We originally reviewed ProLinkz here.
The following application comes to us from the script authors:
If you're one of the folks who market on eBay, did you know that ProLinkz comes in really handy with the links... and tracking ad views in particular? Doing links is easy enough to figure out, but tracking ad views is just a tad bit more involved (but well worth the minor effort!).
First, you'll need to do your eBay postings in HTML, like we have. You can check out our current eBay listings at:
http://www.prolinkz.com/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?ebay
Then, to count how many times your eBay listing has been viewed, you'll need to incorporate the "Measuring Ezine Readership - HTML Format" technique described on the following page on our site:
http://www.prolinkz.com/info/readership.html
Not much to it!
But a question you may have is, "Why bother; aren't there free counters for eBay listings available out there already?" Yes, you're right, there are free counters you can use. But on top of tracking hits (views), ProLinkz does something more that all you serious eBay marketers will find invaluable... ProLinkz TRACKS TIME.
With ProLinkz working for you, you'll not only know how many folks have viewed your eBay listing, you'll know WHEN they're coming in and looking. Knowing this will help you schedule your postings just right for max effect, which, as any experienced eBay seller will tell you, often means the difference between a mediocre result and one that exceeds all your expectations!
In a move that may be a response to Google's launch of the AdSense program, Overture has annouced the launching of Content Match -- a content advertising program where Overture will publish their ads to placement on relevant web sites.
They include a special introductory offer: "The charges on all Content Match clicks will automatically be discounted by 20% until September 21, 2003."
More information on this new program is available at:
http://www.content.overture.com/d/USm/ac/ba/cm.jhtml
Google has just introduced a new advertising program that lets smaller websites run Google advertisements on their sites and get paid per click by Google.
This is an expansion of their AdWords program, which added Contextual AdWords earlier in the year. AdSense may be a way for Google to essentially bypass the ad networks it currently runs its content ads on (FastClick, Burst), build to their list of advertisers, and create a new relationship with publishers.
To apply online for the program, website publishers can visit http://www.google.com/adsense/. Google's editorial team will review each publisher application to ensure that the site meets editorial guidelines.
Read More:
ClickZ: http://www.clickz.com/feedback/buzz/article.php/2224941
Internet News: http://www.internetnews.com/IAR/article.php/2224011
Search Engine Journal: http://www.searchenginejournal.blogspot.com/2003_06_15 _searchenginejournal_archive.html#105594568576545458
MediaPost: http://www.mediapost.com/dtls_dsp_news.cfm?newsID=209735
In a press release yesterday, FindWhat.com announced it will merge with Espotting for $161 million. While this may not "make waves" in the SEM industry, it may mean better performance and increased traffic for both sites. FindWhat is already a cheap avenue of advertisement, and increased qualified traffic may make it even more valuable.
The press release is available at: http://www.findwhat.com/content/about/news/pressrelease.asp?a=110
Long-time users of PayPal have just over 30 days to accept the new user agreement and privacy policy. The changes are detailed in the following email:
As you know, PayPal recently made several important changes to its User Agreement and Privacy Policy. A brief summary of the most important changes is included at the bottom of this email. We encourage you to read the new User Agreement and Privacy Policy, as they contain important information about your PayPal account, your rights as a PayPal user, and the ways in which PayPal will use your personal information.
We hope that you will choose to accept the new User Agreement and continue to use PayPal to send and receive online payments. If you do not accept the new User Agreement and Privacy Policy after you have had ample time to review it, we will assume that you no longer wish to use PayPal, and will unfortunately have to close your account. You have 37 days left to decide whether to agree to the PayPal User Agreement. If you choose not to agree to the PayPal User Agreement after 37 days, you will not be able to use PayPal to send or receive payments. If you decide that you do not want to continue using PayPal, then you may want to withdraw or spend the funds before 37 days are up to avoid any delays in receiving your funds.
We encourage you to read the new User Agreement and Privacy Policy, as they contain important information about your PayPal account, your rights as a PayPal user, and the ways in which PayPal will use your personal information. A brief summary of the most important changes is included at the bottom of this email.
To view the new User Agreement go to:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/ua/ua-outside
To view the new Privacy Policy go to:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/ua/policy_privacy-outside
We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.
Thank you for using PayPal!
The PayPal Team
------------------------------
Additional Information
------------------------------
Many of our customers have asked the following questions about the new User Agreement. For additional information, please go to the PayPal Help Center.
Q. Why is there a new version of the User Agreement and Privacy Policy?
A. PayPal has revised our User Agreement and Privacy Policy for three main reasons:
1. We wanted to consolidate all of our legal documents to make them easier for you to read, navigate and understand.
2. We wanted to re-organize the information so you more easily can understand your legal rights and obligations and to help you more quickly find answers to your questions about our various services. By separating much of the content of the User Agreement into Policies, you no longer will have to scroll down an unwieldy page to find information about a specific portion of PayPal's Services (such as the Payments Policy, Seller Protection Policy, or PayPal Shops Policy).
3. We decided to update our arbitration clause in order to clarify your dispute resolution alternatives.
Q. Why do I need to agree to a new User Agreement and Privacy Policy?
A. We have taken the time to clarify the User Agreement and make it easier for you to understand. Accordingly, we want to make sure that you are fully aware of your legal rights and obligations, that you have reviewed our recent changes and that you agree to continue following the terms and conditions that govern the use of the PayPal service. As you review the User Agreement and associated Policies, please keep in mind the following:
1. The User Agreement constitutes a contract between PayPal and yourself, and is designed to protect both you and the integrity of the PayPal service.
2. Just as you have a responsibility to abide by the terms and conditions set out in the User Agreement, everyone else you do business with using PayPal will also have agreed to these terms and conditions.
3. The Privacy Policy protects you by governing the way PayPal and/or any of our partners will use the information you provide.
4. Although we have reserved the right to change the User Agreement and Privacy Policy, and you have agreed to be bound by those changes, we will continue to notify you of any material changes at least 30 days prior to their effective date.
Q. Why will you limit my account access if I don't agree to the new User Agreement in 120 days?
A. By agreeing to the terms of the User Agreement, you enter into a binding, voluntary contract with PayPal. Therefore, if you choose not to agree to the updated terms and conditions, we must assume that you no longer agree to abide by those rules, and we must limit your account access as a result.
Are there others that should be added to this list for future study?
http://www.bizreport.com/article.php?art_id=4469
The EU will be levying VAT charges for online sales. As of July 1st, companies like Google, Amazon, Ebay, Norton, and AOL UK will have to apply 17.5% sales tax to all EU nation sales. This will, in effect, raise the cost of everything and require businesses that do sales with europe to hire EU certified accountants to do their books.
We originally offered an overview of SplitHit page-testing software here.
We've recently had the opportunity to install it on one of our servers.
First off, SplitHit requires both MySQL and PHP on the server you'll be installing it on. If you don't have these installed (or if your server doesn't support them), you won't be able to use SplitHit. This is important, especially if you're running a Windows server for your primary website (as we are).
On our test server, we had to install both MySQL and PHP before SplitHit. Had these already been up and running on the server, installation would have been much simpler. As it was, we were still able to get all three applications up and running in about 4-5 hours due to thorough documentation. SplitHit by itself may be slightly more difficult to install than your average CGI script.
Michael Wagner, the proprietor of Jooz.com, is very responsive to questions if you have any problems with installation, both through forums and personal email. He also just released a new version of the software that fixes several bugs and corrects a potential security hole within your PHP configuration.
Coping with GDS, The Google Dance Syndrome:
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/sereport/article.php/2216081
Report Shows Confusion over Paid Listings:
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/sereport/article.php/2216101
ODP Testing Public Abuse Report System:
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2215181
Writing Effective Search Engine Ads:
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2213421
Why Google Hacks is a Bestseller:
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2209681
Paid Placement Alternatives to Google and Overture:
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2204191
Managing a Pay-Per-Click Search Engine Marketing Campaign:
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2204161
The World of Google:
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2204151
Maximum Google:
http://www.idg.net/ic_1314900_9677_1-5042.html
The New DealTime:
http://www.emarketer.com/news/article.php?1002260
Make Way for the Contender to Google's Crown:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/30963.html
Search or Destroy?
http://www.clickz.com/feedback/buzz/article.php/2214371
Paid Inclusion Confusion:
http://www.clickz.com/search/strat/article.php/2214321
Northern Light Readies for Return:
http://boston.internet.com/news/article.php/2214041
The Open Directory Introduces Abuse Report System:
http://www.pandia.com/sw-2003/20-odp.html
Big Changes for Search Engines:
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,58971,00.html
Search Engine Consolodation Ending:
http://thewhir.com/marketwatch/yan052003.cfm
Search Results Clogged by Blogs:
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,58838,00.html