Being quite unhappy with my results of using CPA (cost-per-action: you get paid once the visitor from your website did some action on the website you are affiliated with) programs (I am signed with Commission Junction, Shareasale - do not use them much - and LinkShare) I have decided to explore what works with other online entrepreneurs.

Here is a list of my observations:

- There is a new generation of CPA networks that most webmasters discuss and use: AzoogleAds, HydraMedia, etc. At this time Azoogleads.com seems to be the buzzword for a CPA network. I have applied to become a member – they promise to contact the applicants within two business days. Now it is a week – no reply: approved/ rejected – no idea.

But as I have discovered it is their standard practice - they have too much applications at the moment and strict screening guidelines. It is recommended to call them. They have a big amount of applicants due to all positive feedback on the Internet and fail to process every application in time.

- What programs to apply for? I mostly run offers to buy some products – promotions with banners and text links. But at the moment it is the history.

What works now according to those webmasters who are doing fine with CPA networks:

Freebies. Free trial memberships (ringtones, diet, etc).
Surveys and contest.

- Promoting techniques are more or less traditional:

website,
PPC (unfortunately for affiliate marketers, you can’t send the traffic directly - you need a landing page on your website. From that page, you cane send your visitors to the merchant website),
forum signature,
MySpace spamming (send your hot offers with your bulletin and embed the affiliate links. Remember to properly express the benefits and call to action within 1-2 sentences),
E-mail marketing

Summary: CPA as an income for online marketers is obviously not dead. One just has to keep up with the changes that occur so fast on the Internet. Yesterday’s leaders are no more key industry players, promotional techniques change even faster with social networking topping the list for this moment. Just apply for the new networks, browse their offers and test, test, test.

[tags]cj, commission junction, shareasale, linkshare, azoogleads, hydramedia, cpa, reviews, freebies, incentives,  myspace,  seo,  internet marketing,  affiliate marketing,  blogs,  content generation,  news aggregator,  ebay,  google,  make money online,  work from home,  home based job,  wikipedia,  del.icio.us,  technorati,  bloglines,  duplicate content,  links,  earn your living online, surveys, contests[/tags]

On Wednesday debuted Utherverse.com, an adults-only site that has an aim to obscure the success of MySpace.com.

Owners of the new site plan to have more than 1 million registered users by the end of 2006 and encourage members to upload erotic photos and to complete fantasy profiles.

Brian Shuster, chief executive of Utherverse.com Inc., said people under 18 are not allowed to use social networking site. It is a move that should help the upstart online community avoid pedophiles.

The site has also been fertile ground for some sexual predators, who have attracted the attention of parents and U.S.A. law enforcement following multiple reports of sexual assaults to minors.

Shuster claimed that Utherverse.com uses credit-card age verification and has people monitoring the site, scouring it for postings from minors to ensure safety.

He said: “Our users can feel safe and relaxed in the knowledge that they are dealing with other adults”.

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[tag] Red Light Social Center, Utherverse.com, MySpace, Adults, pedophiles [/tag]

Cyworld is a kind of social network (”CY” is Korean for “relationship”).

In South Korea, nowadays there is a term a “Cyholic“. It’s hardly an unusual affliction. There are 18,000.000 Cyworld members (more than a third of South Korea population). And 90% of all Koreans in their 20s have signed up.

That makes Cyworld even more popular in South Korea than MySpace in the U.S.A. And its business plan is unique. The bulk of Cyworld revenue comes from the sale of virtual items worth nearly $300,000 a day, or more than $7 per user per year. (MySpace makes $2.17 per user per year).

For the past eight months, a team in San Francisco has been adjusting Cyworld to appeal to an American audience, trying to strip away the bubblegum kitsch that works so well in Asia without losing its cool.

It’ll be a hellish battle for the hearts and minds of teenage girls - Cyworld’s target audience. And it’s not as if MySpace is the only competition. Facebook, Friendster, Hi5, MSN Spaces, Multiply, TagWorld, Tribe.net, and Yahoo 360 are also engaged in this competition.

SK Communications bought Cyworld for $8.5 million in 2003. It was good timing. Cyworld introduced the mini-homepage to the users in 2001. By 2003 the user could use them to upload photos, write a blog, and create digital sketches.

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[tag] MySpace, CyWorld, South Korea, USA, Facebook, Friendster, Hi5, MSN Spaces, Multiply, TagWorld, Tribe.net, Yahoo 360 [/tag]