Four Cents: Marketing and Making Money Online

No Clean Feed: Stop Internet Censorship in Australia

2008-11-13T02:28:00.000-08:00

Help spread the word about the campaign by blogging about the filter, linking to this site, or including one of the buttons below on your own site or blog. Together we can put the national spotlight on Conroy's Internet crusade.

Copy and paste the text below each image onto your website.

You can also copy the following code to place a badge in the top right corner of your site. Paste the code just below your <body> tag.

I can't believe it has gone this far...

2008-11-11T02:29:00.000-08:00

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has urged internet service providers (ISP) and mobile telephone operators to participate in a live trial of the government's proposed internet filtering system.

Australia's level of net censorship will put it in the same league as countries including China, Cuba, Iran and North Korea, and the Government will not let users opt out of the proposed national internet filter when it is introduced.

I can't believe it has gone this far. Stephen Conroy wants to filter the internet for all Australians!!

A recent ACMA report on ISP filtering products showed that all of the products tested degraded Internet performance, with two of them reducing speed by more than 75 per cent. One filter reduced network speed by only 2 per cent, but it was one of the least accurate at identifying inappropriate and illegal websites. It also mistakenly blocked many innocent sites.

extra ISP infrastructure needed to meet the burden of filtering will drive up the cost of your internet service bill. Network engineer Mark Newton says ISPs will also require more call centre staff to deal with angry customers who can't access websites.

Large operators may be able to absorb these costs, but small ISPs risk going under and consumer choice becoming limited. As a matter of fact, all businesses risk losing out under the Government's plan. Given the rate the tested filters block innocent websites, a whopping 10,000 out of every one million at best, it won't take long for sites belonging to the local plumber or GP to be mistaken and banned. Any loss of income due to website downtime is inexcusable and it's still not clear if or how we'll be able to appeal a decision.

Australians will pay for ISP filtering with decreased performance and higher charges, but to limit the free flow of information that makes the Internet the most valuable communication and education tool of our time, means we'll pay a much larger price in the long term.

Managing director of iiNet, Michael Malone, says Stephen Conroy ‘is the worst Communications Minister we’ve had in the 15 years since the [internet] industry has existed.’ Check out Asher Moses’ article for more.

If you're as outraged as I am about this please fight back:

http://www.nocleanfeed.com/

http://www.somebodythinkofthechildren.com/

http://petitions.takingitglobal.org/oznetcensorship

Sources: http://news.theage.com.au/national/conroy-seeks-isps-for-filter-trial-20081111-5mck.html

http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24571118-15306,00.html

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/24/2399876.htm

Obama Wins: Good times for America

2008-11-05T03:20:00.001-08:00

I was glad to hear Obama won today.

In my opinion, the US doesn't need any more cowboys. They need someone like this.

Completley random but slight on topic, I also think Obama has a fantastic website design, you can check that out here:

Good Credit Cards: BP Citibank Credit Card

2008-11-05T02:58:00.000-08:00

One credit card I recently applied for and think is one of the best on the market is the BP CitiBank MasterCard. This card has an annual fee of $79 but you get:

5% off your petrol and everything else you buy at BP

To save 1% off all other purchases

A low rate on all credit card balances transferred

Generous credit limit up to $25,000

The one thing that stood out about this card was the very generous cashback offer. 5% off anything purchased at BP and 1% off everything else. Basically this means as long as you spend over $7,900 on the card every year (which I would eaisly do) you'll be saving money.

Lets look at how this card stacks up compared to some of the others in the marketplace:

You pay your bills on time every month

You spend $5000/month

If CC utilises petrol savings let's assume $400/month in petrol expenses.

If CC utilises supermarket savings let's assume $400/month in supermarket expenses.

If CC utilises frequent flyer points, let's assume Melbourne-Sydney one way costs: $80-Virgin Blue,$95-Qantas

As you can see, this card makes sense. It's got some of the best rewards currently availaible.

Digg is Overrun By Election Obsessed Diggers

2008-10-08T07:05:00.000-07:00

I used to like digg. It had interesting stories, funny pictures - stuff that left me always wanting more.

Now all I see is election articles. Election, election, sarah palin, election. Digg has been overrun by election obsessed U.S. diggers. If you're from any other country (like myself) you've probably noticed this.

Give me a break:

Best Of The Web: BOTW.org, Online Internet Directory Can Help Boost Your Website Ranking

2008-09-22T05:15:00.000-07:00

Best of the Web Online Directory is a commercial Internet directory that was established in 1994. Best of the Web, or BOTW.org is a human edited directory that provides only the highest quality listings by employing a team of paid editors to review each website submitted.

More website owners and webmasters are turning to online directories like Best of the Web as an avenue to help with their search marketing efforts. It's been established that many search engines view listings in "quality directories" as a valued and as such, many website owners claim that submitting their sites to directories like Best of the Web (BOTW.org) notice improvements in their organic search ranking.

In an effort to increase the quality of their listings, Best of the Web recently recruited 30 of the top DMOZ editors. As reported on Search Engine Journal:

The new Best of the Web team is a hand-picked squad, with many names well known in the directory industry. It includes 6 of the most active “metas” from the days ODP took its baby steps; laisha, kfander, furbis, mitch, kctipton, former DMOZ Admin bldarter, plus many other long-term editors well known for their active leadership and editing roles… robjones, compostannie, alucard, spectregunner, desertjules, and many more.

If your a website owner looking for a quality directory to submit your site, I highly recommend the Best Of the Web Online Directory.

Company Background from Wikipedia:

Best of the Web Directory is a commercial web directory providing websites categorized topically and regionally. Headquartered in Uniondale, New York, Best Of the Web Directory also maintains offices in Orange, Texas and Boston, Massachusetts.

Founded in 1994 at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Best Of the Web Directory pioneered the web awards concept, recognizing the best sites online via an annual vote and presentation, highlighted by the announcements at the International W3C Conference in Geneva. The last awards were given in 1998, after which the site lay dormant until being sold. The award winners from 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1998 remain listed on the Best Of the Web Directory.org website.[1]

In 2002 Best Of the Web Directory transformed into a general web directory, providing users with a spam-free categorization of websites. The company employs a team of paid editors that scour the web for sites with original content, also considering user-friendliness and web standards. Best Of the Web Directory offers listings for both commercial and non-commercial sites, and places each site that meet their editorial guidelines in its most relevant topical and/or regional category.

As the competitive nature of the web has matured, more and more webmasters and site owners have turned to web directories like Best of the Web as an avenue to help with their search marketing efforts. Due to the editorial integrity involved in the listing process, many search engines view listings in "quality directories" as a valued citation.[2] As such, many website owners report of submitting their sites to directories like Best Of the Web Directory and noticing substantial improvements in their organic search engine listings.[3]

In 2005 Best Of the Web Directory was the first to introduce a hand-edited blog directory. Maintaining high standards for inclusion, the Best Of the Web Directory Blog Directory focuses on categorizing the best blogs online.[4]

Best of the Web also maintains the Best Of the Web Directory Media network, a network of dozens of blogs authored by subject experts.

Two Great Sites for Finding Deals Online: OzBargain, ShopFree

2008-09-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

The internet is a great place to find out about new offers and deals. There's two websites that I visit regularly to find great offers in Australia.

OzBargain

http://www.ozbargain.com.au/ is my favourite site for finding the best bargains, deals and offers online. The basic format of the site is quite simple, users post deals or offers they find interesting and members can vote and leave comments on the offer.

The result is a Digg style system where the best deals receive the most votes and rise to the top. You can use the sites navigation to view New Deals, the most popular offers and freebie only offers. There are all sorts of offers posted on the site including cheap deals, free samples, discount codes and good prices on a range of products.

ShopFree

http://www.shopfree.com.au/ is another great resource for finding new offers. This site is divided into the following categories:

New Offers
Samples
Recipes
Newsletters
Catalogues
Competitions

I really like how the site splits content into each category. They even have a Partner Program where you can post free offers on your site.

Twitter: Whats the Appeal?

2008-09-17T05:50:00.000-07:00

I know a lot of people that use twitter... and I'm always left wondering, Whats the Point? Twitter is a form of microblogging thats like having a giant conversation with all your "Friends" at once.

I dont really understand why people bother. Chances are, if you want to interact with these people you'll already be reading their blogs, chatting to them over IM, sending them email, talking to them in person, talking to them on the phone, interacting with them via facebook, myspace or other social networks.

Do we really need another way to communicate with our "Friends"?

Ron Paul Supporter (& Net Neutrality Activist) with HD-DVD Key Tattoo Tased By NSA Agent While Waiting In Line For iPhone, Missed Scientology Protest

2008-09-17T05:41:00.000-07:00

I saw a very funny post today on DoshDosh blog about marketing on Digg and a template for submitting Digg worthy content. One of the points in the article is to play into the users interests and uses a funny (fake) digg headline:

If you're a regular digg user you'll see why this is quite funny :)

An Easy Way to Monetize Your Website - Money4Banners!

2008-09-17T05:16:00.000-07:00

I’ve recently come across a great way to monetize your website besides obvious techniques like Google AdSense and Affiliate links. Money4Banners is a web site advertising network that uses a 468x60 banner to display advertising on partner websites.

Publishers can place banner ads on their website and receive 5 pounds every month the banners remain active on their website! Money4Banners.co.uk also gives publishers 10 pounds just for signing up. Its really a fantastic way to monetize your site. From the Money4Banners website:

Money4Banners.co.uk is an advertising network.
Our clients join our network in order to find a more cost effective way to increase their market reach.
Our philosophy is why advertise on one big Website that charges a fortune when you can advertise on lots and lots of smaller sites, increase your market reach and save a fortune.
In return for allowing us to place a small client banner advertisement on 3 pages of your Website we will give you £10.00 for signing up and £5.00 for every month our banner remains on your site.
Its as simple as that.

The best part about Money4Banners is that it offers a win/win solution for publishers and advertisers. Advertisers can feature their website on lots and lots of smaller websites tailored to their audience, while publishers have an easy way to monetize their website or blog.

Everything I’ve read about the program is very positive with payments being made on time and great email support.

If you want to get started visit http://www.money4banners.co.uk/ to signup!

Top Yahoo! Exectutives Leave Yahoo! for Digg

2008-09-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

Techcrunch is reporting that Yahoo’s Director Communications & Communities Kiersten Hollars will shortly be leaving the company to lead Digg’s communication team. According to Techcrunch, Hollars previously reported to Brad Garlinghouse, who announced his departure in mid June.

In my option, times will only be getting tougher for Yahoo!...

Marketing Mistakes I Find Hard to Understand

2008-09-13T00:54:00.001-07:00

After the New Coke marketing disaster, I found it hard to believe that Coke have done it again with their energy drink: Mother. Coke is trying hard to crack the huge energy drink market but have found it tough to compete against the strength of Red Bull and V.

In case you missed it, they've recently relaunched the drink with a flavour that "tastes nothing like the old one". From wikipedia...

In June 2008, after 18 months on the market, Coca-Cola Amatil announced a reformulation and relaunch of Mother , with the new product being available to retailers from July 1st. Changes announced include a new taste ("extensively researched with consumers"), a larger 500ml can, change of colour from aluminium silver to black and a $3 million marketing campaign. The primary focus of both the campaign and the new packaging is the reformulated taste of the drink, proclaimed on the packaging as 'NEW - TASTES NOTHING LIKE THE OLD ONE!' The new taste is now more similar to other competing products, such as Red Bull

Now what they're implying here is that very few people liked the old flavour. What I struggle to understand is how did they ever release a drink with a flavour apparently nobody liked in the first place? Surley a company like Coke would have done EXTENSIVE research before ever launching the drink in the first place? ...

Pay My Rent

2008-09-13T00:42:00.000-07:00

I've setup this blog to pay for my rent. Hopefully by posting about marketing and making money online I will achieve this :)