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Cookie stuffing and Affiliate programs

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Many people say there is a lot of money to be made using affiliate programs, but it appears that many of the top internet marketers use black hat techniques.
From 5 star affiliate programs.

Cookie stuffing is STEALING! Those here that are defending the practice - if you work hard to make money through affiliate programs you have undoubtedly been a victim of this kind of theft.

Let’s say you do PPC. You PAID to get that visitor to read your ad, you spent time building the landing page and you sent that PPC visitor to the merchant. It’s YOUR sale! Then the visitor leaves. Reads a forum about something totally unrelated, never clicks a link or does anything. Goes back to buy and the cookie stuffer who did NO legitimate work at all - steals your sale. You PAID for that visitor, don’t you feel cheated? You should!

I have often felt my affiliate conversions were not being tracked accurately , seems it is  widespread , as this eBay lawsuit shows . That is why I like to very sure of the kind of company I am dealing with and spend hours researching, before I sign up. If you want to make money online using white hat techniques , flat monthly advertising rates seem a better bet.

Added:  It appears that the amount stolen was approx $1 million a month , this thread  on EPN ( eBay Partners Network) has more information

Filed in advertising, money online | Comments (0)

Internet security hole

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Interesting post on the Internet’s Biggest Security hole . Some months ago, traffic to some of  my websites had almost disappeared, this could be the reason.

Filed in IT, websites | Comments (0)

Risks and startups

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Risks and internet start ups in India an American has commented

Popular rock bands in India play very little of their own music.

Playing your own music is hard - there’s a risk that people wont like it.

That is the problem in India, people don’t  like to take risks.

When  I was leaving my job many of  my colleagues told me ” So,  N you are leaving to start your own business. We would all like to do the same, but cannot afford to.”

Yes, most of them were married, had families and responsibilities, so they could not take the risk of leaving a very comfortable job in one of India’s largest and most respected companies.  I had no responsibilities or liabilities whatsoever, so I could afford to take a risk, though it meant starting from scratch in an entirely different field.

The other thing I have noticed is that many people in their twenties today in India (especially in Metro cities) try very hard to imitate the lifestyle of people in foreign countries, thanks to the mainstream media in India today.  They do not realize that to make money online, you need to have the best understanding of what works online, all other things are secondary.

But the irony is that the comment in the above post shows, Americans who they try so hard to imitate,  do not have a high opinion of  these Indian copycats.

Filed in India, money online | Comments (0)

Another Internet bubble?

Sunday, August 24, 2008

From Another internet bubble in India

am aware of few very well known startups that are shutting shop (will share as we get a green signal from founders/investors).

In India, most internet companies think that getting funding = success, but they do not realize that you lose independence and have to consult your investors before taking major decisions.

One of the things about the internet which make it such a magical place (for me at least) , is that you do not need much money to make money online. If you are willing to spend time understanding the market, there is a lot of money which can be made.

Most Indian internet companies who get funding only have a very limited market and so the growth prospects are limited. They usually target urban  India and Indians settled abroad and rarely have a universal appeal. So unless these companies are bought out, it is difficult to get good returns on the millions of dollars invested.

Filed in India, money online, social networking, websites | Comments (0)

Stress in IT companies

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Official version of a software engineers suicide

and the unofficial version (more believable) version in a forum posting

Most of the IT companies do not care for the individual , they expect employees to spend their whole life in office. In engineering companies, it is much better , almost everyone leaves office at 5.10 pm sharp (though you are expected to come in by 8.30 am).

But when you go to a project site, you have to stand in the hot sun for hours, in remote areas, without any food the whole day (though you have plenty of cash). Finally it is your life, you have to make a choice.

Filed in IT, India | Comments (0)

Professional attitudes and startups

Thursday, August 14, 2008

I do not have an IT or internet background and when I started dealing with internet companies I was shocked at their attitudes, especially the smaller companies.

If you have worked in a  professionally managed company, you learn to put aside your personal likes and dislikes, treat everyone fairly based solely on business criteria and get your work done.

Lack of global standards of professional behavior seem to be fairly widespread.

Filed in India, websites | Comments (0)

Cheap Facebook stock for sale

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Cheap Facebook stock for sale

Another over hyped Web 2.0 website like  You Tube, I wonder for how long it will remain popular.   All these websites are good only for researching the people you will be or are dealing with. Their friends and avatars tell  you a lot about the person.

Filed in money online, social networking | Comments (0)

Decrease in domain parking revenues

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Dark Blue Sea Financials

There seems to be a 50% decline in parking revenue. I had applied to Fabulous a few months , but they had rejected my application, saying that my domains were not of good quality. (most are reg fee domains) .

Since then I have experimented with almost all advertising and monetization alternatives (a large number of my websites are developed), and found some that work. So searching for other options was better for me, revenues are fairly stable and increasing.

Though dealing directly with end customers is very time consuming, in the long run, it is the most stable revenue source.

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Indian society and starting a business

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Microsoft/FaceBook/Google from India? Can Indian Society produce Gates/Larry/Zuckerburg?

The problem is the attitude of people who start a tech business in India, most people however “educated” are not able to think independently, they just ape other products/websites.

If you are an engineer from a top college, and do not go abroad for further studies, do an MBA or join a software company and spend some years working as an engineer , there is something “wrong” with you. If  you leave a job in a big company and start your own business,  you are  doing nothing, unemployed . (though you probably put in more hours than any one else).  So you either do what every one else does or develop a thick skin and learn to ignore most people if  you want to start your own business.

Also , handling money at a young age is important. If you stay away from home at 17 with no one to help you if you have any kind of problem, you become very independent and are able to manage your finances much better than others.  People also show their true colours .

To develop any thing new , you need to have an imagination and if you have a very limited exposure, it is difficult to get new ideas. I remember when I first came to Bombay for studies, I found that almost none of my batch mates in my hostel had read any fiction or books other than what was prescribed in their college curriculum.

Later at work, many projects involved integrating mechanical, electrical systems and also writing software. Most of my colleagues would only be interested in the software part (of course it would make it easier for them to switch jobs) and this lack of understanding of other fields is the main reason why people do not come up with new ideas.

Also people in India are very status conscious (especially Mumbai), they will be very nice to you if  they think you are doing well and some will go out of their way to be nasty to you if  they think you are not doing so well.  This lack of empathy for those who are less privileged, makes it difficult for them to develop any software or website with a broader appeal.

Filed in India, money online, websites | Comments (0)

Internet and being self employed

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Birds of a feather

When you are self employed, the way you look at things changes. I was formatting my accounts a few days ago and I realised it has been many many years since I last spent time formatting any document.

When I was working in a office, I would spend hours formatting, taking printouts and sending faxes (this was when most companies did not have email addresses). The most interesting part was getting your designs manufactured in the factory ( with a strong trade union). Now I do not waste my time on non-productive activities.

You slowly realise that not everyone is as motivated or hard working as you are. Few people can think for themselves, they just follow the latest fad . Everyone wants money, few are willing to work for years without holidays or any other distraction.

When I was working in a office, my colleagues and seniors would say I complete my work very fast, (please be a little more patient with others) there are no constraints now. I suppose I could be considered unemployable, but this is the life I choose.

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