BlogExplosion.com Is Dead?

Is BlogExplosion.com dead?

I had been using it to drive some extra traffic to my blogs. I don't remember when I started using it, but it was more than a year ago.

It works as a "blog viewing" exchange. The system presents me with blogs, and I have to view each one for at least 30 seconds. I get credit for each blog viewed. I can use these credits to get other members to view my blogs, for at least 30 seconds, of course.

But it seems that BlogExplosion.com is dead. I haven't been able to access the site for the last 3 days.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not too surprised. This recession is going to cause a lot of Internet startups to close and close suddenly. I know first hand how hard it is to make a real living online.

I've been scaling back a lot over the past two weeks. I closed down my web hosting site the other day. It was a waste of money. Going to concentrate on consolidating my other money-making sites now, and producing a lot more content.

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Switching from Pay-Per-Click to Pay-Per-Lead On Certain Sites

I've been switching from Yahoo Publisher network (YPN) pay-per-click ads to pay-per-lead ads provided by Commission Junction (CJ.com) on some of my high traffic sites. I've been earning a lot less per click with YPN this year, so it's time to mix things up a bit.

I'm not liking the way things are going at Yahoo! News that Y! is cutting 10% of its workforce didn't scare me too much. But $37 million in advisory fees in one quarter scares the hell out of me. That's a serious waste of money considering the company only made $70 million during Q3 2008 -- a decline of 53% from Q2. Here's a clip from a Wall Street Journal article:

"...Now that Jerry Yang is planning to cut 10% of Yahoo's work force, he might want to contemplate saving a bit more money by firing some of his advisers.

Not only did the Yahoo CEO end up turning down Microsoft's $33-a-share offer for his company, a price that now feels like a distant memory, but he paid through the nose for advice on doing so.

Yahoo disclosed late Tuesday in its third-quarter earnings release that it spent $37 million on advisory fees in the third quarter -- a million dollars more than it had spent on advice over the previous two quarters combined.

The amount was big enough to make a significant impact on Yahoo's operating income, which fell 53% to $70 million in the quarter. Without the fees, Yahoo's operating income would have been down only -- yes, only -- 28.6%.

For their money, Yahoo's management got legal and banking advice on everything from Microsoft's offer for all or part of the company to the Google search deal, Carl Icahn's proxy contest and "related litigation defense."

And just how useful was the advice? Well, let's see. After four months of study, the government hasn't yet signed off on the Google deal. As for the decision to turn down Microsoft's $33-a-share offer, Yahoo was trading Tuesday at around $12.

Even that isn't dirt cheap, given consensus earnings estimates of about 52 cents a share next year. That puts the stock on a still-heady multiple of 23 times earnings. The lingering hope for shareholders must be that Microsoft will return, albeit at a lower price.

If and when that happens, Mr. Yang should hardly require expensive advice on what to do."

Y! Shoulda' Done: Accepted Microsoft's $33-per-share offer.

Y! Should Do Now: Push Jerry Yang out the door. He can retire from the firm a very rich man.

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YPN Debuts In Europe?

According to the Perspicacious website, publishers and webmasters in Europe can get access to the Yahoo! Publisher Network (YPN) by singing up as a publisher at AdShack.com. Click here to read the full story.

U.S. webmasters and publishers looking for a good alternative to Google AdSense can signup for the YPN here. It's still in beta, but I can report from experience that it works well. The ad inventory isn't as good as Adsense, but YPN's support is much better, and, if your sites contain high quality, original content, you really don't have to worry about getting kicked out of the program.

If you're a European publisher with an AdShack.com account, please post a comment here and let us know if you have access to YPN ads. Thanks!

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Pick Your Favorite Keyword and Build A Lens at Squidoo

I feel the need to spread the word about www.Squidoo.com. Squidoo is a free site where anyone can setup a webpage about anything, and I mean anything. Not only is the site free, but you can get a share of the advertising revenue if you wish (or you can have your cut sent to your favorite charity.) Use Squidoo for shameless advertising: it's all good. Wanna' setup a page with adult content? That's fine too, as long as you give your page the appropriate rating.

Squidoo is highly intuitive. You can setup your page -- they call it a lens -- in a matter of minutes. You can also quickly and easily add all types of content, like YouTube videos, RSS feeds, link lists, Amazon.com recommendations and much more. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to use the Squidoo system.

I like Squidoo a lot. Not only can you setup links to your sites, which is good for search engine optimization, but your Squidoo lens itself can be a great source of targeted traffic. I've seen some Squidoo lenses ranking very well in Yahoo! for some fairly competitive keywords.

If you are going to signup for a Squidoo lens or two, don't procrastinate. I know from first hand experience that the best keywords and keyphrases are going fast. Enjoy!

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