Entrecard’s best idea (besides trying to change the price system. JC is almost off the most popular list, ridiculous) is the entrecard shop. However, the first batch of sellers were really lacking. The items consisted of worthless raffles that weren’t appealing at all. They were just more attempts at gaming the system trying to get credits. Some were selling tickets at something like 110 each, with only 10 tickets allowed. The prize was 1,000 credits. I wonder where the rest goes?

However the new batch of sellers, BAYB included, has offered some great items for sale, mostly at a reasonable price. Basically, I think we’ve scored so far. With our seller status I sold 4 125×125 banners for 1 week at 400 a pop. That’s 1600 credits earned in a week. These banners will be removed in the next couple of days, because their week is up. With those credits I’ve been able to “reinvest”.

The Entrecard Shop Loot

The thing about weekly, monthly, or yearly advertising is that it will be gone at some point. With the credits earned, I’ve been able to buy several blogposts that are permanent. It has driven little traffic to the site, but the reviews have been great and are tapping in to their audience.

Among blog reviews, I’ve been able to purchase ‘critiques’ as well as timed banner advertisements that cost way less than purchasing on their entrecard.

The two, possibly best, things are the guest posts I was able to purchase. Yes, I got to buy two posts that were used for BAYB and Words of a Poet. Brian wrote about his experience with interviews as easy content and traffic. It brought up the idea of starting interviews at BAYB again. Brian is still selling his guest posts for 400 credits. I think it’s an awesome idea, his posts are good too.

The other one was a “poem about anything”. This only cost my 75 credits and I was able to use it as a post at my poetry blog. The poem is entitled Monday Off and flows pretty well with the rest of the poetry on the site. Two posts for 475 credits, maybe I will just buy the rest of my posts? Or not.

What have you been able to buy from the entrecard shop?

Mark wrote about Scratchback for us a while back, when it was starting to catch some steam. Since late November we’ve been displaying a top spots widget on our blog. Last night before going to sleep I received a nice email. It was my payment of 35.62$.

Scratchback vs Blogrush

It makes me curious when bloggers have a Blogrush widget and not a Scratchback widget. In weeks of having Blogrush I’ve seen very little traffic. With Scratchback I’ve actually received more traffic (from the scratchback directory listing) as well as earned 35$. Why not monetize a spot on your sidebar that isn’t generating any $?

Generate Traffic and “Tips”

A great and much needed feature was the creation of the scratchback directory. In the directory you can list your blog in up to 3 different categories. You can check out our listing in the directory. We listed our traffic and readership, hoping to entice tippers to spend their money here. This has already sent us several people who have purchased a Top Spot.

The directory has sent us about 50 visitors since we created our listing, a lot more traffic than I can say Blogrush ever sent us.

Our Tippers

I want to thank our tippers, several have purchased a spot more than once. We appreciate the support and hope we can send you even more traffic!

Fun little fact, our scratchback widget has been viewed over 30,000 times!

Flock vs Firefox : Round 1

Once upon a time…. Forget that this is not that kind of fairy tale so lets get right to it.

I would like to start this off with a bit of a disclaimer: “I, tigg76, am in no way (by affiliation, association or any other form of real or superficial relationship) to be referred to as a trendwhore .” I’ve seen the term floating around about cyberspace for a while now and it commonly refers to maybe a good 99% of those who use the web (not including those who produce things for the web). The reason I am proclaiming my exemption from the ranks of “trendwhoredom” is that I refuse to do something just because it is popular. Sure there are your “web givens” (and even blog givens) like Delicious, Wordpress, Blogger, Google, Yahoo, Technorati and others that if you aren’t part of the trend then you better have something better going or prepare to sit in a dark little corner of the internet all by yourself [insert cheesy Eric Carmen “All by myself” verse]. But I’m not one to just jump off the bridge with the rest of the lemmings and sheople because I like for things to be tested and tried before I even lay hands on it. Except in this case.

For years Internet Explorer was the definitive defacto web browser of choice. The only real competition you had at the time was Netscape Navigator and its obvious flaws and shortcomings (which in the end sealed its fate). Internet Explorer was the “future” and Microsoft sat mightily on its throne as king of all things computer. That is until not to long ago. People, I guess, began to get tired of being told what the future was going to look like and decided that they would rather design the future themselves. The people wanted change but not the mandated variety that Microsoft and the “Legion of Nerds” handed down from upon high but the kind that was designed by the creative 16 year old in his disheveled bedroom between after school rounds of doom and internet porn. People wanted the hard edged creative force that the once young “Microsoft of olde” had promised them. So eventually Internet Explorer began to lose its luster. People grew tired of their tyranny and talk of mutiny was on the horizon…

Then came along the new class. The web was still a place of freedom and creativity but it was restricted by what your local browser (and of course bandwidth) could provide. The People wanted a new experience and that’s what they were delivered. I remembered the time where there were so many browsers to choose from that it almost felt as though browsing for “browsers” was going to be the new thing. But most were simple remakes of the two original juggernauts (IE and Navigator). It was depressingly more of the same old same old. That is until in snuck the fox. FireFox, in the beginning, was almost an urban legend. You heard people talk about it, but it was the same as those people that talk about Linux and Unix and you really don’t understand what they mean until you experience it yourself. It seemed like a product built specifically for the nerd elite and anyone that doesn’t know how to bake up some C+ or Java will be left with an empty stomach and empty pockets. Firefox was everything to the contrary. It was one of the most accessible browsers I had ever used. It did anything you wanted to and the best part about was that you could teach it tricks. If you wanted Firefox to fetch your email then you could download a plug-in for that. If you wanted Firefox to do your taxes then there was a plugin for that. If you wanted Firefox to go to bed with you then you needed psychological help. Firefox gained momentum and seemingly became an overnight celebrity. Alternative internet browser were no longer the play toys of “nerdom” but now they were the power tools of the layman and the average man. Slowly the kingdom of Gates began to fall.

Firefox was at the head of the pack. You were considered lame and out of the loop if you even mention anything about IE. Firefox was the in thing. Notice how I said “was”. Although it may seem like the sly fox may be immortal and untouchable we should know from the lessons of history itself that nothing stays at the top forever. Rome, Egypt, Michael Jackson (sorry about that last one), over time everything must pass its baton down to the ones on the come up. So what’s on the way up now? Well, in case you didn’t notice the web is now almost an adult and as a functional adult you must learn proper communication. Now you can make phone calls, send emails, watch movies, buy groceries, look at porn (I don’t do that) all on the web. An entire world of adult activity to make adult life that much more simple. The web is now more social. There are blogs and things like Myspace, Twitter, Delicious, Facebook, etc. All these ways of doing one simple thing, communicate. So with the web becoming more social Firefox has a task of catching up, right? Well, just like IE clawed its way to the so did the fox but the issue is that anyone who wears the crown becomes vulnerable. Fire Fox is now a target but who would take a shot at the “untouchable”.

Ladies and gentlemen feast your eyes on the future of “social” web browsing! All the way from the furthest reaches of the Internet right here before your very eyes! I present to you the one, the only, FLOCK.

What is flock you ask?

Well Flock is probably everything you do right now bundled into one place without the use (or need) of plug-ins and extensions [*remove sexual innuendo from the preceding statement]. Flock has potential. The idea behind it is simple; give those that use the web all the things that they want to do and all the things that they do already a home on the web and let them decide how they want to access those services all from just one place. Flock integrates a long list of social networking and blog sites into the browser interface itself for easy access and quick posting to any of your frequented URL’s. Whether you are a MySpace addict or a Celebrity Blog God, Flock has it built right in to the magic window you use to watch your OK GO videos and check your email.

Sure Flock is not perfect and it is almost a Firefox clone down to the button design but Flock takes the best of Firefox and adds its own flair. Flock, I believe, is what the people want with the same ability that Firefox has with the ability to add even more usability with plug-ins of all sorts (mostly Firefox plug-ins themselves as most are already compatible with Flock already). Flock, if it plays its cards right, has the steam and drive needed to be the next trendwhores’ object of desire. Some of the services built in to the browser itself are Myspace, Flickr, Twitter, You Tube, Facebook, Blogger and of course everybody’s favorite Word Press. It’s built so you can be in the midst of your standard web travels and see an item of interest that you would love to share with the world and just like that (with the simple right click of a mouse) you can shoot it on over to your blog and keep on surfin’ without skipping a beat. Flock has the right spirit but can it become the “best”?

So far Flock is at the same point that Firefox was at the same age where only “nerds” and “know it alls” have anything to do with it but under the surface there is an epic struggle a’brewin’. I myself would love to have front row seats to that battle.

[*Insert Michael Buffer impression]

“In this corner, weighing in at 5.73MB is the ‘Sly Slithering’ ‘Sexy is even the half of it’; ‘Browser champ of the decade’; ‘Quicker than the thought of the speed of light’; FIREFOX!”

“And in this corner weighing in at a hefty 10.2MB of ‘Pure time waisting fun and fulfillment’; ‘The surprise from the skies so you better open your eyes’; Ladies and gentleman, FLOCK!”

Flock versus Firefox sounds like a battle to see. Its too early to tell but I think FLOCK has enough of the goods to bring the pain. Check it out for yourself if you don’t believe me. Oh yeah…

…And they lived happily ever after (but we’ll see). Flock

I’m having one of those days where I just can’t come up with anything of value about blogging. Instead, I decided to share a domain and site value tool with you. It’s called DnScoop and it’s owned by my new AIM buddy, Badi Jones.

What’s The Scoop?

DnScoop gives you different values for domain names. After running blogaboutyourblog.com I can see how old it is (10 months 23 days), the PR, value, and how many links we have.

You can find and browse all the inbound links to the domain. For BAYB 17,200 might be a little much to browse!

A small Alexa graph is also available, I was surprised to see how many dips and jumps that we’ve had over the past 6 months.

Site Value

This is where the make money online bloggers should be interested. DnScoop gives you the estimated value of your link on Text-Link-Ads. BAYB is marked at 19$. Not really worth running the risk of a google slap.

There is also a Site Value Report, which gives you the total value the domain should be worth. BAYB is worth 5,150, however with the demand of a blog like this being high and selling well, I wouldn’t take that.

For those looking to buy and sell domains there is also the Marketplace which I am currently browsing.

Do you remember the first web site or blog you ever created? Do you remember how proud you were of your solid colored background, your tacky centered text and your awkwardly aligned images? Do you remember how many hours it took you to get it all together? When was the last time you went back to look at your very first site?

The web has come a long way in since then. It amazes me how much has changed since the very first time I laid eyes on those annoying “blink” and “marquee” tags from the days of old. Things have changed, fortunately, for the better since those days.

Now comes a whole new evolution in web design, Jimdo. Jimdo is an online web design platform that takes all of the hassle out of the creation and launch of you very own site (or blog)… » Read the rest of this entry …

Entrecard is the latest blogging and traffic tool to go viral. Everyone from John Chow to John Cow is using it. I don’t know how I missed out on this interesting new blogging toy to play with. Blog about your Blog is late to the party, but we are jumping in both feet first.

What is Entrecard?

Entrecard offers a basic point system where you can buy and sell 125×125 banner cards on other blogs. These cards can be placed anywhere on your blog. The idea is to exchange traffic. With button banner advertising being so common now, it’s really an excellent idea.

The idea gets a little ‘complex’ but if you break it down, it’s pretty easy.

Dropping Your Card

When you drop your card (the 125×125 banner) on someone else’s blog you get one point and so do they. What you are doing is basically saying that you viewed their entrecard widget. By calling attention to their widget, they can sell their actual advertising for more.

Advertising

To determine how many credits you can sell your space for, it is the number of credits to twice the number of cards dropped on that widget each day. To place an ad on our spot, it currently costs 16 credits. Therefore 8 members have dropped their card.

Each ad runs for 24 hours. We are currently displaying A Frog To Kiss. In another 4 hours or so, we will be displaying our next ad, which happens to be Internet Dreams.

The Most Popular

Of course the most expensive entrecard belongs to none other than John Chow. It currently costs 122 credits per day and I’m sure that number will go up. I expect BAYB to be rivaling some of the other popular entrecards in the days to come.

Be Careful It’s Addicting

Each day you can visit other blogs and “drop your card”. This gives you 1 point. With each point you get, you then can advertise your card on other blogs. Do this everyday and you can be set to advertise on popular blogs. The more popular, the more traffic. We all know, traffic can be addicting!

How Does It Perform?

The most important thing is the traffic. As I mentioned I have only been on it for a day now. What is good about it is that they give you stats on how much traffic you’ve received. What’s bad is, I don’t know where it came from. I would definitely be more interested in finding out which blogs are sending me the traffic. Therefore I could obviously advertise on them again.
So far we’ve received 34 clicks from entrecard.com and 17 clicks from the ads we’ve purchased. Another problem is the quality of traffic. Yes, they are visiting our blog, but they are also just looking for the entrecard widget.

Have you registered to entrecard? If you have make sure to drop your card on ours!

Mark wrote a quick review about RSSHugger and how you can use it to promote your blog.

Now by posting about their service you can get a free account. Your RSS feed will be listed for free. For people to find your RSS feed they have a listing of the Top 100 feeds. There is only 255 feeds on RSSHugger at the moment, so with a little promotion your feed can get to the top!

Top 100 List

For the top feeds of November BAYB found itself in good company at the top. Within a day or two, we got a few hits per day. Of course to get to the top is going to generate the most traffic.

The best way I found to get a quick boost is to stumble your RSS feed page. This should increase your views, traffic, and ranking.

The obvious other way to promote your feed listing is to mention it like I am doing. I hope you all will visit our page and increase our ranking. The month just started, so start getting your rankings. For anyone using RSSHugger leave us your URL to stumble!

Written by Mark of MeAndMyDrum | Fave MAMD | Subscribe to MAMD

If you’re someone who doesn’t have time to learn cascading style sheets (CSS), then you may be interested in something called CSS Mate.

CSS Mate is a free online CSS editor that I just discovered. I was working on creating a new contact page on another blog of mine, Darn Good Reviews. I didn’t want to fiddle with the CSS, so that’s when I searched and found this editor.

Upon entering the properties in the forms, I could continuously see the results. When I was satisfied with what I had, I copied the code and pasted it into the page. Done!

P.S. I was creating that contact page to let everyone know I was accepting requests to be reviewed on that blog. Hint, hint.