Moving To IntenseDebate

For good number of months this blog’s comment were managed by Disqus– a useful third party comment management system. It allowed me to moderate comments on multiple blogs from one place- most of that moderation was actually done straight from my e-mail.

After the recent update of WordPress to the latest 2.7 version, thanks to a friend in affiliate marketing, I have decided to also to move the comment moderation on this blog to IntenseDebate.

This is a good and a bad news at the same time. Since I have grown to love Disqus quiet a bit, it is hard to say goodbye, since it truly served me well.

I also have some logistic issues of moving several pages that with comments numbering above 50 comments per post. Some of them were saved as a plain old HTML pages (it is a long story), so I will have to move at least several hundreds of comments manually- one by one. As a result of it, you will most likely to see a splash page that will tell you that my site is temporarily unavailable- this will be done with Maintenance Mode Plugin. I sincerly hope to accomplish the move before Christmas.

On the good note I am looking forward to IntenseDebate. You have to love the name of the plugin, as many of you may remember that on occasions some truly intense debates have taken place on this blog- so the even the name of is befitting. I also think that IntenseDebate will have a great future among WordPress bloggers. IntenseDebate is now owned by Automattic– the company behind WordPress. They of course offer the integration of their system through plugin if your blog is powered by WordPress.

I also would like to assure that if you commented on my blogs in the past, they are saved and will appear in the same place on this blog (plus on the IntenseDebate website) where you left them after the move is over.

Go Beyond MLS Goes With OpenX- And So Should You!

OpenX- Solution for Advertisers and PublishersThere is a very good chance than many readers of this blog, have followed a wave of raving reviews of OpneX on many major technical blogs and websites- TechChurch, TechCrunhc UK, ReadWriteWeb, Cnet, Ostattic. If you ever wonder what is the secret to a company that survives times like these as if there was no recession in the economy- the answer is their product.

As you may remember, just few days ago the advertising on this blog was served by ShowYourAdHere– another simple and attractive solution as far as serving advertising is concerned.

But as traffic on this and my other websites is growing, I needed a solution that could provide me and my advertisers with a solution aimed at surviving tough economic times- there is hardly any solution that come close to OpenX’s ad management software.

Here is just short summary why you would want to consider giving OpenX a closer look as a publisher and/or as an advertiser.

Why join OpneX as a publisher?

Before I start, I need to go back in history. While OpenX may not ring the bell at the first time, you might have heard of OpenAds in the past. Well OpenX is the new name! They are currently offering two great solutions- a free open source ad management solution (available for download at OpenX) and a hosted version where you do not need to download nor install anything (besides copying and pasting into your website the invocation codes for your ad zones). Of course I highly recommend trying the hosted version before you commit to mange ad sever on your own web server.

While there is a considerable learning curve for any one who have never used OpenX before, the end result is well worth the effort. If you are managing a network of websites, OpenX allows you to start running campaigns with a click of a button across different websites- while offering you 25 million impression a month for free. If your website requires more impression, you of course have a choice of either upgrading to premium hosted packages or downloading the free version of the software.

There is however a real treat of becoming OpenX publisher – their OpenX Market, a chance to earn money while using an outstanding piece of software. You have an absolute control on which of your campaigns you can allow advertisers to place their ads while setting a “floor price” which advertiser need to beat in order to be allowed to show their ads on your website or network of websites.

Why should you join OpenX as an advertiser?

Just consider following factors:

  • Fast growing community of quality publishers and very targeted niches
  • Raving reviews by tech bloggers (see the first paragraph)
  • Ability to laser target your audience. OpenX is probably the only software out there that can compete with Google as far as targeting options go. Which of course allows you to save bundle of money on visitors a clicks you don’t ask for.
  • Ability to track your ROI so you can know exactly where your profits are.

Whether you are a small time blogger, giant publisher or an advertiser OpenX offers a product that is a “win win” for every one.

Advice To Any Attorney Contemplating Filing A Suite Against A Blogger

So you client just called you screaming on the top of his voice: “Libel! Defamation! I am suing the SOB!”. What are you going to do? Of course you have several choices. You can fire up a cease and desist letter or maybe even file a claim. But you can also ask your client to take a breather (in some cases some sedatives may help as well). Think about the issue at hand for at least 24 hours after which you can offer to discuss the matter. Your choice can make a world of difference to your client’s reputation.

Yes, if there is a clear libel or defamation (hopefully supported by bulletproof evidence), you should probably do what you do the best- be a good attorney and protect your client. However often it may be a case that your client have mistakenly perceived as libel and defamation something that has more to do with public relations. (It would be good idea to have handy phone numbers of good PR firms for such cases). Pulling the trigger with legal action or even a cease and desist letter can have an effect of pouring fuel into a fire.

Chances are that you will be dealing with a small time blogger and soon will be perceived as a bully. The blogger on the other hand will be viewed as a “David fighting Goliath”. Not to many people are impressed with bullies and when it’s time to “cross swords” majority will side with the “little man”.

Bloggers as a group are very sensitive when it comes to their rights. And they tend to stick together by writing about you and your client hundreds of posts scrutinizing your clients business and even founding defense funds to help the blogger in trouble.

Another unwanted side effect that many of these bloggers will continue to keep a close eye on your clients future ventures. And even a slightest misstep on your client part will be countered with a fresh wave of scrutiny- generally much harsher then before.

Internet has a very long memory. Most of the courts in the united states now have some sort of online archive that can be accessed just by about anyone. Once trigger is pulled, you have to be mindful that even if you and your client prevail, you may never be able to erase this “internet memory”! You will also have very little control over the “spins” that may continue to populate the blogosphere.

Finally, if the internet related issues are some what new to you. It might be a good idea to “brush up on things”- Citizen Media Law Project is an excellent place to start, as they profiled hundreds or maybe thousands of internet related cases.

Happy Thanksgiving!

You can’t count your blessings when they are countless. That is exactly how I feel today. It is not an escape from recognizing the fact how fortunate I am, rather it is an acknowledgment that no article or post in the world would be able to contain all of them.

This past year was extremely challenging for my wife and I. Without support and generosity of people we have never met we could never be able faced these challenging times.

It is so humbling to know that some of you find this and other blogs curious enough to visit them more than once.

No words will ever describe my gratitude for every single person I have ever met, either online or in person. Thank you my friends for who you are.

To all my American readers, followers and friends Happy Thanksgiving.

LeapFish Caught Red Handed Spamming TechCrunch

UPDATE May13, 2010: Things pertaining to LeapFish.com, their founders and management, along with related startups are no longer of interest to me, therefore no further comments are allowed on this post. There are also more reliable sources out there (such as Better Business Bureau) to help you make an informed decision about LeapFish.

***You may also want to know that the Law Firm of Daniel Bakondi, in San Francisco, CA, is investigating a possible Class Action Law Suit Against LeapFish.

Many internet startups find it privileged to be reviewed by TechCrunch. But even if TechCrunch’s verdict for you is a deadpool, although the author did not tagged that post with “deadpool“, it is still an opportunity for dialog. LeapFish’s employees screwed up so badly that opportunity that TechChrunch team had to ban their IPs from posting comments. Here are the snapshots of some parts of that exchange:

LeapFish Spamming TechCrunch

Please note that Robin Wauters is the author of the original article on TechCrunch.

Here is another warning by Robin which LeapFish employees completely ignore:

LeapFish Spamming TechCrunch

Finally TechCrunch blocks the IPs from where the shill comments appear to originate:
LeapFish Spamming TechCrunch

Later the CEO of LeapFish showed up and “apologized” for his employees- you can read the entire exchange on TechCrunch.

Back in May, United Kingdom legislators have made it illegal for businesses to engage in the above described deceptive marketing.

It may not be such a bad idea to prohibit and criminalize such behavior here in the US as well. Don’t you think?

Update: Bellow are the links to more LeapFish reviews.

LeapFish Review by Better Business Bureau. Note that BBB.org rates LeapFish at C- on a A+ to F scale.

A Brief Tale Of Sleaze– LeapFish should take Rob Shore’s advise and never lie to their potential clients.

Three Scams and Rip-Offs to Report – Kit Eliot describes his “encounter” with LeapFish.

Leapfish: Google Competitor or Flash In The Pan?– i think it is rather funny, or insane, to think that LeapFish can actually be viewed as Google’s competitor. But it sure makes a good headline. Well put article, a must read.

LeapFish Affiliate Program. Can Giveaways Keep It Afloat?– a post by yours truly. I thought it was a mistake to link their affiliate program to the basic function of their website- the search function. Their widgets also contain SEO friendly links back to their website- my conclusion their affiliate program is really a linking scheme to gain rankings in search engines.

Leapfish is a scam…maybe?– Patrick Sullivan Jr is offering his opinion about leapfish. The blog have attracted number of comments- well worth reading.

LeapFish Sucks– a take on LeapFish by Cole Pannell- a web designer and a SEO professional.

LeapFish.com advertisers beware – yet another account of dealing with LeapFish sale people.

Leapfish Review – Is LeapFish.com an opportunity, scam, or just another meta search site?– short but to the point rundown about advertising on LeapFish- needless to say the author passes on the opportunity to advertise or invest in LeapFIsh.