It seems everyone expected some news on GBuy service – the system testing was scheduled for this week, but Google announced Google Checkout launch instead.

Well, I do not think there are many online users that are impressed with the new service. All it does – it saves your credit card data and you will not enter the details each time you shop online at certain stores. You should really be an active online shopper to be annoyed with entering your credit card data each time you buy items or services online.

Google also combined new service with AdWords: a complete solution for searching customers via Google and processing the sales. Probably, this service primarily is targeted at online outlets owners – online merchants – Google places a little icon on the ads of stores offering Google Checkout. The service is free.

Check Google Checkout

[tags]Google Checkout, adwords, e-commerce, online business, gbuy[/tags]

MySpace is a new generation social networking site that should give a new impulse to online business model development. It is sort of a buzzword, the place is no doubt popular with teenagers and youth. The site is one of the most trafficked in the USA (over 70 million a month).

It is also a popular way for online marketers to promote their services and products to target groups. But recently this technique is more and more abused. MySpace promotion is kind of spamming members (many people create hundreds of accounts, use automatic friend adders and other ways with the sole purpose to send out bulletins with their adv to thousands of MySpace members).

Forbes calls MySpace (as well as some other social networking sites) a bubble. A business model that is not likely to last or at least there is no evident proof that their model is long lasting. It works in a few simple steps: survive, call yourself Web 2.0 and attract attention, get venture capital and sell your business to a bigger market player (MySpace successfully completed all stages, now there are a few more websites that would be happy to do the same).

Another new breed of websites is shareable content providers – PhotoBucket, YouTube and thousands of their clones.

Web 2.0 term annoys more and more people. Some companies that proudly called them Web 2.0 get closed (read more on some Web 2.0 failures on TechCrunch.com). It proves that it is not enough to call yourself Web 2.0 company. You need much more to succeed online (as well as in offline world).

[tags]forbes, web 2.0, myspace, youtube, blogger, classmates, photobucket, affiliate marketing, online business[/tags]

If you are in affiliate marketing and do not sell any products directly you need some ad network that will help you to generate income from your website. There are a few types of networks (see below): in some cases you can combine all types on a single page, in other cases you are not allowed to place them on one page. Read the network rules to avoid any mistakes – ad networks will close your account if you do not meet their requirements.

CPC:
Cost per click – you get paid each time a visitor clicks on ads placed on your webpages. The ad networks do not disclose the information what % share you will get per click – the income is divided between you and the network. It is rumored Google (Google AdSense – the most popular service from this group) pays 78% to the publisher from the amount received from the advertiser, but the company did not evr confirmed this information.

Google Adsense
Yahoo Publisher Network (Beta)
Chitika
BidClix
BannerBoxes
Adbrite
AdSonar
Clicksor
Searchfeed
Revenue Pilot
Kontera


CPM:
Cost per thousand impressions. You get paid for views, no action on the part of the visitor. You need much traffic to generate substantial income from this type of revenue. For example, one of TribalFusion requirements is 2,000 unique visitors per day.

Tribal Fusion
Casale Media
BurstMedia
RealTechNetwork
ValueClick Media/FastClick
Buds Ad Network
MaxOnline
24/7 Real Media
Bannerconnect
Mamma Media Solutions
Adtegrity
Ad pepper Media
Rightmedia.com
Advertising.com
Accelerator Media
AdSmart
AdAgency1
Interclick


CPA/CPL
Cost per Action – you get commission only if the visitor buys a product or subscribes to a service advertised. This ad model was the most popular a few years back. Now its days are gone. But it depends on the topic of your website – probably it is the best choice in your case.

Linkshare
Commission Junction
ShareASale
WebSponsors
Advertising.com
Azoogle Ads
Maxbounty

[the ad network list via sitepoint.com]

Summary: obviously, web publishers have a choice. But along with that, web publishers are faced with cut throat competition – it is extremely hard to promote sites nowadays. Monetizing your website is important, but your primary task if you run a new website is to focus on its content, incoming links and traffic generation.

[tags] affiliate marketing, adv networks, Google Adsense, Yahoo Publisher Network, Chitika, BidClix, BannerBoxes, Adbrite, AdSonar, Clicksor, Searchfeed, Revenue Pilot, Kontera, Tribal Fusion, Casale Media, BurstMedia, RealTechNetwork, ValueClick, FastClick, Buds Ad Network, MaxOnline, 24/7 Real Media, Bannerconnect, Mamma Media Solutions, Adtegrity, Ad pepper Media, Rightmedia.com, Advertising.com, Accelerator Media, AdSmart, AdAgency1, Interclick, Linkshare, Commission Junction, ShareASale, WebSponsors, Advertising.com, Azoogle Ads, Maxbounty [/tags]