Archive: Featured
Have you signed up for SocialSpark yet? I would assume that you probably have heard of it by now if you are reading this blog. But maybe you haven't made the leap. Do it! I had the good fortune of getting in to the Private Alpha early with one of the Golden Tickets from Ted Murphy. Which meant, get in there, poke around and try and break stuff and tell IZEA what I found. I think I could be a pretty decent QA tester after all of that.
I love the social media aspect to the format of SocialSpark. I can add people as friends and I was doing that pretty steadily and finding some great blogs in the process. Then the floodgates opened and well there are so many people on right now. I think when I last looked at all the friends that Ted has there were 2338. That is all the bloggers and advertisers together. That is a lot of people in a very short period of time and there are tons of great new bloggers joining each day. I still haven't gotten to see 3/4 of the users on SocialSpark, how can that be? Probably because adding friends for me as it takes a long time as I go through each user, view their blogs decide to friend them and also to prop them.
I like the Props and Drops options. As I have been adding friends I have been giving them props. I mean, if someone is your friend they deserve props right? I've noticed that the props are kinda low all over, are people just not giving out props? Am I too free with my propping? I wonder, what is your opinion on Props and Drops?
The thing I really like though is the ability for bloggers to create Sparks.
Sparks are free opportunities that you can take and blog about. What this means to the average blogger is that if you have a fantastic post that you wrote you can get the word out about it. Rather than commenting on a ton of blogs and causing a nuisance of yourself (I did that once when I was a naive blogger) you can simply write up a Spark opportunity about your post and to entice bloggers to write about it. One way to entice bloggers to take your Spark is to choose the Blog U Back option. This means that in return for the hard work that a blogger put in to blogging about your post you can reward them with some link love to one of their posts or to their blog.
Here is my suggestion for making this work for you. Write up a great blog post on your blog or grab one from your archives, one you really spent some time on. Then ask yourself, why should someone read this post? Come up with some reasons why and write them down. Use these as reasons why a blogger might want to write about your post when you create your spark. Give the bloggers as much information as they need to write about your post, pose a question and ask them to answer it in their post, give them some direction. Make it fun and interesting. For example, If you have a cooking blog and you blogged about a great recipe ask bloggers to write about that recipe and ask them if they could add one ingredient to the recipe to make it better what would they add and why.
Then follow up. With Social Spark you get a list of all the bloggers who have taken and completed your Spark opportunity, you get links to the posts and you can also link to the user. Go and read each post, comment on the post. If it was good prop the blogger and their blog. You can add them as a friend, leave them a comment on SocialSpark and send them a thank you message too. If you are using the blog you back option for your Sparks ask the blogger if they would like a link to a specific post of theirs or if they'd just like a link to their blog itself.
There is also the ability to add a blogger to your street team, I don't know enough about this option yet but am anxious to find out more on it. I added some of the best bloggers who took my first Spark to my Street Team. What I am saying is think of the things that you wish an advertiser would do for you once you've taken a post, wouldn't you like to know what they thought of it? Wouldn't you like a little recognition of your hard work and feedback so you can do a better job on the next Spark you take? I would also love it if there was an ability to rate each post and leave feedback to the user.
So, have you joined social spark? Have you created your first spark yet? What has the response been so far? Let me know I am anxious to find out how other people are doing with this awesome service.
Drew writes four blogs, is an avid kayaker and a Transformers fan, he also does a mean cake plow. He recently completed taking 1000 consecutive photos in 1000 days. You can visit him at The BenSpark, The Wired Kayaker, Read To Me, Dad, Google is not God.
Part II: PayPerPost Message Boards
While PayPerPost is certainly a platform that helps bloggers make money, it is...at the core...a community. A community of bloggers, advertisers and content creators. The heart of this community is the PayPerPost Message Boards, and probably PayPerPost's best-kept secret. They are moderated by Posties, are valuable and insightful, and contain answers to every question you could ever ask (and a few hundred you've probably never thought of asking). It is a 24/7 live support system from people who know blogs best. It also allows you to communicate directly with the advertisers who have created Opportunities, and the other bloggers who have accepted them.
Now we realize navigating the boards can be a daunting experience, especially for a newbie. There are hundreds of topics spanning dozens of categories and, let’s face it – it’s hard to be the new kid on the block!
That's why part two of our "basics" series is all about the boards. So let's get started:
• Begin by taking a look around. You DON'T have to register for the boards to read any of the past or present topics; however, you will need to take a minute to register for an account if you want to comment on a thread or start one of your own. To register simply click on 'Register' at the top of the page or click here.
• The boards consist of four main sections: Posties, Better Blogging, Advertisers and Help.
• FAQs. At the very top of the Posties section, you’ll see the FAQs for Posties that contains simple answers to the most asked questions while starting out. There is a similar section at the top of the Advertiser section with the FAQs from the advertiser’s perspective.
• Don’t see what you need? Try the 'Search' tool at the top of the screen to look up any past or present thread related to your question.
• Under the Posties section, the General Discussion topic is the most active and contains the liveliest discussions -- everything from becoming a better blogger to community happenings and industry news to opinions on christening gifts. This topic will give you the best idea of what others are talking about today!
• Having trouble with an Opp? The Opp. Discussion category in the Postie section gives you a chance to connect with other bloggers who are completing the same task, and allows you to reach out with any questions you might have.
• Just getting started? The Better Blogging section contains threads where you can have other bloggers rate your site and offer advice and encouragement for writing posts, site design and building traffic.
• Receiving an error? Hey, it happens from time-to-time. Check out the System Updates/Errors topic under the Help section to see the latest threads of any issues that may be occurring.
These are just a few tips to help you start your involvement with the PPP community. Once you become more familiar with them, you'll find the boards are the first place you look to when you're searching for information or have questions about something. Although the IZEA staff does keep track of the happenings on the boards, please remember that the boards are primarily run and moderated by the community. Should you find that you do need additional help, you are always welcome to start a ticket to Customer Love by clicking on the "Contact Support" link in the footer of each page.
If you visit the boards here's what you can expect to see:
USEFUL TOOLS IN THE MESSAGE BOARDS:
- PayPerPost home button
- PayPerpost blog button
- Privacy Policy link (footer)
- Terms of Service link (footer)
- PPP Boards FAQs
Carri & I are joining forces in the way of a new weekly series for bloggers, titled "Tip of the Week." Pretty ingenious title, eh? It might be simple but we think it conveys just what our goal is: to help Posties get the most out of their PayPerPost experience. We want to equip everyone from the most inexperienced bloggers--just starting out with PayPerPost--to the more veteran Posties who have become exceptional at their craft.
Given that, we have chosen to launch this series covering some basic topics we feel are important to both Posties and Advertisers. Part I: Categories.
As a Postie you might ask yourself these questions when it comes to categories:
- What is a category?
- Why should I choose categories?
- What categories should I choose?
- What are the "right" categories for me?
- What should I consider when choosing categories?
For starters, a category is a general overview or a guideline of topics you blog about most often. Categories should not be chosen by what you would LIKE to write about, but based on what you already DO write about.
When choosing categories for your blog, the expectation is that a chosen category should be clearly reflected in a large percentage of your posts. In the PPP Marketplace, you are permitted to choose up to four (4) relevant categories for your blog. This means that, in taking a look at the non-sponsored content for a month's time, you should see several posts represented in each of your chosen categories.
To choose or update your categories simply click on the 'My Blogs' tab at the top right of your account, and then click on the name of your blog. (See image below.) Although choosing four categories is not required, most blogs do cover at least three to four general topics and choosing the best categories for your blog will help you to qualify for more relevant marketplace Opportunities (Opps).
'My Blogs' tab:
In the PayPerPost Marketplace, there are several factors involved in the segmenting of Opps including domain, rankings, location and categories. Advertisers choose categories for their Opps so that they will be taken by bloggers who specialize and blog primarily about these categories. This is part of the inherent value of a sponsored post as the advertisers are attempting to target not only bloggers in this genre, but also an audience interested in this genre. As such, bloggers who post Opps outside of their categories do not present any value to an advertiser either in related content or target audience.
Being more mindful of the categories that you choose will allow you to create a much sharper focus for your blog which should result in increased readership and lead to higher rankings. In short, everyone wins!
So that you can maximize your Opportunity potential we strongly encourage all Posties--new and veterans--to check the categories they currently have selected for their profile, and make sure they are relevant not only to your blog(s) but also to your audience. (Please note: You may only change categories once every 30 days on approved blogs.)
USEFUL TOOLS:
- Support Center. Click the "Contact Support" link at the bottom of each page.
- Glossary. This is located in the Support Center, under "Glossary."
- Best Practices. This is a helpful list of guidelines that includes tips on titles & categories.
If you have any feedback or have a topic you'd like highlighted in a future "tip" please e-mail tips@izea.com.
Votes are in and the Blog Battle Royale III Champion remains undefeated: Postie Courtney. Congratulations, Courtney!
Courtney's the lucky recipient of: a customized badge to post on her blog, a badge on the IZEA blog linking over to her winning post, a Blog Battle Royale Champion t-shirt (signed by the entire IZEA team), and automatic inclusion in the next round of the competition.
Have you participated in past Blog Battle Royales? What have you enjoyed about it? Have you thought about participating but haven't ever taken the initiative? Tell us if you have some ideas or suggestions about how to improve this contest. We're always up for hearing innovative concepts.
And stay tuned for details on the next round of Blog Battle Royale...coming soon.
Technorati Tags: Blog Battle Royale, blog contests, blogging, blogging competition, Posties
Yesterday I was sitting in my living room and I heard a strange noise coming from down the hallway. I was a bit alarmed since I live alone, and honestly I was a bit scared. Quietly & carefully I arose from my couch and tiptoed across the room. In the darkness I peeked around the corner that led to the hallway and was floored by what I saw! To my shock there was 2008 staring me straight in the face. Can you believe it?!?! Right there in front of me! All I can recall is my immediate re-enactment of the movie poster for ''Home Alone,'' with my hands flat-palmed against each of my cheeks, mouth wide open. Get it? 2008 is just around the corner? OK, it's bad, I know. That's my feeble attempt to battle the wit and humor of Mr. Fab, but I fear I failed miserably. Oh well, I can never be accused of not trying, right?
My point is, the new year is nearly here and so is our new office space! While we haven't ''officially'' moved in yet the team did get to see the nearly-completed space late last week. It rocks, and is gonna be great to be settled in our new area -- everyone's going to have their own desk! So once we've moved into the space upstairs from our current digs, we'll have two office areas. That means TONS of wall space to cover, and we'd love to fill-it with your faces!
Why not send us your most creative photo & frame to be featured on "The Great Wall of Posties"? If you do we'll send you some fab swag*, including some rad new IZEA stuff (those who attended PostieCon back in November can tell you). In addition to the PostiePack you'll get a feature here on our blog. Basically we're talking about free exposure for you and your blog(s)! How can you turn that down? So go ahead and send your framed photo, your t-shirt size (the women's shirts run small), and your blog urls to the following:
ATTN: The Great Wall of Posties
150 North Orange Avenue, Suite 412
Orlando, FL 32801
Looking forward to receiving these new photos! And remember, we have to look at these everyday so be as creative as you can! Check out the January and February archives of the blog to see some of the photos we received earlier this year.
* Please keep in mind the PostiePacks are typically less than five pounds and are sent via regular mail. Any costs associated with out-of-country deliveries or additional taxes will be absorbed by the recipient.
Technorati Tags: bloggers, blogging, IZEA, PayPerPost, The Great Wall of Posties
For months and months BloggersChoiceAwards.com has been a highly-trafficked, very popular site in the blogosphere. It's been a huge success and as many of you know there have even been a couple of celebrities campaigning to win in the "Best Celebrity Blogger" category. This is truly a testament to the power and reach of the blogosphere. That being said, the winners of the 2007 Blogger's Choice Awards were officially revealed at a VIP party this past Saturday night at TAO Las Vegas. Everyone who attended the party had a great time and enjoyed seeing who some of the most popular blogs right now are. In fact, our Posties took lots of photos of the event (as well as PostieCon) and many of them can be found here.
If you weren't able to make the party then you can see a list of the winners here (or in the list below):
- Best Animal Blogger: Cuteoverload.com
- Best Blog About Blogging: Problogger.net
- Best Blog About Stuff: Postsecret.Blogspot.com
- Blog Blog Design: Kentuckygurl.com
- Best Blog of All Time: Cuteoverload.com
- Best Blogging Host: Blogger.com
- Best Business Blog: Optionaddict.Blogspot.com
- Best Celebrity Blogger: Rosie.com
- Best Charity Blog: Heroesforchildren.Blogspot.com
- Best Corporate Blog: Blog.Dreamhost.com
- Best Education Blog: Internetsafetyadvisor.info
- Best Entertainment Blog: Officetally.com
- Best Food Blog: Veganyumyum.com
- Foreign Language Blog: Sedentario.org
- Best Geek Blog: Lifehacker.com
- Best Gossip Blog: Perezhilton.com
- Best Health Blog: Scienceroll.com
- Best Hobby Blog: Yarnharlot.ca/blog
- Best Humor Blog: Thesneeze.com
- Best Marketing Blog: Copyblogger.com
- Best Parenting Blog: Thecowgoddess.com
- Best Photography Blog: Thepioneerwoman.com
- Best Podcast: Keithandthegirl.com
- Best Political Blog: Feministing.com
- Best Pop Culture Blog: Postsecret.Blogspot.com
- Best Religion Blog: Standfirminfaith.com
- Best Shopping Blog: Purseblog.com
- Best Sports Blog: Mvn.com/nfl-giants
- Best Travel Blog: Hostelbuenosaires.Blogspot.com
- Best Video Blogger: Brotherhood2.com
- Freakiest Blogger: Dead-silence.org
- Hottest Daddy Blogger: Neilgaiman.com
- Hottest Mommy Blogger: Dooce.com
- Most Obnoxious Blogger: Perezhilton.com
- Most Passionate Fan Base: Blacktygrrrr.wordpress.com
- The "Blogitzer": Dooce.com
- Worst Blog of All Time: Perezhilton.com
A BIG congratulations to all those who had the most votes in their categories! If you are one of the lucky winners listed above we would like to send your award to you. Please e-mail your address (no PO Boxes) to ashley[at]izea[dot]com, and include your t-shirt size.
All 2007 nominees (and winners) were automatically included in 2008 nominations, although all votes were cleared out. The 2008 winners will be announced on a yet-to-be-determined date and location but you can sign-up on the site to receive e-mail updates.
Congratulations, also, to those who were runners-up in the categories. It's a big achievement to get to where you were, given the success of the site. If you have any stories about how the awards site impacted your blog or traffic we'd love to hear them! Simply leave them as a trackback or comment to this post.
Technorati Tags: Blogger's Choice Awards, blogging, blogosphere, celebrity bloggers, social media, TAO Las Vegas
Attention Posties attending PostieCon and BlogWorld. The "PostieCon Final Update" email communication has gone out to all confirmed attendees. Please check your email for this important notice. Anyone receiving this email is a confirmed PostieCon attendee, and should have already received their BlogWorld registration code.
If you feel you confirmed your registration but did not receive the Final Update email or did not get your BlogWorld code, please contact Britt at britt [at] izea [dot] com to check on your registration status.
As it relates to BlogWorld, it's important to note that only those individuals with confirmed PostieCon registrations have or will receive the access code necessary to register for a complimentary BlogWorld pass. If you would like to confirm your registration for PostieCon and receive a complimentary pass to BlogWorld, you must contact Britt immediately at britt [at] izea [dot] com.
There are only a limited number of BlogWorld passes left, so it's first-come-first-serve. Only one complimentary BlogWorld pass per confirmed PostieCon attendee will be issued.
It's getting close. Everyone at IZEA is excited to meet our users and celebrate the past year's accomplishments.
It's almost time to kick-off the first-ever Blog America Tour! Yup...we're actually gonna do it. And as Ted mentioned in a post yesterday one of our first stops along the way is Tampa's Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. That should be loads of fun, especially since we're meeting up with Postie Colleen. (Where are all of our other Tampa Posties, by the way?)
So the official schedule is here (below), along with the times and locations* we're going to be stopping in each city. If you live in or around any of the mentioned cities please come out and see us. Some folks have already contacted us to let us know they're going to meet-up with us, but if you don't decide until the last minute you'd like to join us that's OK too! Just pop on over to the venue we'll be at; we'll be there for a couple of hours, I'm sure.
Don't forget, there's money up for grabs, a chance to help local charity organizations and, of course, a rare opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with Ted & Team.
Thursday, November 1st
City: Tampa (FL)
Venue: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Location: Map
Time: 7:00pm EDT
Friday, November 2nd
City: Atlanta (GA)
Venue: CNN Center
Location: Map
Time: 12:00pm EDT
Venue: The Varsity Downtown
Location: Map
Time: 7:00pm EDT
Saturday, November 3rd
City: Tuscaloosa (AL)
Venue: Bryant-Denny Stadium (Alabama/LSU Game)
Location: Map
Time: 4:00pm CDT
Sunday, November 4th
City: Jackson (MS)
Venue: The Jackson Zoo
Location: Map
Time: 12:00pm CDT
Monday, November 5th
City: Dallas (TX)
Venue: Dallas Ad League
Location: Map
Time: 5:30pm CDT
Tuesday, November 6th
City: Albuquerque (NM)
Venue: Flying Star (Nob Hill District)
Location: Map
Time: 8:00am MDT
City: Phoenix (AZ)
Venue: Rawhide (Chandler)
Location: Map
Time: 7:00pm MDT
Wednesday, November 7th
Las Vegas, Baby! We'll be exhibiting at BlogWorld Expo, and then time to get ready for PostieCon and the Blogger's Choice Awards.
* Unless otherwise noted we will meet-up at the front entrance of each venue.
As planned, the 2007 Blogger's Choice Awards winners where selected last Friday, Oct. 19 at midnight. The actual winners will be revealed at the BCA VIP Party at Tao in Las Vegas on Nov. 10.
You may have noticed that the BCA site was continuing to accept votes over the weekend, even though voting had officially ended. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused. Later this morning the 2007 top 3 nominees in each category will be posted on the site for all to see. In addition, all votes will be zeroed out and 2008 voting will officially begin. These changes should have happened in unison at midnight on Oct. 19, but we ran into some issues that prevented that from happening.
It's important for everyone to understand that the official 2007 winners were selected at midnight on Oct. 19 as planned. Any and all voting over the weekend will not impact these results.
Have you always sensed there's something beyond this earthly realm? Are you a believer in life on other planets? Do you have a strange feeling we're not alone in the universe? If your reply to any of these questions is "yes," and you've always wanted to contact these other lifeforms then your opportunity is here! PayPerPost is your portal to the universe and beyond....
You're probably already aware of Blog in Space. This is a highly sensitive program like none other on Earth, providing bloggers with a medium for transmitting their blogs into space, in hopes of connecting with extraterrestrial beings. Aliens are curious beings, and they can learn more about us Earth inhabitants by reading our blogs. So if you have a really cool blog with a distinct voice, and want to be heard, then visit BloginSpace.com and submit your blog url. (Hey...it's not for everyone!)
Like Blog in Space, MySpaceinSpace.com similarly transmits your MySpace profile into space. Now, we know MySpace is all about the friends, and MySpace in Space is for those hardcore MySpacers who have outgrown their earthly network and are looking to have more friends than Dane Cook! Once you submit your profile for transmission you'll be on our top secret list, and will get some really cool badges--like the ones featured above--and certificates which you can proudly display on your blog, website, or MySpace profile. Your earthly friends will certainly be jealous, and will want to join the program with you.
Along with the potential to unite the entire universe (well, perhaps that's a tad dramatic!) both Blog in Space and MySpace in Space are great ways to connect with Earthly peers -- each site has a "Most Likely to Be Contacted" profile that changes daily, as well as a complete listing of other folks who are transmitting their blogs or profiles into space.
So what are you waiting for? Make your cosmic connection today....
Over the past 8 months, more than 200,000 votes have been cast for over 11,000 nominated blogs from 80,000+ users, making the Blogger's Choice Award's the largest fan-based blog contest on the Internet.
On Oct. 8, you will notice a change to the site. The vote count will be removed from view for the top 3 vote getters in each category. This will minimize the "runaway winner" factor and keep the votes coming in. If this change affects your blog, rest assured your votes are still being calculated.
Selection of the 2007 BCA winners will happen soon after, as all 2007 voting will end on Friday, Oct. 19. and the winners in each category will be determined. The results will be revealed on Saturday night, Nov. 10 at the BCA VIP Party at Tao in Las Vegas. It's a hot ticket, and the only way to get in is to register for PostieCon.
On Oct. 20, voting for the 2008 BCA's will begin. At this time all 2007 votes will be removed and all nominated blogs go back to zero. That's right, it's back to the starting gate. Also, all 2007 nominated blogs are automatically nominated for 2008 voting. You do NOT need to re-nominate your blog.
Please note, all BCA nomination badges will continue to work as usual. Be sure to keep them in place so your visitors can help you win in 2008.
The Marketing department has been busy, busy, busy lately...with various upcoming projects. It's been a while since we've done a video confessional, and we have some exciting updates for both Posties and non-Posties alike, so Britt & thought we'd put a little something together for you. Not the most exciting video ever, but I figure it's a nice diversion from the average blog post.
We've got some news on PostieCon, Blogger's Choice Awards, and a few other things, so check-out these two videos when you have a few moments. (The video cut-out when we were almost finished and rather than bother the production guys to edit the two together, we decided to keep it raw.)
As mentioned in the first video, here is the link for some information on hotel accommodations in the Vegas area: https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=53266. Most are pretty good rates but if you can find something better on your own, by all means feel free.
We're also heading-up to the Boston area tomorrow, for CollegeFest '07. We'll be documenting our trip so be on the lookout for a future RockStartUp episode. And if you're one of our Postie Reporters...we'll see you there!
Technorati Tags: Ashley, Blogger's Choice Awards, Britt, CollegeFest, confessionals, PostieCon, RockStartUp, TAO Las Vegas
Hello, Atlanta. Look out, Little Rock. We’ll see you soon, Phoenix.
These are just a few stops on PayPerPost’s Blog America Tour, a week long odyssey across the southern United States. On the wheels of our custom PayPerPost RV, the tour will cover more than 3,000 miles and 9 states. Of course, RockStartUp will be there to cover it all.
Will Ted and crew make a stop in your town? It could all depend on you. The proposed Tour Schedule is as follows:
1. Orlando, FL - Nov. 1, Noon (office send off)
2. Tampa, FL - Nov. 1, 6PM
3. Atlanta, GA - Nov. 2, 9AM
4. Tuscaloosa, AL - Nov. 3, 10AM (Alabama v. LSU)
5. Jackson/Brandon, MS - Nov. Nov. 4, 10AM
6. Little Rock/Jacksonville, AR - Nov. 4, 5PM
7. Dallas, TX - Nov. 5, Noon
8. Albuquerque, NM - Nov. 6, 7AM
9. Phoenix, AZ - Nov. 6, 5PM
10. Las Vegas, NV (Posties: Jules/Techie) - Nov. 7, 5PM
11. Las Vegas, NV (PostieCon & BlogWorld EXPO)
Now that you know where we’re planning to stop, we need you to give us some local knowledge. Comment on this post with your suggestions about where to go and what to do in each city. We’d love to meet up with as many Posties as possible. But we need to know you’re out there.
We’re still putting our plan together, so it’s a great time to influence what we will do in your town. As soon as we nail down a final tour schedule we’ll be sure to let everyone know.
We’d also like to let Posties hitch-a-ride to PostieCon, but we’re still trying to figure out the details… legal and insurance wise. However, if you’d like to jump on we want to hear from you. Send your request to britt [at] payperpost dot com. Include your name, location and a phone number. No guarantees.
See you on the road!
Are you familiar with the site Delightfulblogs.com? Well, I somehow discovered it about a month ago, and found it to be a great resource for finding new blogs & bloggers. Here's a little about the site:
Launched in June of 2006 (the same month as PayPerPost!), Delightfulblogs.com is a blog directory, of sorts, that searches the Internet for blogs which are written or managed (or feature photos or videos) with a distinctive, original, or unique perspective. And their site is very attractive to look at, too, which is a plus! With nearly 50 categories of blogs it's certainly a great way to find some new reading!
I like the site so much I contacted the webmaster, and...well...now we're running a Marketing campaign with them! It'll certainly be a chance for us to grow our PPP family!
Check out Delightfulblogs.com when you have a few moments. I'm sure you'll think it's a pretty great site!
Have a super-fantastic weekend!
Technorati Tags: blog directories, Delightfulblogs.com, directories, PayPerPost
The first-ever Blog Battle Royale Champion has been named, and the title belongs to Courtney and her Traveling Thoughts. The blog post that received the most votes is titled "Let's Get Ready to Roomba!!!", and Courtney gets the most awesome-ist badge to post on her site:
If you happened to miss the post where voting for the finalists occurred you can view it here. And here are the final votes:
In addition to the brag badge (thanks, Marty!), Courtney will also receive a rad Blog Battle Royale Champion t-shirt signed by the PPP Team, as well as automatic inclusion on the next Blog Battle Royale & PostiePack.
Details of Blog Battle Royale 2 are coming soon! Stay tuned!
Technorati Tags: Blog Battle Royale, blog contest, PayPerPost, Traveling Thoughts
Live music, hanging with celebrities, pictures with the Playboy Bunnies… all in a days work, right? PayPerPost wants to give you an all-access Media Pass to cover CollegeFEST in Boston on Sept. 22-23. This is a tremendous opportunity to promote your blog and have a blast doing it! And by the way, there’s $500 in it for you courtesy of PayPerPost.
Show the world what it means to blog like a rockstar. Apply by email to britt [at] payperpost dot com. Please include your name, phone number, PPP user name and blog URL. Already approved Posties only. When selected, you’ll get full media credentials for the event. The rest is up to you. There are a few Opp requirements, but nothing you can't handle. You're a rockstar, remember. Deadline for consideration is Tues., Sept 20. So, apply now!
PayPerPost has a booth at CollegeFEST that you can use as home base. As part of the gig, you’ll also get featured in a RockStartUp episode and in the Oct. Advertiser TACK.
You don't want to miss this unique opportunity.
Today is Blog Day 2007! It's a great idea -- I wish I'd have thought of it. If you haven't seen anything about this here on our blog, check out this post. You can also visit BlogDay.org for details.
For those participating in this worldwide event, once you've made the post(s) on your blog, leave a comment here on our post...along with the url to your post! It'll be great to watch-and-meet lots of new Bloggers!
In an effort to continuously provide support and open communication to our Bloggers & Advertisers, and provide a simple understanding of the various facets of our system and our Terms of Service, we are in the process of developing a series of Postie Service Announcements (PSAs) and tutorials. Look for them to be released over the coming months. The intent is not only to educate those who might be unfamiliar with PayPerPost and blogging in general, but to also reinforce some areas where we see some common practices. Of course, in true PPP form we'll try to make them as entertaining as we can, while still maintaining the core message of each PSA.
OK peeps...don't hate! We're not actors, but we love you guys...it's worth the embarrassment...right?
So...without further delay, here is the first installment...PSA #1: The PayPerPost Court:
We'd like to extend an enormous amount of gratitude to The Orange County Regional History Center for allowing us use of their courtroom.
* All characters in this dramatization are fictional. Any likeness to real people or animals are purely coincidental.*
I'm constantly out on message boards, forums, and directories, engaging and interacting with Bloggers. In fact, I often see many of our Posties on these sites. You know what? There is a lot of stuff going on in the blogosphere! And it's cool because through these sites I'm constantly learning about new networks, events, sites, etc.
A few days ago I ran across a blog post, mentioning a Blog Day. Turns out, this is the third year this is occurring. Well, Blog Day 2007 is happening next Friday, August 31st. I'm sure many Posties have heard of this and plan on participating, but if you aren't familiar with it I thought it might be a great idea for everyone to get involved. Essentially, here's what you do:
- Find 5 new Blogs that you find interesting. These should really be Bloggers you're not currently familiar with, or are not in any of your current networks.
- Notify the 5 bloggers that you are recommending them as part of BlogDay 2007
- Write a short description of the Blogs and place a link to the recommended Blogs
- Post the BlogDay Post (on August 31st) and
- Add the BlogDay tag (which you can find on their site)
I think this is an interesting promotion, and it's a great way to expand your network and hook-up with other Bloggers around the world! Take this as an opportunity to meet some new folks and expand your audience. Hopefully you'll see some increased traffic as a result, so you might want to make sure you've got your affiliate badge posted on your site. To grab the code simply click on the "PPP Tools" tab on your account, and then select "Referral Program".
I'll do another post on the 31st (next Friday), and when you publish your "Blog Day post" you can also share them with us on our blog!
Hey, iRobot voters! Happy Saturday!
Some folks seem to be having issues on their end with the voting widget for the Blog Battle Royale: iRobot promotion. I've e-mailed Polldaddy.com to see if they can assist with any technical issues there may be; hopefully I'll hear back from someone sometime over the weekend. In the meantime, I've moved the widget to it's own page...spawning a new window. Perhaps this will help. After reviewing each of the entries on the post from yesterday, you'll see a link at the bottom. Simply click on that and a new window will open.
I'll be monitoring the blog over the weekend so if you continue having issues please let me know what they are via the comments section.
The first round of the first Blog Battle Royale is complete! There are a total of 37 entries, and each post is listed below...by post title. Review each one and then select your favorite. Remember, the top five [based on number of votes] will receive a PostiePack with an iRobot Roomba robot vacuum, along with a specially-designed Blog Battle Royal t-shirt (it will be the envy of all your friends).
When these top five are determined, there will then be another round of voting to crown a winner! The winner will have "bragging rights" for a month--or possibly longer if they keep winning--and will receive a badge here on the PPP blog, linking-out to their site.
The voting widget at the bottom of this post is a bit long, but each numbered link below corresponds with a post in the widget. Since there are so many, it might be a good idea to keep a pencil and paper handy so you can write down your favorites! Please note: you can only vote once, so make sure you're actually voting for your favorite post! VOTING ENDS Monday, August 20th at 12:00pm EST. Of course, we'll let you know after the votes have been tallied.
Here are the contenders:
1. The iRobot Washing Machine
2. iRobot: Civic Doody?
3. iRobot for Blog Battle Royale: Replacement Husband
4. iRobot LAWNba
5. Not Tonight Dear -- Ask The Robot
6. iDaddy
7. Introducing TeachBot Mk1
8. My iRobot Design
9. Sooper Dooper SurrogateChild 2000! Get it NOW!
10. iRobot Office: Do You Have A Screw Loose?
11. The Loser Detector
12. I Need an iBrick-Pick-Up
13. Roomba and other such useful robots.
14. Duster Drone
15. iByot - the multi-tasking next generation house robot
16. My Robot (i)
17. Aye, Robot
18. PPP Blog Battle Royale- iRobot Zcure Robot Patrol
19. I Need a Robot
20. My iRobot Idea for PPP Blog Battle Royale
21. iMom Robot
22. Dear iRobot
23. So..If You Could Create an IRobot...
24. The Motorcycle-o-Matic
25. My Robot (ii)
26. Only In My Dreams…
27. Throwing Down The Gauntlet In The First Ever PayPerPost Blog Battle Royale
28. iAM The Heart of A Robot
29. Keep Your Eyes Out for BathRoomba…
30. PPP Blog Battle Royale: iRobot Baby Scan
31. do you, do you wanna Chacha?
32. iRebecca
33. iSpouseKeep Robot
34. The Grand Pooba(h)
35. myRobot
36. iPantrybot
And here's where you can cast your vote:
PLEASE NOTE VOTING FOR THIS IS NOW CLOSED. THE VOTING WIDGET HAS BEEN REMOVED.
Technorati Tags: Blog Battle Royal, iRobot, iRobot Roomba robot vacuum
Hi PPP Community!
We've been hearing the question about location again from bloggers and advertisers, and wanted to offer some clarification. What do we mean by a blogger's 'location'? A blogger's location is where they physically reside. The location, as far as PPP is concerned, does not depend upon citizenship, birthplace, server location, etc. It is simply: where does the blogger live?
We have folks who state they have dual residency so let me cover a few different scenarios:
Blogger lives in the US, but has taken a vacation for 2 weeks to China:
This blogger's location is the US. No need to change addresses for vacations!
Blogger lives January to June in the US, July to December in England:
This blogger's location Jan-June is US, July-Dec is England. The blogger is responsible for updating the address in the PPP system.
Blogger born in US, is US citizen but lives in France due to his/her job.
This blogger's location is France That is where s/he resides.
Some get even more complex than that (ahem . . . Andrew :). So if you think you have an unusual situation with which you'd like some help, please begin a ticket to us in Customer Love, and we'll work through it together! Location is crucial for advertisers targeting certain demographics, and even more so as we increase the number of Opportunities that may include bloggers receiving product samples via mail.
Remember, we have a blogger community of 40K+ now!! So we strongly encourage all bloggers to understand their responsibility in adding their current addresses, and changing the address with any move. Thanks!!
Karen
Crissy Kight of DearCrissy.com is a 27-year-old working professional by day, and mildly-eccentric artist and photographer by night. She has been keeping a digital diary online since 1995, well before the word ''blog'' became one of the most used words in the English language.
Crissy considers herself a ''self-constructing'' artist, a term she coined to describe her unique style, in which she incorporates personal journal texts and intimate self-portraiture within her paintings.
Whether Crissy is blogging about her most recent painting, about what she had for lunch, or about what her cat Mewson had for lunch, you'll find the content at DearCrissy.com delightful.
Name: Crissy Kight
People call me: Crissy
You can call me: Crissy Wissy Bo-Bissy
When did you join PayPerPost, and why?
I signed up for PayPerPost a couple of months ago, after hearing glowing reviews from a few of my blogging cohorts. It's true, I joined to make a little extra cash, but I've also found that the PayPerPost community is a great resource for bloggers to find support and even motivation.
Fill in the blank: The ____ is strong with this one.
Sarcasm.
If you could be any character from a movie, who would you be?
All of my favorite movies feature a main character who is utterly despondent for most of the film, so this is challenging. That said, I'm going to have to pick Charlotte from Lost in Translation. Hey, I'm already an English major, like to take stupid pictures of my feet, and have an affinity for Billy Murray, I'm at least there!
What is a 'eugugoly?'
It's what a eugugalizer delivers at funerals. Or did you think I’d be too stupid to know what a eugugalizer is?
Complete this thought: If I could blog for 24 hours non-stop I'd blog about ____.
It would probably have to be a detailed account of exactly how I ended up chained to my computer, because under normal circumstances I wouldn't blog about anything for 24 hours non-stop.
What is your favorite city?
I've visited a lot of nice places, but I’m going to have to say that my hometown, the city of Chillicothe, Ohio, is my favorite. When I was younger, I wanted to move someplace more exciting, but as I have grown up a little, I realize that this charming little city in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains is home, and probably always will be. Of course, we have a paper mill in our town that makes the whole area smell worse than a pile of rotting corpses, but we like it 'cause it keeps strangers from comin’ round!
What's your favorite color?
Whatever combination of teal and blue it is that make up the color of my boyfriend’s eyes. Doesn’t that just make you want to gag?
What's your favorite video-sharing site?
I'm a YouTube.com girl from way back! My little videos used to be featured on the main page a lot in the summer of 2005, and I often chatted with Steve Chen about possible site enhancements. Look, threaded comments were my idea!
What's your favorite RockStartUp episode and why?
Definitely Episode 21; who doesn't love outtakes?
Complete this thought: I wish I could get paid to ____.
This question should read: “I wish I could make a living ____.” I mean, I wish I could get paid to sit on my sofa watching re-runs of VH1's “I love the 80's”. The fact is, I already get paid to do some of the things that I love, like painting, photography, and writing. I just wish that I could make a living doing those things.
Who's your favorite blogger?
While it's definitely not a unique choice, I am still compelled to read Heather Armstrong’s dooce.com every day. I think that Heather is really brilliant when it comes to transforming the little details of her daily life into absolutely entertaining blog entries. I also really love reading Jen of jayesel.net and Becca of dasbecca.com.
Complete this thought: When I was little I wanted to be ____ when I grew up.
The earliest memory I have of any career aspiration is that of working for Dairy Queen. I had it all planned out, you know? I figured that if it was my job to dish out ice cream all day, then the potential for sampling said ice cream all day was really limitless. Big dreams, I tell you.
Please list any and all of your blogs:
http://dearcrissy.com
Technorati Tags: art, Crissy, Dear Crissy, PayPerPost Featured Blogger
Hi Posties!
Late last night, we found the system was acting odd when the Review team was working the payouts (or your approved posts that are now 30 days old). Throughout today, further research into the system info showed us the issue was sporadic throughout the weekend and meant that payouts that looked as though they completed did not.
We're sorry for the delay, but we seem to have a list of those payouts affected. The team will be focused on clearing those out asap, and we are aiming to have payouts up to date as of Thursday due to the volume.
Thanks for being patient as we clear out the backlog. After Thursday, if you have any payments overdue, please let us know via a Ticket.
We found this same issue affected some Posties trying to accept PPP Direct Opp's. That, too, is resolved so if you have any PPP Direct Opp's pending, you should be able to accept them now.
Thanks,
Karen
Customer Love