full posts
Qumana launches new version
Qumana launched v 2.0 yesterday and it's all about ads. The new version allows you to put ads into your blog, RSS-feed and e-mail (!), based on keywords. It's totally customizable: the keywords, the lay-out, the place in the post and which post they should be added to. If you are interested in making money through blogging, Qumana seems to have the solution for you.
Personally, I'm not that keen on advertising on my blogs. Too little traffic to be in serious business. But with what Qumana has come up now, it is definitely an application that I would consider if I were interested in ads, due to the fact that I decide what ads I will publish.
The thing that struck me most though, is their business model:
"Next, we started our own ad network called AdGenta. This gives us the ability to ensure that you, the blogger gets the best deal. Yes, this is our business model. Yes, we earn more through the revenues. But we don't earn money, unless you earn money. We're in this together. We're here to help to leverage and monetize your content."
Refreshing! I'm very curious to see how this will work out for them. In the mean time I'm a happy user of Qumana without ads.
More Space - Nine Antidotes to Complacency in Business
Johnnie Moore announced that the book More Space is being published 25 October. Nine bloggers write, not about blogging, but about business. A must read!
Generation gap - using the internet for communicating
A poll from Guardian/ICM shows that a third of all young people online have launched their own blog or website, writes Owen Gibson, media correspondent for The Guardian. (via Thomas Burg)
"There are signs of a significant generation gap, and rather than using the internet as their parents do - as an information source, to shop or to read newspapers online - most young people are using it to communicate with one another."
I really believe that labeling this as a generation gap hits the spot. Recently, the use of MSN by teenagers has had quit some attention in the Netherlands. Parents don't seem to have a clue what their kids are doing. Teenagers spend a lot of time hanging around in chat rooms, not only chatting with people they know but with complete strangers. And they've got web cams as well, so that's it for anonymity. I've even seen teenagers showing their genitals in front of the camera.
Don't get me wrong, I love communicating through the Net and I use all types of tools to communicate with people. But parents need to realize that teenagers need some guidance with their online behaviour, just as they need guidance when they start dating. Common sense, but an overlooked issue. Sitting in front of the computer at home does not automatically mean that they're 'easy teenagers'.
(Disclaimer: I'm not a parent ;-) )
(Btw, the article is just about the poll. Using the term generation gap just triggered me into writing this)
