Blog Update: mybloglog with myavatars

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Updates to the website. There are a number of changes that I’d like to make to this blog in the coming weeks, but right now, I’m just reporting on the changes that have already been made.

Some of you may have noticed that I’ve added MyAvatars for MyBlogLog, so when Mybloglog users login, they can comment on my blog, and have their Avatars show up next to their comments! I do like that feature very much. It really humanizes the whole experience, I think. In addition, for more unique avatars, it means that you can quickly be recognized.

Another feature that I’ve worked the kinks out of is the commenting feature. Seems that comments from guests had been broken for a long while. Now it’s fixed, and the number of commenters has jumped. People must have been trying to comment for the longest while.

Lastly, I’ve implemented the DoFollow plugin in comments, so that links from these pages are indexed by Google and other search engines. Comments will now link back to your website, and be counted/searched etc. An extra value!

I’m still working on changing the theme for this blog. I am probably going to choose a two column theme in future, with lighter colors and simpler than Tiga. I am finding that Tiga doesn’t play very well with IE as people are reporting broken boxes, out of alignment text and images. As you all know, I primarily use FF, so I never see these problems (why don’t you change? Why not? Why not? You IE users!); but I should address these concerns.

Do comment, and let me know if you are using DoFollow or MyAvatars or Tiga! Thanks, :D.

SponsoredReviews.com: Should you waste your time?

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SponsoredReviews is kind of an oddball site, one that I have not been successful getting any placements. To explain, SponsoredReviews is one of the many sites that have sprung up offering sponsored posts for bloggers.

The model for this is quite simple: advertisers need places to publicize their websites, bloggers offer a targeted audience, regular updates and, in many cases, a great venue to host such advertisements. To fill this void by matching advertisers with bloggers, a number of companies have started offering middle-men type services to aggregate either offers for bloggers (as in Payperpost.com) or aggregate blogs for advertisers (as in ReviewME.com).

Into this market jumped SponsoredReviews whose model is a mixed model of matching bidders with offers. The system is simple: Advertisers offer opportunities, and bloggers offer blogs. Both have ranges of pricing which can be edited. Bloggers log in and check out the offers from Advertisers, as in the graphic. advertisers

They then submit offers based on their understanding, and advertisers log in and can make counteroffers, until a deal is struck. In principle, this should involve several rounds of toing and froing to reach consensus.

In practice, there are a number of problems with this system that make the system less than optimal for all users. The first is that Sponsored Reviews itself doesn’t present enough information to reviewers or advertisers about the process, resulting in aberrations of the process. Sponsored Reviews needs desperately to educate all its users to the process as it really is intended to be: a match making service that allows multiple bids until consensus is or is not reached. That is deal making.

sponsoredreviews

The second problem is that bidders on both sides are seeking to maximize their own prices or costs. Increasingly advertisers are restricting the range of prices that they are willing to accept for the opportunities. Thus, seeing ranges as little as $5 or $0 is not unusual now: e.g. 100 words: NewHomesForSale.*.* – Largest * Property $5 – $5 is currently on offer. Bloggers are on the other hand increasing the prices of posting on their blog well above what advertisers are willing to pay for their blogs. The result is that fewer deals are getting done as both parties are being marginalized. That’s okay for both parties as they can find other places to match their deals, but for Sponsored Reviews, it’s not good. They really need to encourage both parties to respond to offers by bidding more creatively and more frequently.

Lastly, the speed at which most offers are reviewed is way to slow for such a service. I’ve placed 14 offers and been refused on 5. But 9 offers are still outstanding for advertisers. This is money on the table that is going to get up and leave unless the speed of dealing is cranked up.

So, while I was initially impressed with SponsoredReviews.com smooth operations, I feel that there are currently significant hurdles that need to be overcome before they can be a match for the older and more effective solutions, like Payperpost.com. For bloggers, sign up anyway as it’s free and you’ll have fun exploring the system. For advertisers, sign up but be prepared when you don’t get any bites, or initial offers are too high. The system is designed to encourage experimentation: a fact that is lost on most users, and the importance of which seems lost on SponsoredReviews.com administration.

I’m an unsuccessful user of SponsoredReviews.com but this is not sponsored.