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Click TradeAlmost as many Internet users find out about Web sites from referring links on other Web sites as from search engines, according to the April 1997, GUV7 Internet User Survey (Georgia Tech). So it makes sense to garner reciprocal links with sites which will enhance and complement your own. A relatively painless way of achieving this is through Click Trade, a new service from the the automated URL submission service Submit It! They say that it is "the first service that enables Web site owners to easily set up and run their own link partner programs." Quite.... Translated, this means that this is a service that lets web site owners put text-based hyperlinks on their sites to other sites, and get paid for it based on clicks. In comparison to rotating banner ads, a text-based hyperlink can be hand-picked by site owners and placed in context with related content, making them more relevant to end users. ClickTrade also works with other types of linkable objects on a page, like buttons, banners, and enhanced creative such as Java and Shockwave. To use ClickTrade, Web site owners sign up as members. Members may use the service as advertisers for rewarding links, as link partners to earn revenue for placing links, or as both advertisers and link partners. Given the low rate of click-through of banner ads (over 2% appears to be exceptional), this could be an attractive alternative. But be warned that Click Trade is currently in beta.
Daily BriefThe Daily Brief is a 4-6 page news summary sent out by e-mail every weekday morning to around 23,000 subscribers. Included in the Brief are summaries of major news events that have occurred during the 24 hours prior to distribution. It is intended for professionals, students, and others, who wish to have "up to date knowledge of national and international events presented in a concise, timely, and convenient manner". Judging from the sample issue, it appears to be fairly comprehensive - not for the National Enquirer supermarket browser. So it's reasonable to assume that the readership of the Brief is probably of above average intelligence and curious about the world at large. Busy people. Like us. Well, we subscribed. You can too. Better yet, you can sponsor the Brief. Here's how it works:
Sponsorship seems reasonably priced (around $150/day pro rata, with discounts). And it gets your message in front of what appears to be a desirable demographic.
Communication ArtsCommunication Arts is the largest - and possibly the most prestigious journal - on creativity for graphic designers, art directors, copywriters, photographers, illustrators and multimedia designers. The magazine has just announced a call for entries for its fourth Interactive Design Annual Competition. Winners last year (1997) included Web sites from Macromedia and Tidy Cat; the Pong ad banner from Hewlett-Packard, and CD-ROMs from Mushroom Jazz and Stella and the Star-Tones. Projects will be selected by "a distinguished panel of interactive media designers" (no names provided as at the time of writing). The winning entries from this prestigious competition will be reproduced on a CD-ROM bundled with the 1998 September/October issue of Communication Arts, which has a paid circulation of 75,000. Any project-interface design, educational and entertainment programs, interactive product display, self-promotion-created for digital distribution on a floppy disk, CD-ROM, interactive kiosk, online service or the World Wide Web is eligible. The deadline is January 16, 1998, and the entry fee is $100. Details about entering and online entry formsare available at the Communication Arts web site. If you have any other questions or want to request a call for entries, call 650 326-6040 Pacific Time during business hours or E-mail: shows@commarts.com Good luck! --John Blower
SurveysThe only certain way of collecting demographic information about your site visitors is by asking them to fill out a form. Of course, survey respondents are self-selecting, but let's face it, any information is better than none, and you will be collecting the eMail addresses of visitors who have an interest in what your site has to offer. A simple way of installing a survey at your site is to use SurveySez. According to the site:
You can view samples and download a demo, which provides you with access to ten responses for free. If you sign up for the full service, each response will cost you $0.25 (which is cheaper than a first-class stamp). Access to the "up-to-the-second" results attract a premium of $0.10. We found this an attractive, easily-navigable site which was transparent in its disclosure of what you get for your money. Ask some questions - you might get some interesting answers!
Take a look at the Archives. We've indexed all the past issues with topic pointers.
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