Zilker Ventures, LLC - Affiliate Marketing, Domaining, and E-business News

Sure Your Resume Looks Great, But Have You Ever Been Fired?

Nick — Tue, 03 May 2011 16:35:12 +0000

When reading over a potential hire’s resume it is vital that you avoid the mistake of overvaluing experience and undervaluing work ethic and determination. Nearly every resume I have come across has been tailored specifically to the position I was looking to fill. This gave me a great idea of what skills the person thought made them the best candidate for the job, but it often undermined the question I was really looking to have answered: Are you a hard worker? This is a lesson that nearly every company looking to bring in new employees often has to learn the hard way.

As an interviewer it is easy to become infatuated with a candidates GPA and credentials, this can be especially true when looking to hire someone who is either still in college or just graduated. Look beyond the internship or part time job they had as their Dad’s golfing buddy’s assistant and see if they’ve held a job where they had set hours and collected a structured pay check (basically ask if they have had a job where they could actually be fired). As a project manager if I had my choice I would pick a team of hardworking individuals over a team of people selected based solely on their puffed up resume’s any day of the week.

Time Warner Jacks up Broadband Prices for East Texas Porn Junkies

Gaines — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:13:00 +0000

Time Warner is testing a pilot program in Beaumont, TX that charges overage fees to users who download files in excess of 30GB per month. The move comes in a response to a study that showed that 5% of their users were taking up over 50% of their bandwidth. Some experts say the move is a defensive position to address the potential loss of cable TV subscriptions to internet downloads of TV programs. Come on Time Warner, let’s be honest. Who downloads more than 30GB per month of Desperate Housewives and Charles in Charge re-runs. We all know the top 5% of bandwidth users are downloading porn, lots and lots of porn. Being from Texas myself, I am familiar with Beaumont, TX. Beaumont is well known for rainy humid weather, horrible smelling air (resulting from the preponderance of oil refineries) and lots of Baptists (think Footloose with Kevin Bacon).The most fun thing to do in Beaumont is to leave town. If I lived in Beaumont I would probably in the top 5% too. Charging overage fees for bandwidth usage is a great way for Time Warner to tap into the multi-billion porn industry.

For more porn statistics check out http://poppupot.blogspot.com/2007/05/internet-porn-industry-statistics.html, it’s hilarious and only suggestively inappropriate.

Google v. at&t in a battle for a $10 billion wireless network

Gaines — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:12:00 +0000

In the immortal words of Michael Buffer: “Ladies and Gentlemen, for the nearly 200 potential bidders and the millions watching around the world, LLLLLLET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!!!” It looks like round one is over and the score card heavily favors Google. So what am I talking about? Yesterday bidding began on a government auction of radio airwaves valued at nearly $10 billion. Experts say it’s probably the most important spectrum auction the government has ever had. The auction involves several blocks of airwaves with varying applications. The block that interests Google is ideal for high speed data transmission and is capable of penetrating walls. So why has Google won the first round? Google successfully lobbied for an open-access condition in the auction, which requires the winner of the licenses to allow consumers to use any device or mobile software they choose on the new network as long as it sells for more than $4.6 billion. Then, Google entered the auction. Google doesn’t really care about controlling the airwaves. They simply want their customers to be able to use those airwaves to access Google products and services. Now all they have to do to accomplish their goal is stay in the fight long enough to get the price up to $4.6 billion. Google never ceases to amaze me. What an amazing company.

Source: Austin
American Statesman, Business Section 1/24/08

The Races tend to form Cliques on social networks.

Gaines — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:11:00 +0000

As reported on CNN, a study performed at the University of Illinois indicates a level of racial divide in social networking sites. White students tend to prefer FaceBook while Hispanics preferred MySpace and Asians preferred Xanga or Friendster. There was no clear preference among Black students. They also found a correlation between the socio economic status of the parents and the students preferred social Network. FaceBook users tended to come from higher socio economic status with parents whom had achieved higher levels of education. All of this is interesting, but the most prolific statistic I heard in the report was this. Of all the students interviewed the number of students that had never heard of the former mentioned social networking sites was 1. That’s pretty amazing.

Let Your MySpace Profile reflect your Bloging Prowess

Gaines — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:06:00 +0000

Online-media syndication company Pluck has developed an application for web publishers that will allow them to link their websites to social networks like Facebook and MySpace. If you post a blog entry on USA Today, one of their clients, it will automatically post your entry on your social network profile along with a link back to the article. I love this concept. It’s a great way to expose content to an audience linked to at least one person who felt strongly enough about the content to post a blog entry. Plus it will encourage people to post blog entries so they can show all their MySpace friends how smart they are.

Digital Music Taking Over

Gaines — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:05:00 +0000

Despite the music industries efforts to fight the distribution of music through digital formats such as iTunes, experts predict that digital music will account for 1/3 of total music sales in the US by 2012. Unfortunately, increased digital music purchases will not compensate for decreased CD sales. What this article does not talk about is the increased profit margins that come with digital distribution. Let’s flashback to 2000 when A&M Records and several other recording companies sought and received an injunction that effectively shut down Napster: The fact that a college kid and his uncle could create a distribution network for digital music that would grow to over 26 million users worldwide should have cued in record companies that digital music sales would be the future of music. What we’re seeing now is that the companies that embraced and fostered the new technology are reaping the rewards and those that fought it are being forced to get on the train or be left behind.

Buy the Old West on E-Bay

Gaines — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:04:00 +0000

Today an AP article on CNN totes the sale of a small 13-acre hill country town named Albert to an un-named Italian Buyer for $3.8 million. Look out Realtors of America. E-Bay is coming!!! I have some inside information on this deal because I know the seller. He has owned Albert, Texas for quite some time and has been an opportunistic seller for some time now, maintaining the attitude that he loves Albert, Texas but would sell it for the right price. It’s been listed on the Austin Board of Realtors Multiple Listing’s Service for months if not years with no takers (at a significantly lower price). The second it hit eBay it became a national phenomenon. He was interviewed by several local and national TV stations and has appeared on CNN.com twice, that I have seen.

There are two things I would like to point out here.

This may seem like a lot to pay for 13-acres in the Texas Hill Country, but it’s not. Gruene, Texas and Luckenbach, Texas were purchased in similar condition as Albert, Texas (although not on eBay) and have since become legendary tourist attractions. Gruene, Texas is home of Gruene Hall the Grismill Steak House and a major destination for tubing in the summer time. Albert, Texas was founded by Albert Luckenbach, the same person who founded Luckenbach, Texas, which was home of the Willie Nelson 4th of July Picnic for over 20 years.
Selling real estate on eBay has major implications and obstacles for the future of real estate. Traditionally, real estate marketing has been dominated by local brokers because it is an inherently geocentric commodity. However, this example clearly illustrates that local knowledge won’t necessarily get you the best price for your property. The challenge comes when you try to close the transaction at the end of the auction. In the words of Bobby Cave, “There’s just not any way to insist that a guy from Italy write me a check for three million.”

Spybot Zaps CJ Sales

Gaines — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 11:46:00 +0000

Apparently, the immunize function in the latest version of Spybot won’t allow you to open CJ links. This is totally unacceptable. CJ and its advertisers need to fix this problem immediately. Spybot is one of the most widely used anti-spyware systems on the market today. Therefore, Spybot is preventing affiliate marketers from providing valuable content and services to consumers. This problem is not good for anyone and consumers will probably assume that the sites being blocked contain malicious software, which will harm consumer confidence in such sites.

Google offers big rewards for innovations to “Android” mobile operating system

Gaines — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 11:36:00 +0000

Google offer $10 million in prizes for innovation to their Android mobile operating system that seeks to compete with mobile operating systems made by Microsoft Corp., Palm Inc., Research In Motion Ltd., and Symbian, which is owned by Nokia Corp. Motorola, Samsung and LG will try to integrate the software into thousands of mobile devices. Another smart move by Google. Shocking.

Source Article

80% of US Adults Online

Gaines — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:30:00 +0000

Nearly 8 in 10 US adults now use the internet, accounting for 178 million users nationwide. These users are now spending 11 hours per week on the web.

Source Article

Online Ad Spends Expected to Triple by 2010

Gaines — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:24:00 +0000

US online marketing is expended to double by 2010. During that same period, online spending is expected to triple, rising from $16.9 billion to $42 billion. 69 of the top 100 advertisers reduced their spending on traditional media from 2005 to 2006, while 70 of the same top 100 advertisers increased their spending on online ad campaigns during the same period. 2007 ad spending online will be higher than radio. Advertisers will be spending $100 per person to reach people online in 2007 and that number is expected to increase to $200 per person by 2011.

Source Article

List of Affiliate Networks

Leo — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:57:00 +0000

Here is a list of Affiliate Networks- websites that act as intermediaries between publishers (affiliates) and advertisers’ (product or service providers) affiliate programs. They allow publishers to find affiliate programs, which are suitable for their website and they help websites offering affiliate programs reach their target audiences).

First Tier:

Commission Junction
LinkShare
ClickBank
Performics

New Networks:

ModernClick
Panthera Network
AvantLink
TrafficSynergy
ShareResults
LinkConnector
MaxBounty
Jointsales

Popular Networks:

ShareaSale
Affiliate Window
AzoogleAds
Affiliate Fuel
clixGalore
Quinstreet
Trade Doubler
Incentaclick
UKaffiliates

Affiliate Networks with changing offers:

CPA Empire
LeadCrunch
LeadHount
DirectLeads
OfferWeb
PrimaryAds
OffersQuest

Other Networks:

Adreporting
Adteractive
Advertising Revenue Service
Advertising.com
Agami Media
Affiliatebot
Affiliate Cop
Affiliatefuture
Affiliatenetwork
Affiliator
Afform
AvanLink
CanadianSponsors
CheckMyStats
Clickagents
ClickBooth
ClickXchange
CommissionSoup
CommissionSHore
CoProsper
Cunna.com
DarkBlue
eAdvertising.com
eAffiliatez
EnvisionAds
Epurple Media
Extremerevenue
Filinet
FineCicks
Floppybank Affiliate Network
FluxAds
FusionQuest
Icommissions.com
IronOffers
Kolimbo
LinkRads.com
LinkTrust
LeadRewards
LinkConnector
LinkProfits.net
LynxTrack
MarketDraw
MarketLeverage
MyReferer
MetaReward
Myresellers.com
NeverBlueAds
Offer Fusion
Partner2Profit
Partner Weekly
Red Galoshes
ReferBack
RegNow oneNetwork
Revenue Pilot
Rextopia
ROI Rocket
Rowise
Search4Clicks
SellShareware
SearchCactus
ShareBucks
Sitelink
SpecialOffer
TheUseful
Turn2Offers
Zanox

For some basic information on all of these networks, please go through this article.

Domain Name Financing

Leo — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:29:00 +0000

Domain Capital is currently the only provider of domain name financing available, but they are very active, having developed partnerships with GoDaddy, Fabulous.com, Moniker,
Sedo, and InternetRealEstate.com. Domain Capital recently announced that they will provide financing for qualified borrowers to purchase domain names at GoDaddy’s first Signature Auction on November 6th, 7th, and 8th.

Microsoft purchases 1.6% of Facebook for $240M

Leo — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:50:00 +0000

On October 25th, Microsoft Corp. paid $240M for a 1.6% stake in Facebook, valuing the young company with less than $200M in annual revenue, at an astonishing $15B, more than 25 times the amount News Corp. paid for outright ownership of MySpace, which has 107.3M subscribers, more than five times Facebook’s subscriber base of 20M. Facebook’s user base increased more than 6% in September while MySpace grew 1% (which actually means they brew at nearly the same pace in terms of actual subscribers).

This move fairly clearly demonstrates two things:

Microsoft is finally demonstrating that they understand the importance of the web and web communities and are willing to invest substantially in it.
This deal will also allow Microsoft to sell Internet ads for the Facebook website outside the US, expanding a marketing relationship that began last year.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hKn0T1IOwng1NE5pvvZLewkJ5aVQ
http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/other/10/25/1025microsoft.html

Live Chat: Your New Online Salesperson

Leo — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:04:00 +0000

Park City Utah realtor has live chat box on his website that he attributes $12 million in sales to.

New programs have surveillance capabilities so you can see what pages are being visited in real time.

ChatWise, a sales method sold with LivePerson software.

Full Article

The hijack-proof truck

Leo — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:02:00 +0000

Astrata, a black box can be installed in anything that moves.

Can detect when a vehicle veers off course.

Can prevent a vehicle from starting without authorization. Breathalizer, fingerprint. Etc.

Can detect a vehicle speeding or traveling eradically and slow it down or stop it.

Doors and windows can be locked remotely to trap criminals inside.

Full Article

Server Farm

Leo — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:00:00 +0000

AISO.net, a small server-farm company is operating off 100% solar power.

2,000 square foot building.

Solar panels generate 12 kilowatts

Battery storage runs night operation.

Run 4 IBM blades with virtualization software that lets one computer do the work of many.

Cooling system runs 10 minutes per hour.

Outside air is pumped into the building when it drops below 60 degrees.

Solar tubes in the roof provide lighting.

Operation costs $100,000.

Electic bill went from $3,000 per month to zero.

Full Article

The Kopy Kat Kids

Leo — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:58:00 +0000

German company copies successful US companies in Germany.

Alando German ebay. Purchased by real eBay after 5 months for $50 million.

Germans prefer debit cards to credit cards.

StudiVZ, German facebook, sold for $100 million.

Full Article

Say Goodbye to the Used-Car Salesman- from Business 2.0

Leo — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:54:00 +0000

Hotswap.com posts HD video of used cars online.

11,000 listings.

$2 million in funding from Kinsey Hills Group.

Steve Wozniak (Apple) is an advisor.

The video listings are free; Hotswap makes money by licensing video technology to dealerships and car manufacturers.

Full Article

Privacy for Free Online Calls- from Business 2.0

Leo — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:51:00 +0000

Pudding, based in San Jose, has developed software that picks up on keywords uttered during calls through VOIP phone services. During the call, the software will initiate adds based on such keywords.

VOIP industry is headed towards free calls. This could create an alternative revenue stream.

System doesn’t record conversation.

Aspire to use same technology to send adds to your cell phone.

Full Article

Demand Media strikes deal with eNom to share advertising revenue with resellers of .tv sites

Leo — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:49:00 +0000

.TV used to be the internet country code for the island nation of Tuvalu. On December 14, 2006, VeriSign (the operator of .tv domains) announced an alliance with Demand Media, run be ex-MySpace chairman Richard Rosenblatt, to market the .tv Top Level Domain Name as the preferred web address for rich media content (www.ChannelMe.tv). On May 1, 2007, Demain Media launched the Me.tv tool kit along with the premium domain name list that had been held off the market for a few months prior. The company is beginning a huge marketing campaign to make .TV the official domain for video, multi-media, and social networking on the web.

The .TV channel builder offered to .TV registrants includes:

A free website with customizable templates
Social networking features including blogs, forums, friends list, etc
Channel building tools to add videos, photo albums, and widgets form other sites.

eNom is a domain name registration and services technology company founded in 1997 in Redmond, WA, and is the third largest registrar of domain names, and manages over 5 million domain names. Demand Media has put together an advertising deal with eNom that provides financial rewards for eNom resellers whose .TV customers activate their .TV channels and enable the advertising program. eNom will even go as far as market the new advertising program to the resellers’ customers on their behalf. http://www.enom.com/resellers/faq_ucs.asp

The advertising program will consist solely of graphical ads at first, but may change in the future. .TV Customers who choose to activate the program will not be able to control the size or location of the ads.