happy to see that many...continued...
Video Blog Sellout
Rocketboom Nets $80,000 After eBay Auction
When Andrew Baron decided to use eBay to sell the first ads on his popular video blog Rocketboom, he was worried that no one would bite. But bite they did. After Rocketboom’s 10-day auction, the winning bidder had the screen name of StarFinder5, and paid $40,000 for five ads...continued...
Forget Ad Agencies
Rocketboom Auctions Ad to the Highest Bidder
In the beginning, when the web first became popular, everyone talked about disintermediation, the idea that the Internet would help eliminate the middleman or intermediary. You could buy books without going to a bookstore, read newspapers without going to a newsstand, and communicate with like-minded folks without going to...continued...
