Disqus - Friends of chrismonty

Re: SwiftVets and Marketing Metrics

Shawn Collins — Thu, 26 Aug 2004 09:15:36 -0000

In addition to Wayne's suggestion that the TV commercials are assisting the ascent of the site, I think it's also a combination of the cable news coverage, talk radio coverage, and the fact that the site is well referenced in the book, Unfit for Command (currently the #1 bestselling book).

Also, in a search of blogs on Feedster, the term/URL swiftvet is getting lots of coverage on blogs.

And I think the comment from CNN that Wayne references ("how the Kerry campaign staff were fueling the debate and actually propelling the SwiftVets site from obscurity to popularity") is playing a role.

After all, in the past few weeks, lawyers for both the Kerry and Edwards teams were sending out letters to TV stations warning them about showing the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth advertisement, and they also sought to ban the Unfit for Command book.

The ads are not showing in all states, and I think with all of the coverage of the ads, whether they should be removed, why they are good/bad, etc., there is a lot of buzz sending people to view them on the site.

Re: SwiftVets and Marketing Metrics

Shawn Collins — Thu, 26 Aug 2004 13:43:56 -0000

They just released a third commercial at http://www.swiftvets.com and the site has been down for a good 30 minutes.

Either they are getting insane traffic, or they need to get a much better hosting plan.

Re: Yahoo Planning Overture Ads for RSS

Shawn Collins — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 14:13:03 -0000

Yee hah - RSS is about to turn the corner!

I like what FeedBurner has been doing with the Amazon ads in their feeds, and I was hoping to see an expansion of that.

Re: Affiliate Marketing Blasted by Kevin Ryan

Shawn Collins — Tue, 07 Dec 2004 17:55:00 -0000

Jeff -

I appreciate your position on this issue, but I don't think there is one answer for all situations.

Are the paid results on Google bordering on useless, because they are a often affiliates essentailly spamming the paid listings area?

Yes... BUT I think there is a point to allowing the carpet bombing of pay listings to go on.

It puts a band-aid on a problem Google isn't addressing, and that is when AdWords buyers buy trademarked names and the resulting page makes no reference to the trademark.

Google is allowing these big leaks in the paid listings, and I think it makes some sense for some companies to plug the leak by allowing affiliates to push away the competitors that are trying to leverage the brand at no benefit to the brand.

For instance, search for clubmom on Google. At any given time, you will usually see on affiliate, and four or so random sites doing nothing but leeching on to the search of the trademarked term, clubmom.

They're not even competitors - just parasites using the clubmom trademark as a host.

In that case, I'd like to know why it's more beneficial to have leaks than to pay for a lead/sale you may have gotten organically?

Re: Affiliate Marketing Blasted by Kevin Ryan

Shawn Collins — Wed, 08 Dec 2004 08:59:57 -0000

Jeff -

My argument is that affiliates are not the problem. Rather, Google is the problem, because they allow such trademark abuse to occur (by third parties that are not affiliates of the trademark holder).

If a company cannot control the activity of their own affiliates, that's just poor management.

But I think it makes sense, in the ClubMom example, to push those third party, unaffiliated rogues, below the fold.

That is what I'm talking about when I endorse having affiliates plug the leaks - the leaks being the third party non-affiliates that leverage the trademarks.

The two (Google's lack of policing and the need for trademark holders to police by enabling their affiliates to bid on the trademarks) are part and parcel in my opinion.

Re: REDEFINING THE DEBATE CONCERNING AFFILIATE MARKETING: a case study in what is right with affiliate marketing

Shawn Collins — Mon, 03 Jan 2005 23:47:43 -0000

Well said, Beth. As the saying goes, no one ever erected a statue to a critic.

Besides, it seems that the biggest naysayers are generally those who have something to lose by the rise of affiliate marketing.

Re: Myths of Affiliate Marketing

Shawn Collins — Wed, 02 Feb 2005 22:47:04 -0000

Speaking of myths... "the industry's first 'all online' trade show"?

It certainly pales in comparison to the impressive action going on at eComXpo (by far the biggest and best 'all online' trade show for the industry), but once upon a time (December 2000), there was an 'all online' trade show in affiliate marketing called the Affiliate Webinar: http://www.affiliatemanager.net/webinar.shtml

It even had a virtual exhibit floor. But in reality, it was a series of five unmoderated chats by experts in various topics.

One of those experts was ReveNews' own Brian Clark.

;-)

Re: New “Affiliate Network’s” Promise Insults Intelligence

Shawn Collins — Sat, 05 Feb 2005 00:02:53 -0000

Sign that an affiliate network might be shady: no agreement on the merchant registration page (http://salefish.com/index.php?Act=register).

You fill it out, not knowing the terms, and get pushed into PayPal and asked for $500.

They have you select a "Type", and you can choose between Advance and Normal, but no explanation for either.

No terms for the affiliate agreement either. It's all about blind faith, baby!

At least they are consistant.

Also on the registration forms, they ask for city and country, but not state or zip?!

My favorite benefit for affiliates by working with SaleFish is "No more ICANN issues!"

Am I missing something? I didn't realize we all had ICANN issues.

Re: We’re an “Affiliate Network”

Shawn Collins — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 22:17:09 -0000

What's the big mystery here - these "CPA networks" have been a force in the industry for years.

They carry various risks and rewards.

One risk that makes me a little uncomfortable from a quality control perspective is that I don't know who is running my offer when it's farmed out to a CPA Network.

However, one very good thing is that working with these folks can be a big shortcut to recruiting and moibilizing dozens or hundreds of sites to promote your offer in a short period of time.

Re: We’re an “Affiliate Network”

Shawn Collins — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 22:33:47 -0000

Hey then there now - if the affiliate manager managed to recruit the sites, they could pay the "street CPA", but the reality is that lots of the affiliates of CPA networks are not necessarily affiliates of CJ, LinkShare, etc.

Why? There are different reasons for different people, but the one I hear most often is that they like to get paid quicker.

It's not uncommon for performers (and even small fries) to get paid on net 7 days.

Believe me, I'd rather pay less, but the CPA networks are providing more favorable terms to affiliates, and money talks.

Re: Affiliates Dish Bling: Marketers Foot The Bill

Shawn Collins — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 21:05:09 -0000

Mr. Molander -

You simplify it to a fault. I know from personal experience that some of these affiliates were not joining my program after multiple solicitations.

However, my program became more palatable when it was available to them through a CPA network.

It's not for lack of trying that these affiliates don't come direct.

Rather, it's a matter of paying what I've got to pay to get that incremental volume that I cannot find cheaper in any other place.

And I think it's fine to see that they are pouring the cash back into the affiliates.

I'd rather see that than have my fees pay for some golden parachutes.

Re: Affiliates Dish Bling: Marketers Foot The Bill

Shawn Collins — Fri, 18 Feb 2005 10:27:03 -0000

> Well, good to see that you have at least tried to get them to work direct but you need to cut the "affiliate/CPA network" off first, right?

Actually, this is where I see a fundamental flaw in your argument.

After all, I'm inclined to work with CPA networks because they are bringing me sites I was not otherwise bringing into the fold.

So why should I think they'd come now - if I were to cut out the CPA networks - if they wouldn't join in the past?

Re: Affiliates Dish Bling: Marketers Foot The Bill

Shawn Collins — Fri, 18 Feb 2005 12:14:28 -0000

> Which is it... you couldn't find them or you couldn't get them to sign?

Jeff - it's actually a mix of both. I could prospect day and night and would never find everybody that is a good fit.

And there are those affiliates that simply prefer to go through CPA networks.

> The small affiliates that you so badly want really aren't that good, Shawn.

You are welcome to have this opinion, but I've seen these "small affiliates" with content sites bring small, yet quality leads.

> Again... marketers are paying more per sale/lead to affiliates posing as "affiliate networks" because real affiliate networks are clueless as to how to serve the mom-and-pop affiliate community

So why are you demonizing CPA networks when you've just explained that they play a role that's not being fulfilled elsewhere?

Re: Inventors of Affiliate Marketing

Shawn Collins — Wed, 09 Mar 2005 03:18:36 -0000

Hey Patrice -

According to "The CDnow Story," a guy named Geoff Jackson started CDnow's original affiliate program, known as the "buyweb program" in 1994.

Then, in March 1997, the affiliate program was rebranded as Cosmic Credit.

Re: Turnkey Shopping Malls

Shawn Collins — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 05:07:27 -0000

Now wait one second here - are you trying to say that the tons of cookie cutter sites, with the "ab cruncher" are not worth accepting?

That's just not fair to be prejudiced against all of those clueless con victims.

Re: Facts, Fictions, Flux and Factions

Shawn Collins — Fri, 15 Apr 2005 19:04:32 -0000

I have a dream that someday an affiliate network will combine all of the promise and innovation that once powered Plug N Go, Nexchange, and Yo! to create a super network.

Until then, it's just the crazy vision of one hopeful affiliate marketer locked away in a room with no windows.

Some day the world will be ready for Affster. If not now, when? If not us, who?

Re: Dropshipping: The Future For Affiliates?

Shawn Collins — Thu, 09 Jun 2005 06:10:04 -0000

Were there different types of affiliates/partners at Nexchange?

I was an affiliate with them, and the only difference I recall for them vs. Be Free, CJ, LinkShare, etc. was that they had a wizard that would enable the affiliate to build code around the merchants, so that the resulting pages (hosted on Nexchange) were in the look and feel of the affiliate's site.

And they were pretty hands on in reaching out to affiliates to help them merchandise.

According to an old version of their site on archive.org, "Founded in 1998, Nexchange Corporation is the Creator of Syndicated E-Commerce. Nexchange's proprietary technology seamlessly integrates retailers'stores into content websites, enabling consumers to buy from the retailers they trust without leaving the websites they love.

Syndicated E-commerce is the ultimate e-commerce solution for content websites, because it enables them to add e-commerce without losing their visitors, or having to take on the responsibilities of home-grown retail."

Re: Best Practices in Communications

Shawn Collins — Thu, 16 Jun 2005 06:09:52 -0000

Hello Jeff -

I'd like to introduce myself - I run some affiliate programs and have been using blogs/RSS for the past year.

Here's one example: http://www.affiliatetip.com/instrumentproblog/

;-)

Re: Best Practices in Communications

Shawn Collins — Thu, 16 Jun 2005 07:42:27 -0000

Just busting your chops, Jeff. I think the X10 party may have contributed, too!

Re: Does Your “Corporate Voice” Charm or Repel?

Shawn Collins — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 18:58:53 -0000

I've definitely seen more lousy corporate blogs than engaging ones that have a voice.

One example of a very good corporate blog is http://www.bobparsons.com/ - he is the head guy at Go Daddy and he talks about business, as well as anything else on his mind.

I find it refreshing that he's got the comments open and he gets into exchanges with his readers.

One funny thing on there is a poll after each post to ask whether the reader liked it or disliked it.

I suppose it's his way of giving the people what they want.

Re: New ReveNews Blogger - Dan Leeds

Shawn Collins — Sun, 10 Jul 2005 00:31:04 -0000

Great to see Dan joining the ranks. One more ex-ClubMomer polluting the blogosphere.

Welcome to the party, Mr. Leeds!

Re: Influencing the Conversation: ReveNews Rises from the Ashes to Leverage the Power of the Blogosphere (Part Two)

Shawn Collins — Thu, 28 Jul 2005 00:14:48 -0000

Nice edit, Beth. It's good to see that you included the more vivid and impactful example of the Power Line blog. ;-)

Re: Heading Home to the Promised Land

Shawn Collins — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 03:05:18 -0000

Hey Beth -

Good luck at LowerMyBills! Finally, you get to live in a state with somebody competent as Governor.

Shawn

Re: Heading Home to the Promised Land

Shawn Collins — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 06:26:16 -0000

> I could go on for days.

About what - the Air America scandal where they ripped off a non-profit. Blah, blah, blah.

> Just look at Newark.

Newark hasn't burned down since 1967. And L.A.?

Re: Heading Home to the Promised Land

Shawn Collins — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 09:35:06 -0000

Bunch of smarmy hippies.