Hey advertizers! Check out SocialSpark

I think I'm going to enjoy being a member of SocialSpark.com. It's a very friendly, informal place, where members are treated with a great deal of respect. SocialSpark has plenty of decent, well-known advertisers, too. However, as it's a young site, I should imagine they could do with signing up a large number of new advertisers. I'm very impressed with the fact that the folks at SocialSpark have asked members which advertisers they would like to have sponsoring their blogs.

I would like to have a number of familiar brands sponsoring my blog posts. Before I get to naming some of those brands, I'd like to outline why I'd enjoy this kind of sponsorship. I probably don't make as much money as I could from sponsored blog posts, because I feel uncomfortable reviewing products or brands I'm not too familiar with. How can I honestly review something I don't know? Also, I like my sponsored posts to have some value for my readers, not just for my PayPal account. So if I'm blogging about something my general readership can relate to, the post sits comfortably alongside the rest of my blog, instead of sticking out like the proverbial sore thumb.

So what advertisers would I like to be sponsored by? I would have to go for well-known, global brands, because my readership comes from all over the world. I would love to write sponsored posts for Pepsi - my favourite brand of soft drink. Pepsi Max is divine, especially the lemon and lime flavour. As a lifelong chocoholic, I would also love the chance to be sponsored by Cadbury's. Or Nestle's. Or just about any major chocolate manufacturer. It would be the next best thing to free chocolate!

I'm also quite a geeky, computer sort of person, and would love to review software and gadgets for some of my favourite brands. One of my favourite applications is Apple iTunes. I also adore Adobe software, especially Adobe PhotoShop. One of my pet subjects is Internet security - I'm always telling people off for not having enough. So I'd also love the chance to be sponsored by computer security firms such as Grisoft, Lavasoft, Comodo and Checkpoint. It would give me the chance to nag people to improve their security!

I hope I get the chance to be sponsored by some of these great advertisers soon. Wish me luck!

I signed up for SocialSpark!

My blog has just been approved for SocialSpark, which is both a social network and a nice, ethical way for bloggers to make money. I was somewhat miffed when my blog was initially rejected - see the post preceding this one for the full story. So, this morning, I was surprised and delighted to discover two very nice comments on this post from William, the Review Lead at SocialSpark, as well as Gordon King, the manager of Izea's Customer Love. They apologized for the error made, and said nice things about this blog. I am HUGELY impressed by that level of customer service, so I think I'm going to enjoy my time with SocialSpark. Many thanks, Gordon and William :).

So what's this SocialSpark all about, I hear you ask? At the moment, I'm still trying to find my way around and get my bearings. Perhaps the simplest way to describe it is as a cross between Pay-Per-Post and MySpace, although this an over-simplification. With SocialSpark, you can add other users to your friends, and they can add you to theirs. Although I suspect there may be some users who simply like to collect friends, that's no different to any other social network. I find this 'friending' ability attractive. It's not just a good business tool; it also creates a nice, friendly atmosphere at SocialSpark.

Another thing that attracts me to SocialSpark is that it has a strict code of ethics. A lot of sites offering paid review opportunities ask bloggers not to disclose their affiliations with those sites and advertisers. Such sites also tell you that you may only write 100% positive reviews.

SocialSpark is very different. For a start, they insist on what they call a 100% audit-able in-post disclosure. See the little 'sponsored by SocialSpark banner at the end of this post? No mistaking the fact that this is a sponsored post. That means that SocialSpark expects 100% transparency from its bloggers. This allows bloggers to maintain an honest relationship with their readers. SocialSpark also favours "100% real opinions" - which means you don't have to be 100% positive about a product, but can honestly review it. Another huge plus is that all sponsored posts for SocialSpark contain no-follow tags. This means they won't be picked up by search engines, so you shouldn't lose your page rank for undertaking sponsored posts.

Something I really like about SocialSpark is how easy it is to navigate. Here's a screenshot of my SocialSpark home page. From here, a user can easily access the marketplace, the community, their account or the help pages.


The marketplace is very easy to navigate and customize. You can either choose to view all channels and all opportunites, or you can be a bit more selective, and browse the marketplace via its different channels, e.g. entertainment, travel, family, etc. If you look at the right hand sidebar of this screenshot, you will see there is a further ability to filter your choices, so that open opportunities that are available to you, appear at the top of your marketplace listings.


You can also browse the SocialSpark community. Here, you can make new friends and discover interesting new blogs.


The community also includes a collection of message boards, one of which specifically focuses on SocialSpark. Here, you can get help and advice from other SocialSpark users, or even from SocialSpark staff.


All in all, SocialSpark looks like an interesting place to be. So if you're looking for a nice, safe social networking site that also gives you the chance to monetize your blog in an ethical way, give SocialSpark a try.

Buy TVs at Best Deal Center

Are you looking to buy a new TV? Perhaps you fancy a brand new, top of the range lcd tv? If so, check out the range of televisions available at Best Deal Center. They sell televisions by world-renowned brands such as Sony, Panasonic, Sharp and Pioneer. It is a privately owned and operated company, which prides itself on offering every customer the very best customer service, whether their purchase is large or small. Experts in all things audio-visual, their staff undertake ongoing training, in order to offer you the best possible advice about your purchases.

There are also other advantages to shopping at Best Deal Center. They currently offer a free shipping option on all orders, you won't be charged any sales tax, and all items are brand new, straight from the factory. All items also come with a warranty and a 60 days money-back guarantee. So if you're looking to replace your current TV, take a look around Best Deal Center - you may just find what you're looking for.

Commercial Roofing Sydney - asbestos removal

Are you a business owner based in Sydney, or anywhere in New South Wales? Do you need asbestos removed from the roof of your premises? Whatever you do, don't try to remove it yourself. Give Commercial Roofing Sydney a call. They are licensed asbestos removal contractors, and can safely remove this potentially hazardous substance.

Commercial Roofing Sydney have the expertise to minimise the release of asbestos fibres into the atmosphere. This means less danger of exposure to the fibres. As they are based in Sydney, they are ideally placed to offer their services to commercial and industrial premises throughout New South Wales. The company specialises in asbestos encapsulation and safe removal of asbestos from broad expanse roofs at industrial and commercial premises. If you have any concerns about asbestos at your place of business, Commercial Roofing Sydney can perform a full risk assessment at your premises. They will also thoroughly explain what needs to be done to rectify your asbestos problem and will give you a complete and accurate quote.

Please do not try to deal with your asbestos problem yourself. Not only is asbestos hazardous to human health, but you could incur legal penalties in certain circumstances. Environmental laws forbid anyone except a licensed asbestos removal contractor to remove asbestos that covers an area of 200 square metres or more, any loose asbestos, or any damaged, bonded asbestos.

So avoid legal and health nightmares, by calling in Commercial Roofing Sydney. They are members of both the Master Builders Association and the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association, so you can be sure they will solve your problem safely, and within the letter of the law. In addition, they pride themselves on offering an outstanding, professional service to their clients. They will do everything possible to minimise any inconvenience to you, including keeping any downtime at your premises to a minimum. So if you're a business owner, and your asbestos roof is giving you a headache - let Commercial Roofing Sydney ease away the pain.

Looking for a UK hotel?

Are you thinking of visiting the United Kingdom soon? Or maybe you live here and are planning to explore a new part of the country? Whatever your travel plans and accommodation needs, there is a website that can help you find hotels in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, or the Republic of Ireland. Hotel UK also provides a specialist service for finding you the ideal hotel in London.

Hotel UK is of the UK's best known and longest established online hotel reservation services. It can help you find the ideal hotel for your budget and personal requirements. It lists hotels in most of the UK's major towns and cities. Hotel UK focuses on offering all its customers the best possible personal service as well as low prices and frequent promotional offers. As all bookings are made via a live chat service, you will also get an immediate confirmation of your reservation. You can search for your UK hotel by city or UK country, with a separate search facility for London hotels. So if you want to make reserving your UK hotel as easy as possible, check out Hotel UK.

Magicdust Shopping Cart software - SP

As my regular readers know, I have a number of online ventures. So I'm always looking for new products and services to help them run smoothly. Something I definitely need is high-quality, user-friendly and cost-effective shopping cart software. Like many web-masters, I have no web-programming skills beyond basic HTML. I find the thought of administering and securing my own shopping cart software intimidating. So I need a dependable and inexpensive shopping cart solution. I believe I've found the ideal website shopping cart product, over at Magicdust.

Magicdust shopping cart software has so many positive selling points, it's hard to know where to start. One of the most important things any website owner must consider, is cost. Magicdust promise to keep your costs down, whilst simultaneously offering a high quality shopping cart solution, backed up by superb customer service. Their product is very user-friendly. You don't need any programming skills. If you can click a mouse, you can use it. You can even take a free test drive, so you can see for yourself how great this product is.

Still not convinced? Well, how about this? The eShop shopping cart has some amazing features, that will actually boost your sales. With a choice of WYSIWYG or Rich Text editors, you can list unlimited products or product categories. Like all major retailers, you can add features such as advanced product search, a 'customers who bought X also shopped for Y' facility, and also, allow customers to enter discount or promotional codes. As well as being the most search-engine friendly shopping cart on the market, it has full Google Site Map support, and your customers will receive automated emails once their orders are received and shipped.

In addition to all the above benefits, this great product is backed up by excellent service and support. A friendly, professional, and highly trained support team will assist you with any concerns or queries. You will also have access to a team of talented professional web designers. They will help you to design the ideal shopping cart for your website. Overall, Magicdust are proud of their reputation for providing a professional and reliable shopping cart service to all their clients - a fine reputation supported by numerous client testimonials. So check out Magicdust's shopping cart software today.

Beat the credit crunch! (SP)

Are you disillusioned with your current banking arrangements? Fed up of getting little return on your savings? Maybe the credit crunch is biting hard, and you're looking to switch checking accounts? Well, before you do anything hasty, pop along to Emoneycentral.com. It's a personal finance site that monitors banks and credit unions across the United States, to inform you of the best checking account, savings account and CD rates.

Currently, Emoneycentral.com holds details of checking accounts offering annual percentage yields of up to 6%. Some of the savings accounts offer an annual percentage yield of 4%. All the accounts listed are offered by federally insured credit unions and banks - something to give you peace of mind. The site is very easy to navigate, and you can even subscribe to the RSS feed, which will give you fast access to information about the newest offers. Essentially, Emoneycentral.com helps you make informed decisions about your finances, which could make you big savings, in these times of recession. If you want to make the most of whatever money you have, pay a visit to Emoneycentral.com, and find yourself the best deal on checking, savings or CD accounts.

(SP) Clothes from the movies!

Are you a fashion-conscious movie fan? Have you often seen your favorite star wearing a slinky dress or cool pair of shades, and wondered where you can find the very same item? Well, there's good news. Pop along to I Saw It In.com, and there's a very good chance you will be able to locate and purchase that very item.

Clothes from the movies are often very hard to locate. Finding just one exclusive item can involve many hours of online research - and even then, you're still not guaranteed to find exactly what you're looking for. I Saw It In.com has handy drop-down menus, that allows you to search by actor, actress or movie, for your favorite clothing or accessory. You can also post information about where to find certain items, or request help in locating a particular item. You can even share your videos and photographs of the items you have purchased, with other users. The site also features competitions, and up-to-the minute movie news. So what are you waiting for? Pop along to I Saw It.com today!

Future plans

As regular readers of this blog know, I'm always on the lookout for ways to make money online. I've often thought about writing and selling e-books, perhaps containing some of my photography. But I've always been a bit bewildered as to how I would be able to offer a secure shopping cart, in order to receive payment for these e-books. Well, I've done a little bit of research, and I've come across some ecommerce software that offers an ideal solution.

I recently discovered Ashop Commerce's award winning shopping cart software. What I like about it is the fact that it's web-based, so I would not need to install and host this software on my own webspace. It offers four different shopping cart solutions, very reasonably priced, according to your needs. It allows you to accept credit card payments securely, and even offers a 10-day free trial offer. Your shopping cart is fully customisable, so it would fit in with your existing website or blog, and can be quickly and easily updated. Anyone who has ever installed ecommerce software on their own server will know just how difficult and unwieldy some shopping cart software can be. But Ashop takes all those worries away from you, by providing you with a fully supported, hosted solution. And if you did need help, Ashop even provides a live support tool, for instant help.

So if you've always fancied setting up your own online business, why not take all the strain out of setting up your own shopping cart, by choosing Asoft?