Archive for February, 2007

Google’s just announced that they are starting testing site-targeted pay-per-click. Currently that is available only as CPM (cost per thousand.) It’s pretty clear that Google stands to make more money from a CPC model using site targeting as advertisers will be able to become extremely precise in their placements.

It will change the way I think about a few of my clients’ campaigns. I’m certain its going to increase costs in some cases as we’ve been running consistantly at $8 CPM on some great placements. The quality score calculations must be pretty complex for this kind of ad, as the site and the landing page are highly variant - unlike the SERPswhich have a predictable presentation. I’m thinking it will be pretty hard to know what these ads are going to cost and even harder to stay consisent.

“Hey there big guy!”..� it says� as you approach.� �

From Healthquest Technologies Inc., the makers of “Hope in a Jar” and the “Plantomatic” comes Wizmark, the Interactive Urinal Communicator.� “Everyone knows that when it comes to business, location is important” says their website.� You’ll get the “ever elusive targeted male audience you are constantly aiming for.”

Surely, soon to come as well…

• Washing your hands will help you stay healthy!
• One to help you increase the tips “Leaving a small tip is like pissing on your� waiter.”�
• Woah… there’s a sale on underwear at Macys!
• Thought about losing some weight?� Call 1-888….
• Do you miss the great outdoors?� How about a camping trip….

LOL

Okay, I know this stuff has lost a lot of its initial “stealth” impact wnen the first Despair, Inc. posters came out years ago, but these video podcasts have definitely got me laughing.� If you need a pick-me-up, their twisted style of marketing will surely make you smile (Safe for work.)�

At the end of the website info page, the following:

“(To our enduring shame we didn’t test it on the text-only Lynx browser. Lone Lynx user, we eagerly await your impassioned manifesto.)”� LOL

I blogged about this over a year ago, but the latest debate has taken on a life of its own. I guess it can be healthy for the industry to have debate - because there are so many in our business who shouldn’t be there. Danny Sullivan has certainly posted fluently about the topic and I admire his perspective on the issue. I wish we could get focused on more productive discussions. Some of what I’m hearing sounds like some very insecure people are just whining. I’ve no time for it…. I have clients to take care of.

It’s still a little while off, but Top Cancer News reports that Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour-de-france winner will attend a day-long meeting in Lexington to discuss the promotion of healthy lifestyles in reducing cancer risks.� I hope he doesn’t get out on his bike downtown, or he’ll notice the total lack of bike friendliness in our city (I guess you could say they’re trying to make it better - we do have some really nice bike poles..)�

I’d recommend he hit the horse farms for a ride� - they’re really pretty in late October.� The Bluegrass Cycling Club has a great set of maps online that’ll get you started, Lance.� You might want to pick up Wheeling Around The Bluegrass, a book by Joe Ward, to read on the plane ride in.

Yahoo Pipes (beta) is a kind of RSS feed aggregator mixer board for creating mashups.� It has debugging helper tools, great filtering, and then you can publish the feed to use in your favorite feed reader.

I’ve long used Geckotribe’s CARP and GROUPER to do RSS mashups, and always found there to be tremendous power in this technology.� When you can group, adjust, filter and publish resulting data feeds you have enormous power - thanks to the standards of XML.� � UNIX Pipes (geek warning) are a way to send the output from one operation as input to another, and while the concept sounds simple, it allows for a rapid build-up of powerful and amazing tools using nothing more than simple pieces.�

About 9 in 10 times I mention RSS to someone outside of the Internet industry, I have to explain it, so I don’t think we’ll be seeing a flockage of users to the new service just yet.� For me, I’ll be using it to visually construct mashups I can then deploy with Carp and Grouper.�

Another unexpected suprise in the Web 2.0 space.� Fun!