The end of AGLOCO - I hate to say I told you so

As much as I hate to say it, "I told you so!!"

Oh, in case you haven't already heard, I received this very interesting email from AGLOCO today:

We would like to update you on the status of AGLOCO's operations. We continue to believe in the AGLOCO concept, but our revenue is currently not sufficient to give Members a meaningful distribution. And though there are increases in membership, the resulting revenue is not enough to support operating costs. As a development team we are unable to continue to use our savings to fund the operations. If any Member would like to pursue continuing the operations of AGLOCO, you may contact us at agloco1@live.com.

We would like to thank every Member for supporting our effort to bring a piece of the Internet directly to the user. We hope that we can find a way to keep the operations going.

AGLOCO Development Team

I said all along that I didn't think AGLOCO was ever going to happen, despite the desperate promotional efforts of various Internet gurus, such as John Chow, etc. It appears I was right!

Joel Comm and AdSense Account Closures

Contrary to good blogging practice, this is my first post on this blog for a few weeks. Unfortunately I've been busy setting up a new business and moving to a quaint old thatched cottage in the English countryside. Many topical news stories have come and gone during my hiatus but there is one that I just cannot resist commenting on.

One of the big news stories of recent weeks was the closure of several AdSense accounts that were based on MFA (made for AdSense) sites and AdWords arbitrage. However, for me the biggest aspect of that story was the hypocrisy of AdSense guru Joel Comm when he blogged about this topic. To quote Mr. Comm:

What did those publishers do wrong?

They had either built their site specifically for AdSense or they'd been practicing AdSense arbitrage (buying traffic cheaply from one place then selling it on to AdWords advertisers through their AdSense units.)

What both those practices have in common is that they put the ads ahead of the content.

That's just wrong. Google is making a good move for advertisers in drawing the line.

I'm certainly fed up clicking search results and finding myself on a page full of ad links instead of the content I want. And advertisers are fed up paying for clicks from people who aren't really interested in their services.

Do you see the blatant hypocrisy? No? Well, let me enlighten you. First, take a look at these 2 web sites run by Joel Comm, InstantAdSenseTemplates.com and SuperAdSenseTemplates.com. What are these sites selling? MFA web site templates! That is, Joel himself sells templates to create the very type of sites that he is disparaging in his own blog post. If that isn't hypocritical I don't know what is.

To make matters worse, I left a comment about this very issue on his blog but, of course, it didn't pass his moderation. That's the second time I've left a critical comment on his blog that he has refused to publish. Guess he's more concerned about protecting his online empire than actually being prepared to face honest, valid criticism.

I've had issues with Joel for quite some time (see this post and this one), now I've concluded that he's just a shallow money grabber and a hypocrite to boot.

Tags: adsense, opinion, joel comm

My First Text-Link-Ads Sign Up!

Well, it's finally happened, one of my referrals to Text Link Ads has actually signed up and earned me some commission!

As you may have read previously, I've had my doubts about this particular affiliate program and, despite my first sign up, I'm still not exactly over the moon with it.

As of today, I have sent 453 referrals and only one of them has converted. That's a conversion rate of 0.22%. I don't think I'll be retiring just yet!

Tags: text link ads

New Look for the AdSense Home Page

I just went to log into my AdSense account and noticed a new design for the home page. I'd noticed the design a few days ago but it then reverted to the old look. Below is a screenshot.



Interestingly enough, after logging out and going back to the home page, I got the old style page again. I wonder if this page will completely replace the old one soon!

Update: This new design has now permanently replaced the old AdSense home page

Tags: adsense

MoneyTies' New Logo

If you've visited this blog on the web (rather than just reading the feed), you may have noticed our new logo, which was revealed today.



The basic logo was initially designed by LowCostLogo.com (Rogue Media). However, the designer was unable to complete the work following a serious car accident.

The design was then amended and completed by Michelle of Design2Go.net, a graphic design studio based in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, England.

Michelle did a great job at a great price. If you're looking for a superb, value-for-money logo, contact Design2Go for a quote (and don't forget to mention MoneyTies!).

Issues with Michael Cheney's AdSense Videos Affiliate Program

I am an affiliate for Michael Cheney's AdSense Videos. This is a pretty decent affiliate program and I like Michael Cheney. However a slight problem with this particular affiliate program came to light over the weekend.

Whenever someone purchases the AdSense Videos via my web site(s), I am emailed a confirmation to let me know a sale has taken place. Between Friday 20th and Sunday 22nd April, I received X of these emails. I also checked my stats via Michael's own web site, which also indicated X sales. However, when I checked my stats on Clickbank, through whom the sales were made, I was only credited with exactly half X sales.

I contacted both Clickbank and Michael Cheney's support desk and received some interesting replies.

First, Clickbank assured me their stats were correct (despite opinion across the web that Clickbank is understating sales). Surprisingly enough, Michael's reply read as follows:

Thanks for letting me know. I can assure you that ClickBank is 100% accurate - the discrepancy lies at fault with the tracking software we use unfortunately.

For the definitive sales figures always refer to ClickBank.

Thanks,

Michael Cheney

So, at least Michael Cheney is speaking up for Clickbank. However, if you're also promoting his products don't be surprised if you end up getting inconsistent sales stats.

Tags: michael cheney, clickbank

Policy Change Hurting U.K. eBayers

A change in the way eBay lists items entered on ebay.co.uk has wrought havoc to many U.K sellers.

Until recently, items listed on ebay.co.uk were automatically returned in product searches on ebay.com (the U.S. site). However, with little notice being given, U.K. products are now only returned on ebay.com if searchers use the advanced search option to include U.K. products.

This has caused a dramatic reduction in sales for many British ebayers who have also had to deal with ludicrous fee increases earlier this year. Some sellers have reported reductions of as much as 90% in sales since the change was introduced in Feburary this year.

eBay has formally apologized to British sellers for the lack of notice. Well, "Thanks eBay . . . for nothing."

Source: BBC.co.uk "eBay 'sorry' over policy change"

Tags: ebay